Samenvatting

As technology and the Internet rapidly change the way that people interact, the business world continually readjusts to keep up. The field of marketing is no exception. Not only have the information superhighway, social networks, and brand new marketplaces revolutionized business as usual for the marketing manager, a whole new world has virtually emerged- literally. In fact, many of these virtual worlds are quickly gaining membership. While the “new media” pose great challenges for marketers, enormous opportunities also abound. Thriving virtual societies of 3D avatars are the up-and-coming market that is just beginning to be tapped by the commercial universe (Hemp, 2006). In the following discussion, we explore just how this is being done, particularly by those looking to expose their brand to this virtual audience and boost their brand equity. A recent report in the press based on a study conducted by Interbrand cited the 10 most valuable brands. It uses a formula that combines the brand’s future strength and its role in creating demand. The top three organizations globally are as follows: Coca Cola ($70.45 billion), IBM ($64.73 billion) and Microsoft ($60.9 billion) (Fredix, 2010).