K-SWISS, bebe, Eberjey, Bravado and Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum(R) to Sell Virtual Goods SAN MATEO, Calif., Aug. 21
SAN MATEO, Calif., Aug. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Makena Technologies, creator of
the popular 3D social virtual world There.com, today announced five new
partners participating in its Virtual Merchandise marketing program. Premier
apparel providers, K-SWISS, bebe and Eberjey, as well as London-based music
merchandiser Bravado and the Country Music Hall of Fame(R) and Museum will be
setting up specialty shops featuring lines of virtual merchandise for
There.com members to purchase for their avatars.
"As virtual worlds continue to grow in popularity, more brands are
entering the space because the quality of virtual goods has become so
realistic that consumers can now begin to make real-life purchasing decisions
based on an item's virtual counterpart," said Michael Wilson, CEO of
There.com. "As virtual worlds continue to become more mainstream, I believe
we will see more brands introducing virtual goods to help increase consumer
engagement, and in turn, we'll see a 'halo effect' that crosses into the real
life."
In 2007, Charles River Ventures analyst Susan Wu estimated that the
virtual goods market was worth $1.5 billion. With more consumers entering
virtual worlds today, coupled with the increase in branded virtual
merchandise, virtual good sales are on the rise and are being thought of by
marketers as the new approach to product placements. There.com's new partners
will also be offering members ways to easily purchase "real world" merchandise
as part of their campaigns, giving them a new revenue channel to leverage.
"We are very interested in looking at the online world to reach our target
consumer as we realize they spend an inordinate amount of time there," said
Jennifer Weiderman, VP of Global Marketing at K-SWISS. "We have also found
that our younger consumers are spending a lot of time specifically on social
networking and virtual words. We were interested in the virtual world concept
in that it helps create consumer engagement, trial, and buzz for both our
footwear and apparel collections."
Each retailer will be creating a virtual storefront where There.com
members can purchase virtual and real world merchandise that will consist of
items like T-shirts, hoodies, bathing suits, pajamas and shoes. Each brand is
introducing between five and 18 virtual goods into the world. This new lineup
of brand partners launching virtual merchandise in There.com joins a host of
companies who have been running ongoing marketing programs, including
Coca-Cola, Scion, CosmoGirl, and the Humane Society of the United States.
About Makena Technologies, Inc.
Makena Technologies is the parent company of There.com, a fully
interactive, 3D online virtual world where members can customize and create
their own 3D character, meet and hang out with friends in real-time using
voice and text chat, build their own virtual homes, participate in events
ranging from car races to paintball to fashion shows and even create and sell
their own virtual items. There.com is a safe and exciting "PG-13" environment
for ages 13 and up that has something to offer nearly anyone. Makena
Technologies has offices in San Mateo, CA and Laguna Beach, CA. For more
information, visit http://www.there.com.
SOURCE Makena Technologies, Inc.
