Role-Play Marketing

I've been noticing a trend in some parts of the social media universe. Some microsites have popped up that are jumping to the next evolutionary level. We all know there are sites out there where you can become part of a community and engage with other members via various social networking tools. Most of these (but not all) act independently from each other and are not associated with a particular program, channel, national brand etc. But now we are getting the opportunity to live out fantasies through marketing-generated applications.

For example:

This week marks the return of most of your favorite TV shows and I for one will be looking forward to our friends at Dunder-Mifflin in "The Office." Last season, NBC set up a microsite for the show based on one of the subplots of the year, Dunder-Mifflin Infinity. It's pretty cool in that it allows you to sign up to "work" for the paper company's online division and gives you access to a variety of company items and policies just as if you were an actual employee.

I have coined this technique Role-Play Marketing. My definition of Role-Play Marketing is the use of commercial marketing practices to engage an individual or group into creating a stake of ownership in a fictional or non-fictional universe simply by participating.

In the case of Dunder-Mifflin Infinity, Role-Play Marketing allows the TV viewer and Web site visitor the chance to become part of a fictional or non-fictional universe created favorite show and allow them to feel like they have a stake in the success of the show, thus caring more about it. By setting up a site that allows people to interact with the show in other ways besides just behind-the-scenes clips and other extras. Instead, it tries to infiltrate your everyday life and ensure those interested spend time in the universe created by the show on a regular basis and participate in extensions of storylines they have seen on TV or the Web.

This trend extends beyond TV shows and movies (think World of Warcraft) but as you can see this is a prime example of Role-Play Marketing. I will be talking more about these sites in the future so keep an eye out for them and let me know what your favorite examples are.

Social Media Spotlight of the Week - Plaxo

What is it? (in their own words): "We started with a different kind of address book, one that leverages the power of the network effect to stay up-to-date. We securely host address books for more than 40 million people (and growing rapidly)."

"And now, we're bringing those address books to life with 'Pulse,' a new way to enrich your connection with the people in your life. Pulse is a bit like some social networks you've heard of, but it's different in several key ways…"

"First, Pulse is not a place to see how many online 'friends' you can collect. It’s meant to be a better way for you to stay in touch with the people you actually know and care about — your family, your real-world friends, and the people you know from business. Pulse makes it easy for you to see what they’re creating and sharing online — their blogs, the photos they’re uploading, their restaurant reviews, and so much more."



Does it do anything else?: "Pulse is not a 'walled garden.' It’s a dashboard for seeing what the people you know are creating and sharing all over the open web. You can hook your Pulse account up to all the places where you create or share stuff (your blog, Flickr, Twitter, Yelp, and more than 30 other sites)."

"But 'open' does not mean 'public.' With Plaxo, you have fine-grained control over what you share with whom, whether that’s your contact info — or your photos from last weekend."

Who uses it?: People looking to maximze use of their address book while mashing together some of today's biggest social networks into one platform.



Why should I use it?: It's a free network that allows you to keep tabs on friends, colleagues and family by tracking the content they post online in real-time.



Recommendation score: *** out of 5