1-800-FLOWERS.COM Blooms Online With 'The Second Life Summer Flower Show'

By: 1-800-FLOWERS | 2 Shares 106 Reads

World's Leading Florist Launches Virtual Greenhouse to Create a Closer Community and Raise Appreciation for the Ways Flowers Enhance Our Lives

CARLE PLACE, N.Y., June 5 // PRNewswire-FirstCall // -- 1-800-FLOWERS.COM (Nasdaq: FLWS), the world's leading florist, has officially opened the doors to a new floral pavilion and greenhouse that will exist solely in the virtual world of Second Life and will offer a world of complimentary flowers for its 6.9 million residents to collect and give to one another.

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Designed to let company and consumer interact with both the openness and anonymity that Second Life allows, the "Summer Flower Show" (to which Second Life residents can teleport in-world or from a landing page at www.1800flowers.com/secondlife) will promote greater knowledge and enjoyment of the ways flowers enrich lives by:

* Offering complimentary floral arrangements for residents to carry around as expressions of their own sentiments and personalities, display in their own Second Life spaces, or give to others they encounter "in world." Floral selections reflect the mature social nature of the Second Life community. "Happy Hour Bouquets," for instance, come in seven varieties such as "Apple Martini," "Champagne Wishes" and "Cosmopolitan Bouquet," and are gathered in cocktail glasses and champagne flutes for vases. Decorative note cards accompanying the bouquets further facilitate in-world expression, and carry coupons good for real-world discounts at 1-800-FLOWERS.COM;
* Providing a casual, open environment that is as perfect for hosting an event as it is a private spot for a rendezvous among a couple or small group of residents;;
* Populating the space with 1-800-FLOWERS.COM representatives who can dispense knowledge about the meaning and history of different flowers (drawing on the company's decades of experience in the floral business), point out interesting features of the space, and even tackle customer service issues ranging from feedback on the greenhouse, to comments on the company's real-world products and services. Nearly two dozen volunteers have been formally trained and will staff shifts in the greenhouse from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. PDT during the week and 11 a.m. - 5 ] p.m. PDT on Saturday and Sunday, in addition to appearing in-world throughout the day. Initially, they will travel around Second Life promoting the new destination; and;
* Staging events, such as roundtable discussions led by 1-800-FLOWERS.COM founder/CEO Jim McCann (the first of which will take place Friday, June 15, from 10:30 - 11:30 A.M. EDT), a virtual flower bouquet design contest in July, and a series of focus groups with Second Life "residents" to solicit opinions on the company's future Second Life endeavors.;

Director of Special Projects, Seth Lasser (avatar: Kal Winkler), says visitors to the Summer Flower Show will be pleasantly surprised to find that the greenhouse centers around experience, entertainment and enhancement of their Second Life personas.

"Erecting a virtual greenhouse is an opportunity to connect with people in a uniquely engaging way," Lasser says. "Creative self-expression is at the very heart of Second Life, and flowers add so much color to those who surround themselves with them or give them to others. We are delighted to offer Second Life members a naturally beautiful space where they can socialize, learn more about flowers and fellow residents, and collect creatively designed bouquets to enhance their in-world personas."

This Second Marketing LLC, a San Francisco-based digital marketing agency that specializes in helping brands enter Second Life, created the greenhouse, and hosts it on its own island, "This Second Island," along with training and demonstration facilities, a nightclub and buildings erected for other clients.

"Second Life offers limitless possibilities for creativity, self- expression and socializing, and its popularity has increased dramatically," says Joni West (avatar: Joni Rich), President, This Second Marketing LLC. "As a result, a growing number of companies are looking to Second Life as a new channel to reach the consuming public, but many have been criticized for being too commercial or for not engaging residents on a personal level. 1-800- FLOWERS.COM has made a bigger commitment, training eager volunteers to go in- world and engage and interact with residents, helping them enjoy their visits to the greenhouse and come away with new information, experiences and virtual accessories to use in both worlds."