THIS Is What I’ve Been TALKING About!
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Trance dancing, flying, purple people, skydiving… this is NOT your father’s Wells Fargo!
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It finally happened: a stuffed-shirt client unbuttoned a few buttons, and BLASTED past anybody thinking they’re on the cutting edge of advertising!
The marketing kids over at Wells Fargo are about to release a new computer game called “Stagecoach Island.” It’s a 3D game based off the popular Second Life engine. In the game, folks are encouraged to learn financial responsibility by managing their cash while in a world that offers tons and tons of fun things to do. They can obtain land, sports gear, and more, but need to watch their spending so they don’t end up with empty pockets.
The idea is the brainchild of Swivel Media, a San Francisco-based shop that’s proving that great ideas can be fresh, and that yes, banks don’t have to be boring. Erik Hauser, the Big Brain over at Swivel, took me on a guided tour of the game, and let me just say one thing:
Freaking WOW!
This game is brilliant! It’s so much more than a game, or a marketing effort, or lessons in finance — it’s a robust example of how the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts. This doesn’t simply put both Swivel and Wells Fargo on the “cutting edge” advertising map — it throws out the old map, and dares people to catch up.
Hats off to both Swivel and Wells Fargo for such a great effort!