Infinite Vision Media: Expressing Brands in 3D

The interactive marketing agency Infinite Vision Media specializes in 3D web spaces. Once part of the original team that created the lovely Dublin region, IVM now uses its deep real-world experience in advertising, branding, architecture, and programming to create immersive experiences for Second Life Residents.

“Even though we’re a real-world company, we really look at ourselves as Second Life Residents first,” says CEO and Executive Producer Drew Stein (Boliver Oddfellow in-world). “We’re committed to doing projects in a way that adds to the [Second Life] platform.”

But a company’s whose tagline is, “Don’t sell me. Play with me.”, promises to add to the platform in unexpected and refreshing ways. “The opportunities for learning and fun in a branding environment are endless,” says Drew. “You shouldn’t be busy selling. You should be providing touch points for continued dialogues and conversations. It should be two-way. And as people get more familiar with 3D experience, the flat web page is going to seem like a thing of the past.”

Creating eCommerce on Dell Island

“As metaverse developers,” Drew says, “everything we do is focused around our number one rule: how can we push the Second Life platform? How can we make it better? Everything in our recent build [for Dell Island] was: how we can help the platform move to where it’s going? How can we envision something that’s going to allow our clients to create this exciting, fun experience for their customers? How can we take the Dell experience and actually allow Second Life Residents to build their computers and then buy them?”

The team worked closely with Dell and built an interactive community within Second Life together. He explains, “Normally, you have to go out of Second Life to do a purchase. Here you start your purchase in Second Life. When you move to the Dell website to complete your purchase, it pre-populates the information. We’re trying to help push the platform in terms of e-commerce. One day soon we’ll be able to do the entire order process within Second Life.”

Inside Michael Dell’s Dorm Room

Michael Dell started the company in his dorm room at the University of Texas at Austin. For Dell Island, IVM re-created this now-legendary room. In-world Residents can cruise around the room, check out the Austin skyline from the window and see first-hand how Michael stashed computer parts in his shower during his parents’ visits. A brand new Dell computer sits on Michael’s desk. When Residents click on the computer, a pod emerges and sucks them into the computer through a textured tunnel that resembles a circuit board. From there, Residents enter a giant, walk-through computer. They can walk across the motherboard and trip wires to generate informational pop-ups. Or they can lounge in the heat sink. As Drew explains: “It comes down to the idea of asking yourself and your clients: What can you do in 3D that you couldn’t do in the real world? How can you use this platform to make your relationship with customers, students, and teachers deeper and broader in the real world? I mean, how much more fun is it to walk into a giant computer and play: ‘Honey I shrunk the Residents?’ ”

IVM’s Advice to Developers

“Imagine, design, and build something that stretches the platform. Use in-world ‘sherpas.’ Use people who have deep experience in-world. Look at their builds and get references. Make whatever you’re doing immersive, experiential, and unique to the Second Life experience and not just a replica of real world business. You are becoming a part of the community. Consider it an ongoing commitment and not a one-time PR stunt. If you’re a new developer, look at the client project as if you’re a Resident of Second Life and your client is about to become one. People are building and becoming part of an existing community. They’re not building something that’s going to be an empty monolith. So keep it real. Keep it about the community – about Second Life. What’s good for Second Life is what’s good for your client.”