ING Renault F1 Team has become the first Formula 1 team to exploit opportunities in Second Life - and I’m guessing this will annoy Vodafone, who probably had big plans for Team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes!
The Second Life activity is designed to reinforce the teams philosophy of openness and approachability, helping to put enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts behind the scenes. The experience is designed to take them closer to the dedication, technological excellence and teamwork required to achieve Formula 1 success, alongside a number of unique interactive virtual experiences.
This is another project from the team at Rivers Run Red and is certainly one of the more appropriate uses of Second Life by a brand.
For me, this is using Second Life as another touch-point for global (and that’s important) fans of a sport that has a massive appeal, and is technologically driven, rather than a PR-exercise. What I really like is that ING Renault F1 will be able to offer people access that is unique in a sport that is mainly untangible for most fans (with TV being the only major touchpoint). Whilst it may not reach millions in reality, it offers a quality of interaction that is far more personal than TV, and probably even attending a race.
It’ll be interesting to know how many people in Second Life interact with the brand, and how many of those are new joiners - I can see some of the hardcore fans specifically entering SL just to ‘touch’ the team.