Happy Virtual New Year?

Times Square is considered to be the advertising gold mine, and never more than New Years Eve when thousands of people all stand around trying to make sure their wallet doesn’t get picked. But buying advertising there costs more than a pretty penny.

So what’s the solution for advertisers looking to save a buck but join the hoopla? Wes Keltner, CEO the Ad Option, says why not make a brand new virtual Times Square and sell ads on it, in Second Life.

“This is a cool marketplace. Why not have your products there with the early adopters?” he says.

Linden Labs’ Second Life virtual world has been seeing a lot of interest from ad agencies looking to stay “cutting edge.” It was Keltner’s company that launched an American Apparel line virtually. So Ad Option is building a Times Square, starting up selling ad space and trusting to the usual Second Life manic word-of-mouth to garner interest.

“The Second Life world is growing at 32 percent per month. Its past 1.4 million registered members. They spend over $600 thousand dollars a day in US dollars. Consumers are going there, so why isn’t your brand there?” he says, “Giant Times Square ads custom built to their products, and its chump change.”

I’m still watching my wallet closely, however.