Leo Burnett

Teleporting to Leo Burnett island brings you to a somewhat featureless auditorium. Emerging from the door one finds oneself in a wooded area, the focal point of which is a massive tree. I think the tree references the Leo Burnett apple motif. Leo Burnett has two icons it chooses to associate with itself: green apples and black pencils. These items are generally kept in RL reception areas of Burnetts, and whilst visiting a friend at the UK office I used to regularly eat one of the former and pocket one of the latter).

The island therefore centres around a large hollow apple tree, with oversize apples, birdhouses and birdcages hanging off it. There are also pagodas on the main island with a small desert island offshore (with mandatory shark, pirate galleon and campfire). Visitors are offered a Leo Burnett black pencil – basically a jetboard mod – which streams black particles resembling pencil lead.

You can see the pictures here.

Things I liked:

• The general tree motif was not unpleasant
• Numerous areas, surprises and attention to detail
• Small hanging tree-pods, unfortunately with TVs in (static fuzz of course)
• A library where you can “read” a book
• OK so the shark, galleon and campfire were a bit expected but I liked them anyway!
• There is a special “Stargate” style teleport that bounces you around

Less good:

• There’s no one there!
• Nothing to explain what’s going on (no notecard or virtual greeter)
• General feeling of pointlessness

By way of Background:

Why does it exist?
Leo Burnett (and Arc) were the first agency to officially launch in Second Life (9/28/06), beating out BBH by one day*.

The launch PR Release claimed the build was an “ideas hub … conceived as a celebration of creativity … a virtual learning campus, created to further connect and grow the creative talent of the group’s global network”. Blimey!

Surrounding fanfare and declamation:
Said Burnett’s chief creative officer Mark Tutssel: “I don’t want brands shackled by geography … it lets all of our creatives live in the same place, breaking down physical barriers to interact and share ideas”. Burnetts and Arc have 2,400 (or 1,600 depending what article you read) creatives worldwide, in 80+ countries.
More from Mark: “Collective imagination will always be greater than individual creativity – and as today’s new technology now gives us untold possibilities for tapping into the creative brainpower around our network and beyond, the launch of our SL presence is all about our seizing with both hands the opportunity to learn, collaborate and create fresh ideas across the globe.” (From the flatulent hyperbole, one assumes he was once a copywriter … or actually maybe not!)
Jim Thornton, executive creative director at Leo Burnett UK, emphasized the exploratory nature of the project. “Once we fully launch our presence in Second Life in November, we will be in the position to invite other SL residents to share in our creative experience. Our hub will be a source of inspiration and a place for like-minded individuals to connect and collaborate.”
*Anomaly actually claim to have been first in-world, but didn’t make a big deal out of it … and quickly left! PR opportunity wasted!

When did it open?
The first Leo Burnett presence in SL launched September 28th 2006 – at that stage it took the form of a rather poxy and pointless apple tree on Millions island (which some avatars of my acquaintance used to enjoy launching R2 missiles at!) The full island build was completed some time after.

How big is it?
One whole sim (16 virtual acres), which at the time was going for $1,250 plus $195 monthly maintenance.

Who made it?
It was designed by the UK branch of Leo Burnett and made by social media firm Millions of Us. Here’s a movie they made.

Any bumps and scrapes?
Leo Burnett (and Millions of Us) failed to list the first area that was set up (the lame apple tree), and as result when YesButNoButYes decided to check out Leo Burnett’s home and did a search – they came up with nothing except a resident calling himself Leo Burnett and belonged to The BDSM Forum. Not exactly ideal, but an important SL Marketing lesson: make sure the world you are entering doesn’t already have a person with your name who likes kinky sex. (Well, unless you’re into kinky sex as well…)

Lofty Ambitions as yet unrealized:
Burnett originally said it anticipated moving its Cannes “Predictions” Event to Second Life. (The predictions party is event where industry professionals gather to vote on advertising likely to win at the Cannes Advertising Festival, which takes place in June each year). By taking the event to Second Life, Burnett planned to “create a global online contest that would unite the entire SL community in a celebration of the best that advertising and communications have to offer.”
They also planned to stage “Wildfire: Ideas that Spread and Sell”, a presentation that the agency and Contagious magazine gave in Cannes in 2006 and which has since been shown only to private audiences around the world. “With the LB-Arc hub, the entire SL community will have the chance to learn how new-media marketing strategies are contributing to popular culture while driving businesses forward”.
I never heard any more of either …

Stats:

Date visited: October 1st, 2007

Bodycount: 0

Reported Traffic: 463

Size: One sim (16 hectares)

Final word:
You know, say what you like about the big empty commercial sims, I quite enjoyed walking and flying around Leo Burnett island. The big tree doesn’t take as long to rez as you might think, and there are a lot of surprises and nice touches to discover. I eventually invited a few friends over and we chilled out in the woodland sunset. I have actually been back to the island a few times in the hope of encountering a Burnett creative (or indeed, anyone) … or maybe a new design flourish … so far no joy!

Links
The Leo Burnett Toronto blog: