IRS saves on recruitment costs with Second Life?
Well, we've had some strange news stories come across our desk, but this one certainly ranks up closer to the top of the list. Frank Stipe, the Virtual Worlds & Social Networking Project Manager for the IRS (yes, the Internal Revenue Service, the people you hate every April) has told CollegeRecruiter.com that the company saves millions of dollars by using Second Life as a recruitment opportunity.
IRS Careers Island is not only a job-seeker's resource for more information about the IRS, it's also a race car track where you can drive cars and race your friends! No, we're honestly not joking. As to how the IRS saves money by running this job information/race track island, check out Stipe's full statement after the break!
"In 2008, the IRS project team established a presence in the Second Life virtual world with the goal of exploring the potential use of this environment for recruitment and training purposes. The team has created the IRS Careers Island and constructed a sky platform with an IRS Careers Center and an IRS Education Center. A number of building design configurations have been tested. A number of education and entertainment features have also been built to attract residents to the simulation (sim). All basic construction has been completed and the sim has been opened to the general population in Second Life since February 2009.
"Nearly identical to brand marketing in the physical world marketplace, brand marketing in the SL virtual world involves placing brand messaging in high traffic venues. Unlike the physical world, the IRS has actually built its own venue that provides excellent marketing opportunities.
"In the physical world, we could spend hundreds of thousands, if not millions, on sponsoring a race car that displays our brand in a field of thirty or more other cars. In the SL virtual world, we have spent a few thousand dollars to build complete entertainment and communications venue that includes a race course. IRS branding throughout the venue not only displays our messaging, but it also instantly dispenses marketing collateral and links to our Careers web site.
"We are now entering the relationship building phase where we are reaching out to universities that operate virtual campuses in Second Life to market directly to their students by sponsoring student projects in Second Life.
Inside Second Life, you can contact either our recruiter Robin Laviscu or our sim engineer RobinRasberry Sorbet."
[Via GamePolitics]
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