Worlds in Motion got a chance to talk with Millions of Us president and co-founder Chris Lassonde about the company and its perspectives on the virtual worlds space. He discussed a bit of Millions of Us's process in orienting new clients to virtual worlds, and what he feels are the big trends to watch.

What led you and Reuben Steiger to start a virtual advertising agency?

Opportunity meeting preparation. Everything we had both done in our careers up to that point, combined with a strong friendship and a kindred entrepreneurial spirit, allowed us to be in the same room at the same time and say "let's do this!"

In earlier years, you worked as Lead Programmer for Origin, on Ultima Online and its expansions; how has that prepared you for what you do today?

It's been an immense help. Being on the front lines of the first MMORPG put me in a position to learn first hand about the needs and wants of online communities, the composition of these communities at both the group and individual levels, customer support, and the core technologies that make these spaces work.

How have brand opportunities in virtual worlds evolved since you entered the space?

Brands are far more aware today then sixteen months ago about what they can do in virtual worlds now, and what they'll be able to do in the near-term future. They are coming to us with some rough ideas and asking us to help them develop their strategies for online communities. A year ago, they didn't even think they needed a strategy. They are also much more open today to the widely varying opportunities that are appearing across a fast-growing and diverse ecosystem of virtual worlds.

Do you think there's somewhat of a backlash against virtual worlds as an advertising platform, since horror stories of "deserted Second Life islands" and such have hit the media? Do you notice a change of stance among your clients?

I haven't seen a backlash against virtual worlds in general. We heard a lot of pointed questions about Second Life from clients after a brief flurry of unfavorable coverage this summer. For the most part, they understood that a dash of skepticism was inevitable for a service that had been riding high on a wave of hype for many months. They recognize that Second Life is still in its infancy, and that the enormous potential that had everyone so excited to begin with is still out there. Some of the less technically sophisticated platforms are much closer to realizing their immediate marketing potential, and our clients are very excited about those shorter-term opportunities.

Would you say it's easier or harder for companies to advertise in that way now?

It's easier, and it's going to get even easier as we move forward. While we can no longer do "first X in a virtual world" campaigns, with Gartner Research predicting that 80 percent of the online population will be involved in non-gaming virtual worlds by 2011, now is the time for companies to learn how marketing in these environments works.

What are the major challenges to brands entering virtual worlds, and how would you advise them?

The biggest challenge for brands is to avoid the same mistakes that were made on the 2D Web in its earliest days of widespread adoption, say 1994-98. Just as cautious, static "brochureware" was derided back then, its 3D equivalent is similarly flawed when placed in today's virtual worlds. It wasn't relevant then, didn't work then, and it won't work today.

Which platforms are you currently working with, and are there specific situational advantages to one over the other, depending?

We have published work through both Second Life and Gaia Online, and we're actively developing projects on a number of additional platforms. Watch this space!

What sort of creative process does Millions of Us go through when beginning a project with a client?

The first two steps in the creative process involves having a client "discovery" meeting where we listen to our client on what their brands means to them, their customers and their communities. Then we take that information and translate the brand and its supporting attributes into a meaningful, entertaining experience for a virtual world or online community.

What sort of development tools might your team members use to produce a project?

We use everything from Second Life, Google Sketchup, Maya, Photoshop, Adobe, Illustrator, and of course Microsoft Project for planning from start to finish. We are also big believers in using online tools such as Basecamp for the sake of transparent communication and collaboration. We make extensive use of wikis.

How do you see the state of social virtual worlds today, and are there any trends or technologies on the horizon that you hope to see more of in the future?

I think the biggest trend we are seeing today is the "avatarization" of social networks, and the corresponding "networkfication" of virtual worlds. In five years there won't be a difference between a social network and a virtual world.

Beyond virtual worlds, the piece of technology I want to see more than anything else is online calendar software that plays well with every gadget I have in my house from my computer to my Blackberry. It needs to play well with others.

[Patrick Murphy contributed to this report.]