™Marketing Magazine Issue 15 | Page 23

METAVERSE being heavily applied to the development of the metaverse . Brands in the new digital environment will be expected to develop a digital avatar presence as a creative extension of their physical one to engage with customers . In-game branding has already seen success in many popular games like Animal Crossing , Fortnite , and Roblox that attract millions of players , and the same idea will be transplanted into the metaverse .
In the metaverse , retail frontiers will take a new shape . E-commerce has already grown rapidly in the last two years , but it ’ s going to transform even further as we move into the new digital reality . The online shopping experience will soon look far more similar to the physical one , with digital storefronts designed to resemble your company ’ s real-life storefront . The metaverse will also provide a more visual , engaging , and organic approach for presenting products online by integrating digital replicas into social and gaming platforms .
With the limitless creativity allowed by the metaverse , your company will be empowered to offer experiences that can ’ t be replicated in the physical world . Gucci Garden , for example , removed the roof on its online storefront and adorned its mannequins with “ live ” flowers and butterflies . Creative environments like this will be the norm in the metaverse with options for augmented product presentation that simply aren ’ t available in a physical storefront .
Because the metaverse will use mass application integration to eliminate boundaries between various digital experiences , there will be unlimited opportunities for brand integration , expression , and expansion . Digital product replicas , for example , can be used to quantify the demand for physical goods . Creating products first in the metaverse will provide opportunities to develop , test , manufacture , and sell new products in the online space before debuting them in the physical world . This means the actions you take in the metaverse will have real-life consequences for your business that you can use to your advantage with the right strategy .
The metaverse will be an environment that promotes inclusion and equality . As a result , it is expected that these values will become more prominent in the digital atmosphere . As you begin to conceive your metaverse presence , think of ways your digital storefront , your avatars , and your digital products can reflect the values and identities that are important to your customers . To do this in a meaningful way , think beyond entertainment and novelty at how your company can contribute to an ethical and inclusive world inside the metaverse and out .
Creativity in the metaverse is anticipated to be a symbol of status far greater than wealth . In the digital world , your customers won ’ t be passive consumers but instead act as agents in realizing their creative expression and curating their virtual identity . This creative agency means an innovative marketing strategy will have the potential to launch your brand to fame .
PAVING THE WAY
Tech giants across the board are pioneering new , 360-degree digital experiences in anticipation of the new virtual and augmented reality . Facebook , TikTok , Snap , and Google have all announced projects geared toward the development of the metaverse .
Facebook ’ s recently established , 10,000-employee metaverse division is working to develop a social media platform that will incorporate elements of gaming , a crypto-economy , and a variety of new technologies aimed at enhancing connectivity ( in fact , it recently changed its holding company ’ s name to Meta ). TikTok is developing a new Effect Studio that will enable users to create AR experiences on their platforms . Snap Spectacles will soon enable users to record and superimpose effects on their physical reality without using their phone . And Google ’ s latest tensor chip is designed to keep pace with the new era of augmented reality .
LOOKING AHEAD
Guardian editor James Stuart believes that the virtual worlds integrated in the metaverse are going to be a marketing battleground . Marketers are going to need to learn how to claim space in these worlds early on if they want a chance to compete , and he anticipates the approach to this will be very complex and require businesses to incorporate a sense of wonder and the suspension of disbelief into their marketing strategies . Your company needs to be on the front lines of this development to get the edge on your competitors .
In the words of Surreal CEO Josh Rush , “ We are all at the Big Bang moment where creation , consciousness , and awareness of the metaverse is being born .”
Jessica Embree is the Creative Director and a StoryBrand Certified Guide at Tulip Media Group . Jessica grew up with an entrepreneurial spirit and started her first business at the age of 10 . She has a passion for helping businesses grow and succeed using creative marketing campaigns and strategies that produce measurable results . Jessica ' s first book , Double Sales / Zero Salespeople , co-authored with Andy Buyting , is now available and an international best seller ! TM . Media / DoubleSalesUS .
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