Snoop Dogg’s Virtual Dobermans Get Premium Over Generic Virtual Dobermans

Branding Gaia Millions of Us Snoop Dogg Virtual Greats WeeWorld
12.10.2008

Snoop Dogg’s Virtual Dobermans

Celebrity merchandisers are finding a lucrative opportunity within virtual worlds such as Gaia and WeeWorld. Virtual world inhabitants spend $1.5 billion per year on virtual goods, according to the NY Times.

Over coffee with Millions of Us (and Virtual Greats) founder Reuben Steiger yesterday, he told me the kids are shelling out 8 times more, per pair, for Snoop Dogg Dobermans versus the exact same Dobermans, sans the Snoop Dogg association. Granted, we’re talking about $3 here. But an 800% premium for the branded product over the generic product reminds us why we call it brand equity, and why we spend so much time and money trying to bolster it.

4 Comments
  1. # Reuben Steiger said: December 11th, 2008 at 8:54 am

    Thanks for this, Chas. Not to be a stickler for detail, but the Doberman (singular) gets the 800% brand premium. When it’s “Dobermans” (plural), the premium is 1600%. ;-) Seriously, though. Amazing.

    Great to see you — let’s find a way to work together in 2009.

  2. # david said: December 11th, 2008 at 12:40 pm

    Nice.. i want a snoop doberman

  3. # grabtrees said: December 15th, 2008 at 4:54 pm

    haha that would be awesome to have a snoop doberman! he’s awesome, loved the show, saw it for the first time last night!

  4. # 2illforReal said: December 19th, 2008 at 1:58 pm

    great idea!

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