The Avatar Age Entertainment and Advertising in the Future Reuben Steiger CEO, Millions of Us Virtual Worlds West San Jose, CA October 11, 2007

What is Millions of Us? The world’s leading agency helping brands connect with large online communities, virtual worlds and social networks

The world’s leading agency helping brands connect with large online communities, virtual worlds and social networks

Millions of Us: Key Clients Toyota General Motors Mini Sun Microsystems Coca Cola Intel Microsoft Comcast CNN Warner Brothers HBO 20 th Century Fox Diageo Budweiser

Toyota

General Motors

Mini

Sun Microsystems

Coca Cola

Intel

Microsoft

Comcast

CNN

Warner Brothers

HBO

20 th Century Fox

Diageo

Budweiser

What is an Avatar? Now, an online persona In Hindu lore, the earthly form of a God

Houston: We Have a Problem Authenticity and Advertising Only 24% of U.S. residents trust what companies tell them (Yankelovich, 2007)

Only 24% of U.S. residents trust what companies tell them (Yankelovich, 2007)

A Statistic to Ponder User- generated, social communities represent the fastest growing market segment totaling 31% of all consumer Internet usage (Comscore, 2007)

User- generated, social communities represent the fastest growing market segment totaling 31% of all consumer Internet usage

(Comscore, 2007)

The Programming Grid of the Avatar Age Virtual Worlds Blogs User Created Content Communities Social Networks Younger Older Audience Age

Other Worlds 100 Million and Growing. . . . Habbo Hotel: 32 million users Gaia Online: 8.5 million users Zwinktopia: 10 million users Stardoll: 8.5 million users

Some Predictions for 2008 Social networks will become “Avatarized” Virtual worlds will become more like social networks Television tie-ins will increase for virtual worlds

Social networks will become “Avatarized”

Virtual worlds will become more like social networks

Television tie-ins will increase for virtual worlds

Virtual Worlds From Habitat to Second Life 1985 2005

Where it all Began Philo T. Farnsworth: 1928

Fast Forward: 2007 Across the Street: 1100 Sansome

And So It Began. . . . . The gentle blue glow

Meanwhile . . . . . 550 million automobiles by 2002

What Happened to Communities?

Telling Stories in Virtual Worlds What is Scion City?

So that’s how we got here. . . Now how do we go mainstream?

Thank You