tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22093933.post8342068796507714936..comments2009-11-09T18:37:02.986-05:00Derichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16617204535017208765noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22093933.post-41685032359815967732009-11-09T18:37:03.153-05:002009-11-09T18:37:03.153-05:00Some economist did the study of all the value of virtual goods (based on eBay auctions etc), and determined the real value of the production of virtual goods exceeded the GDP from such enterprises would aggregate to be the 72nd largest economy in the world, growing at a very rapid clip.colehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101046056167717007noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22093933.post-48588323095758048962009-11-09T13:13:54.484-05:002009-11-09T13:13:54.484-05:00From my perspective as a marketer, virtual goods do not surprise me at all. To paraphrase Harvard&#39;s Theodore Levitt,&quot;people do not buy drills, they buy the expectation of a hole.&quot; Money traded for any alternative solution that delivers the hole is a fair one.<br /><br />What is the difference between a paper greeting card that costs you an outrageous $4.99 + stamp and a buck for a virtual FB heart? They both deliver the same end product - increased goodwill and loving feelings between the exchangers. What is the difference between a new pair of earrings and a virtual outfit for your avatar? They both enhance public persona - for status, for appeal, or for association.<br /><br />To me the remarkable insight is that the virtual world is affecting more physical-world markets than we had imagined. It&#39;s not just booksellers, music producers and newspapers that may need to retool.<br />- Kathleen Schaub<br />http://www.groupeffectsmarketing.typepad.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22093933.post-58850147258666508932009-11-09T13:11:40.839-05:002009-11-09T13:11:40.839-05:00Sure - we should stop regarding virtual things as non-existent. Things are only defined by their interactions with other things. So if our interactions with a virtual flower become as rich as our interactions with a physical flower, the virtual flower is just as real.Danihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10222252181812955947noreply@blogger.com