Metaverse: movie talk or marketing strategy?

Discover how to look at the metaverse as an opportunity for your marketing strategy.
Last year Mark Zuckerberg announced the adoption of a strategy to turn Facebook into a metaverse company within five years. And what does this have to do with your marketing strategy? The answer lies in the opportunities of the future, which you can anticipate now! Read on and understand why the metaverse is one of the key trends to put on your radar this year.

After the crisis generated by the leaking of internal documents in October 2021, Mark Zuckerberg went public to say that the Facebook brand will become “Meta”, as well as “introducing” the concept of metaverse to the world. So would Zuckerberg be the pioneer in bringing the metaverse as a reality to the Internet? Amidst so many speculations, what we know so far is that this movement will bring a new technological era to the company, connected with Artificial Intelligence (AI). This way, guidelines such as Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) will come out of the paper and movie scripts to be implemented in practice, in one of the largest technology companies in the world.
The world has changed completely with the advances in technology, and the metaverse arrives as the key turning point for the next generation of the internet to act in a fully immersive way. And if we talk about the internet, this reality is also approaching solutions and products, and even experiences. Here in Brazil, in São Paulo, for example, in March the exhibition “Beyond Van Gogh” was launched, which enters the concept of metaverse, since it presents a completely immersive experience for the public, who are invited to immerse themselves in the artist’s works, in an interactive way.

Was the metaverse created in 2021?

Despite having pushed the concept forward, Zuckerberg was not the first to aim for the metaverse. This is because personal assistants such as Google Assistant were already working with technological interactions that are part of this universe. Another example are games like Just Dance, for XBOX, and even the virtual reality (VR) glasses, widespread in the country and used not only in games, but in various experiences as well.
Some companies, such as Epic Games, are collecting funding to bet on the metaverse, while others already have it as a reality, as is the case of Somnium Space, which implemented a metaverse experience, with about a thousand daily active users. In other words, Mark’s strategy was to generate remembrance by realizing that the metaverse is already happening, but this does not mean that Facebook was the pioneer.

According to The Verge website, Microsoft planned to launch in 2022, a virtual world version inside Teams Meeting, with 3D rooms and the possibility of interaction with avatars, which bring the real expressions of each of the participants.

Interesting! But how does the metaverse apply to my marketing strategy?

First of all, with the movements of these large companies that are part of our universe, we need to pay attention to all the movements and trends of the metaverse in order to not only follow, but also anticipate the impacts that they will bring to the brands we communicate.
Thinking about marketing strategy in the metaverse is thinking about how your brand will create a presence in this, which is one of the most promising environments of the future. Although not yet understood by many people, this concept promises to advance the digital transformation around the world, since the metaverse, basically, is a universe inserted in the virtual environment, which interacts and is inspired by the real world. Thus, an interesting proposal not only for technology brands, but for any segment that wants to integrate, innovate, and make communication seamless. Think again about the Van Gogh exhibition we mentioned above, the metaverse is already a reality.

With content like this that disseminates and better explains the depth of this concept, it is common for more people to become aware of the metaverse, which will consequently become more relevant for brands and companies.

What are the possibilities of the metaverse?

If you think the idea of a digital avatar is simple, like those promoted by Facebook, by games like The Sims or even by the movie Avatar itself, get ready, because avatars will be able to do important activities in the real world, such as investing, buying, undertaking, trading, interacting, and even traveling. In other words, with the metaverse we will have an alternative digital universe that will make it possible for people to awaken emotions and have real experiences in both worlds, online and offline.

The impact is not only in marketing, but in the business itself

Imagine your environment being active, with operation and integration, 7 days a week and 24 hours a day, without the need to increase costs with payroll, electric power, among others? This will be possible, and is already happening, even if slowly, with programmable avatars for the most diverse types of service and support, based on AI.

Another interesting advantage of the metaverse is how it takes the omnichannel concept to another level. This is because it brings the proposal of integrating various platforms and focuses on virtual environments that prioritize the user experience.

If you are still not convinced, understand once and for all why the metaverse is the future of your brand!

We have already talked about it, but we need to reinforce that with the advance of technology, the world is constantly changing, which also entails changes in the consumer. And the Digital Transformation, an agenda that has been highlighted in recent years, also encourages a change in the mindset of brands and companies, which need to move forward to ensure a presence that is not only profitable, but also relevant to its audience.

With the pandemic, this agenda that seemed distant has gained even more urgency, as processes, experiences, and interactions have been digitized rapidly – and even now, with the coming of the recovery, the digital world has become even more a part of people’s real world.

The metaverse is the answer to “phygital” (integration between physical and digital), which is increasingly necessary to reduce the boundaries between offline and online experiences. Take, for example, the lives that happened in the pandemic. It was not possible to participate in live concerts, but we had the opportunity to watch very well produced lives to awaken in us a feeling similar to that experienced on the dancefloors or in the stands of great concerts.

Some ways to start introducing the metaverse in your strategy 

Native campaigns: this concept includes campaigns that are inserted within the context of the entertainment universe, in platforms such as games, events or digital channels. The maxim is not to interrupt the audience’s experience. Spoiler alert: you know when Brad Pitt’s character goes for a Pepsi after running from several zombies in World War Z? That’s right, the metaverse was already movie talk in 2013.

Augmented reality (VR): Are you in real estate and already used to the famous virtual tour? Did you know that you, who are from another segment, can also take augmented reality to your retail? For example, by recording some products in real time with the demonstration of a physical salesperson. Simpler than you imagined, isn’t it!
Massive Interactive Live Events (MILEs): how about thinking about live events with a large number of participants interacting in real time? The metaverse universe that already exists in games, such as Call of Duty, can be brought to an interactive event of your brand, even considering a mediator that collects the interactions of avatars that represent the people present there, and, consequently, influence the experience of all participants. Voting in fashion events, choosing songs in entertainment events, driving the themes in technology events, the possibilities are endless.
Even if the metaverse is not priority 0 of your marketing strategy, if you have come this far, you already understand that it will be one of the big key turns in communication. We hope this content has awakened in you the importance of keeping an eye on digital transformation, and making the moves that are possible now to increase the digital maturity of your brand and anticipate the demands of a future that is no longer so far away.

If you need help introducing the metaverse into your marketing strategy, talk to us, our VisiON team is ready to anticipate this future with you!