august 2007 Grand opening on august 17, 2007 ZORRA opens exhibit “Gender & Advertising” on Second Life On august 17, 2007 the Belgian media watch ZORRA opens its virtual doors on Second Life. Second Life is the 3D world which counts every moment of the day more then 30.000 visitors. ZORRA, well known for its Public Award for the the most womanfriendly and/or role bending advertisement (1), has organised its exhibit building on Gender Square in Second Life. The exhibit “Gender & Advertising” and its quiz presents a selection of 10 years of good and less good practices, from advertisements which are funny and less funny, to advertisements which are controversial. But ZORRA wouldn’t be ZORRA if it feared controversy. On Second Life ZORRA continues to put question marks after ads which are considered sexist. Enough to engage the visitors in heated discussion, especially those who have never had in their first life the chance or the time to reflect on the topic of (in)equality in the representation of men and women in advertising. Second Life is offering this opportunity, and most of all the opportunity, after visiting the exhibit, to sit down at the Gender Square (place where ZORRA’s exhibit is taking place on Second Life) and to engage in a discussion with Second Life residents of all nationalities, ages, colors and forms. At the exhibit, what is perhaps most remarkable is that on more than 30 exhibited advertisements three are from the financial institute Fortis, and all three are found on the side of good practice. Gilke Eeckhoudt, marketing and communication manager at Fortis Belgium, sees it as a recognition of the years of efforts Fortis has provided on behalf of diversity. “In its advertising campaigns Fortis wants to reflect ‘in a truthful manner’ its clients and the labour market where it recruits” (2). Practical Grand opening several prizes to win Date : august 17, 2007 at 08:30 am   (Paris-Brussel-Amsterdam = SLT 11:30 am) 3D world : Second Life Place : Gender Square Buliding : ZORRA For free to ZORRA in Second Life in five steps 1. Open the web page secondlife.com 2. Click on "Join now" and chose a standard avatar (person). Click on "Skip this step" if you don’t want to register your credit card 3. Download and install the computer program (10 minutes) 4. Start the program Second Life (SL). Take 20 minutes to get hold on the navigation tools of SL. 5. Click the Search button, select Mature and look for the "Gender Square". The teleport function will start. If you don’t see your hosts Adalace Jewell or Zebo Spitteler click "IM" at the bottom of your screen and send one of them an instant message. You already have a Second Life account, click here and you will be teleported to the ZORRA building on Gender Square.  See you in your Second Life, The ZORRA team (1) www.zorrapublieksprijs.be (2) Fortis, Ms. G. Eeckhoudt, tel. ++32 (0)2 228.71.15

The advertisements at the ZORRA exhibit on Second Life only serve educational purposes.

The use of the infrastructure on the Gender Square on Second Life is entirely free for all organisations which promote the equality of men and women in First and Second Life.  For more information, please contact in first life:  Corine.VanHellemont@e-quality.be

 

		Corine Van Hellemont Tel.: ++32 (0)3 275 55 65 Mobiel: ++32 (0)498 271 671	zorra@e-quality.be; zorra@ua.ac.be