Home Attracts First Advertiser

Sony and Red Bull have announced a marketing partnership that would make Red Bull energy drink the first commercial brand with a marketing presence in Sony’s upcoming virtual user interface for the PlayStation 3. The Home user interface is a sprawling 3D world which allows users to interact with each other using personal avatars, purchase virtual items, and show off gaming achievements. The project has been in development since 2007, but has faced long delays. Since the service was announced in 2007, Sony has aggressively targeted advertisers to fill billboard spaces and other interactive ad placements in the Home universe. The Red bull deal is interesting and may point the way toward the nature of future brand marketing in the 3D world.

The Red Bull marketing effort in home takes the form of a virtual island, where Home users can compete in a variety of airplane races based on the company’s real-world extreme air racing circuit. Aircraft and other objects are branded with Red Bull marketing materials. No financial information about the deal has so far been revealed.

Sony has stated that the Home user interface is nearing completion, and many industry analysts expect the service to be publicly rolled out sometime in early 2009. Expect to hear a lot more about advertising partnerships as we get closer to the official launch of Home.

An example of a Red Bull Branded plane from an Air Race series event.

[Source: Brand Republic]