Nashville caretaker Ellen Olhsson, 64, can't afford a Gibson guitar in real life.
But as of Wednesday, she could pick up a Les Paul Classic for free — a virtual one, that is, in the online community Second Life.
Nashville-based Gibson Guitar Corp. is following in the footsteps of other companies such as IBM and Nissan North America, which have set up venues on Second Life for consumers to interact with their products in a virtual 3-D world and generate more media buzz, some analysts said.
On Wednesday Gibson launched its own island in the virtual realm shaped like a Les Paul guitar rising from the ocean. Throughout the day, professional musicians streamed their music with virtual performances on the island's stage.
Island visitors like Olhsson picked up one of several virtual guitars she owns and watched videos of artists performing with Gibson guitars.
Olhsson is one of more than 14 million people who are part of Second Life. Calling Second Life either "fun or tragic," Olhsson said on Second Life she is a 24-year-old female hipster named Truelie Telling.
"It's beautifully designed and really well balanced between the practical and imaginative," Olhsson said of Gibson's virtual presence during an interview that took place online in Second Life. "It's real fun. It tickles my imagination and makes me want a Gibson guitar."
Mike Lawson of Metaverse Media Group, the group that designed the island for Gibson, said Gibson could gain new consumers who may want to buy a real Gibson after owning a virtual one, helping educate Second Life musicians on the brand.
"We want it to be fun for musicians, and everyone working on it is a musician," Lawson said, who declined to discuss how much Gibson paid his company to design the island.
In general, it costs $1,000 to initially set up an island and there is a monthly charge of $295 in land fees, according to Second Life's Web site. Nobody from Gibson was available to talk about the feature, according to the company's spokeswoman.
Impact on sales unclearLawson said another plus about Gibson having its own island is to discourage people from selling fake virtual Gibson guitars online.
The company is giving away the virtual guitars for free, but Lawson said there are fake versions of virtual Gibsons available that range from $1.50 to $13 — that's in real cash, not Second Life's currency, "Linden Dollars."
A real-life Gibson guitar can sell for well over $4,000, and in some cases much higher.
But some analysts were skeptical on whether buzz surrounding Second Life would translate to big sales.
"The hype that surrounds Second Life is quite a bit ahead of reality as a place that sells goods," said Rob Enderle, a principal analyst at Enderle Group, a San Jose-based technology products consulting and advisory service. "In terms of sustained sales, it's not that good."
GM whomps Toyota, but sales still dive
