"We’re using video game metaphors to show developers how Visual Studio can be useful in solving technical problems."
Prashant Sridharan,
Visual Studio Product Manager,
Microsoft
Client Scenario
With SL’s resident community boasting technical skills and an adoption curve far ahead of the general population, it’s an obvious battlefront in today’s fierce war for technical talent and the war for developers’ hearts and minds. Microsoft challenged Millions of Us to develop an unprecedented in-world promotion for its Visual Studio product.
Approach
We began by considering our audience, SL-savvy developers. Our experience suggested that developers like being rewarded and recognized for their specialized knowledge.
The campaign was centered around a complex logic game premised on an egg hunt, which all took place on a private piece of land called Microsoft Visual Studio Island. For the launch we invited Second Life's biggest celebrities who all observed, a mysterious blimp hovering above the island. Speculation quickly spread through the blogosphere: “what's in the blimp”? Players spent countless hours searching for the eggs that we had scattered throughout SL, all while wearing a Microsoft cyber arm band to track and announce their progress. Winners were given VIP access to the blimp where they received deeds to land on Coders Cove, an island exclusively for the winners of the game.
Results
A fast-gelling community of hard-core Second Lifers formed at Coders Cove, including people from all over the world, in the developer demographic targeted by Microsoft. Engagement statistics were stunning: the average game player spent 24 hours playing, while winners averaged 74 hours of play. The initial round of play was deemed so successful that additional rounds continue.