LOS ANGELES, Oct. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Centric today announced the opening of its headquarters in Second Life, together with details on current projects and a pioneering park-building initiative. Centric's headquarters are located at Maui (208, 36) on the Second Life southern continent, integrated with the native environment. This is a departure from typical agency presences, which build large structures on isolated private islands. Centric has owned land in the Maui/Mokualii regions since July 2006.
"We want to be part of the world, not apart from the world," said Jason Stoddard, Centric's Managing Partner, Interactive. "Our location is naturally beautiful, and we want to integrate seamlessly and non-invasively into the world."
Centric also announced current projects in Second Life. One project, for a major entertainment company, integrates themes and prizing from a popular science fiction television series with a network of devices built in-world. Another involves bringing the work of a popular sculptor into Second Life.
"Parks, not ads!" is the slogan of Centric's land network in Second Life. Centric actively seeks out and purchases small land parcels typically used for display advertising, combines them into larger parcels, and replaces the display ads with parks. The only indication that these parks are Centric properties is a small, discreet monument.
"We had to do it," said Stoddard. "We noticed that display ads have gotten out of hand. They come in huge, ugly, garish clusters which really detract from the SL experience. So, now we are the only ad agency in Second Life that's actually removing ads."
Centric's parks are currently located at Eson (164, 222), Ilgop (132, 16) and Eson (120, 48). Centric is in the process of constructing over a half-dozen more.
Founded in 1994, Centric was one of the first advertising agencies to offer fully integrated online and offline services. The agency's client roster includes a diverse group of consumer, high-tech and business-to-business clients including Freestyle Watch Company, Memorex, Imation, LA Gear, Princess Cruises, Canon U.S.A., Mandalay Bay, Veeco, Hewlett Packard, VeriSign, Semtech, Viking Office Products, Nestle and Acura. Centric has offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Second Life.
Centric
