Transforming Brands in the Metaverse

Brands That Will Thrive in the Metaverse

A metaverse primer: what brands must do

Today, the Metaverse is not just a futuristic vision of the future. Hyper-Reality has arrived and immersive experiences are now the norm, with users of virtual worlds enjoying their personalized content without even noticing that they have been immersed. With the advent of technology, the Metaverse is now available to everyone, and brands are eager to capitalize on its potential.

The Metaverse was first introduced by author Neal Stephenson in his book Snow Crash. In it, he described a three-dimensional environment that could be accessed through an avatar controlled by its users. Hyper-Reality, the Metaverse, has been around for some time now, but we are now seeing it become mainstream.

…translating a set of rules into an actual map, and from that map into a world which could be visited by avatars with no need for physical presence…The whole concept of a Metaverse — the world itself — would grow out of the global network. — Neal Stephenson, Snow Crash

The Metaverse is still new and has yet to attain mainstream acceptance. But with its more mainstream acceptance, we are seeing brands pay attention. Brands want to make sure that they are leveraging their potential by creating immersive experiences for their customers.

The Metaverse’s potential is extraordinary. The metaverse could create a new industry in which brands engage customers in an immersive environment. In this environment, brands can create their own stories by interacting with consumers in virtual worlds that have been specifically designed to be like their real-life brands.

With the advent of Virtual Reality (VR), the Metaverse has got a new dimension and is more real than ever.

Virtual reality is booming. Brands that can exist in this new world are poised to flourish. But how, you might wonder, can one actually thrive when they’re in a simulated environment? Well, I have some thoughts on the matter. First, let’s look at how brands fit into the overall VR picture. At its core, VR is an escapism technology. You can read more about it here; An Overview of the Oculus Rift, a New Technological Improvement of Mark Zuckerberg

It transports users to other worlds via simulations that recreate human experiences.

If you want to see what this looks like in action, just go play Pokemon GO on your phone right now. That’s the best example of live-action escapism out there right now.

Besides the entertainment potential of virtual reality, there are business applications that are particularly exciting. For example, it’s going to be great for the travel industry.

Brands Have To Embrace The Metaverse

Fundamentally, brand awareness and retention are based on the degree to which the brand is recognized. And, in this regard, brands are not very well known at all. Virtual reality will change this — and quickly. As users get to know the brands, they’ll see brands as real people who exist in the metaverse. Anyone who doesn’t recognize a brand won’t be “real,” whereas those who do will be able to interact with those brand people in a more personal way.

Thus, with virtual reality, brands can exist in an environment where their actual advertisements are displayed more naturally — because their ad campaigns activate more human-being responses. Consumers can have actual conversations with brand representatives and learn more about the products that are being sold.

There are a lot of ways that brands can actually “win” in virtual reality:

• Sponsoring events and games, earning fans as a result. — Providing educational content about products that educate consumers and builds loyalty.
• Creating VR content that is fun or useful to members of their target audiences or both.
• Having a presence in VR where consumers can go to interact with them, learn more about them, and
• If they like the brand — purchase their products.

In short, if brands can make engaging content for users to spend time in their virtual reality world and learn more about them, they’ll build consumer trust and garner more of their attention.

All of this means that brands will be able to connect with consumers more effectively than ever before and actually “win” in the virtual world.

Some brands are already making great strides in this regard. Lego, for example, has huge success with the “Lego Movie” franchise. At first glance, it seems like they have little to gain by creating a virtual reality game based on that movie series — they’re already doing so well with the brand and have built such a big audience through the movies. But, in fact, they know full well that VR is going to change everything and want to be ahead of the curve.

Growth opportunities in new business spaces and technologies have always been available to organizations that are prepared to seize them. But the true value and potential of these opportunities are rarely recognized until they have matured. Brands that act today will reap the rewards of tomorrow.

This is why we believe it’s important for brands to focus more on user experience and human-centered design, rather than just the technical aspects of building a convincing virtual world.

The most successful brands will be the ones that learn to use it right, that take advantage of each moment in real life to build an engaging experience and use it to engage with their customers.

VR Is Not Just An Adult Form Of Entertainment

It can be used to create experiences designed specifically for children — allowing them to learn more about the world around them in ways that mimic real-life experiences. VR can also be used in schools to make existing education experiences more engaging and interesting for students.

Brands that can offer consumers experiences that are engaging, educational, and fun will have a greater chance of making it big in the metaverse.

To Sum It All Up

Virtual reality is a platform where virtual worlds are created. If a brand can offer its consumers experiences that are engaging, fun, and educational, they will have the opportunity to build a following in the metaverse. Thus if brands can make engaging content for users to spend time in their virtual reality world and learn more about them, they’ll build consumer trust and garner more of their attention.

Hyper-Reality is an important trend and we’re seeing this trend come to life and evolve more every day. The world around us is becoming more integrated with technology as a whole. We are living in an ever-changing world where the lines between reality, fiction, and the metaverse are not so clear. VR can change how we live, how we interact with each other, and how we do business.

Brands that do so will have the opportunity to win in the virtual world.

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J.D Rehbein-Wrightstein founder of The Savytech articles is a writer who loves to help people discover their hidden potential as well as their true purpose in life. He inspires and educates people on living an awesome life with inspiring articles. Connect with him on Twitter for more!