The key to effective marketing is the brand’s presence among the target audience. The metaverse is gradually becoming part of the real world. Brands such as Microsoft, Apple, Nike and Coca-Cola are already taking their place in the new market. So businesses can already take a closer look and perhaps even test new marketing methods in this exciting digital space. The team has collected the best ideas and examples. Get to know the concept of the metaverse and options for successful promotion in the virtual environment.
What is the metaverse
When announcing the renaming of the social network from Facebook to Meta, Mark Zuckerberg used the term metaverse and defined it as a virtual space “where you can be with other people in digital form, that is, an Internet that you can not just contemplate, but where you can be.”
The Metaverse is a 3D digital world that simulates the real world, and people shop, travel, communicate, and interact with each other using their own avatars. Users “live” in a hyperreal alternate metaverse parallel to their normal lives.
Have you heard about italy telegram data where you can see the works using augmented reality? Visitors are offered 360-degree projections of the paintings and VR glasses that allow you to fully immerse yourself in the image.
Now imagine that you don’t even have to leave your home to have a similar experience. That’s what the creators of the metaverse promise us.
Frankly, the true metaverse does not yet exist. What we currently understand by this concept is a multitude of new technologies that only promise the next level of interaction in the virtual and physical worlds.
The realized metaverse is expected to be a combination of these technologies:
And while it may take a few more years to finalize the concept, certain features can already be seen in gaming universes like Fortnite, Roblox, Animal Crossing, and Minecraft. In the online video game Roblox, for example, players already attend events, interact with other users, and buy digital goods in real time.
Here are the most popular companies that are already investing in the metaverse today:
Key characteristics of the metaverse
The Metaverse is built on the concepts of presence, immersion and interactivity.
Here are some more of its defining features:
- lasts forever, exists constantly in real time;
- access to the virtual using shop cash: setup guide for sellers environment is possible using regular personal computers, as well as virtual and augmented reality headsets;
- users have access to modify content, such as their digital environment;
- the metaverse is an open and shared world;
- synchronization: users interact with each other and with the surrounding digital environment in real time;
- decentralized: unlike moderated and controlled social networks;
- allows people to have a virtual identity;
- Users can create, own, buy and sell value in a functioning virtual universe;
- has its own autonomous, functioning economy with digital currency, NFT or cryptocurrency.
By 2026, 25% of people will spend at least one hour a day in the metaverse. Including for work.
What is Marketing in the Metaverse
According to marketing covers four important components: price, product, promotion and place. And the metaverse offers two new ar numbers components for your marketing strategy at once – new places and new ways of promotion. Sometimes even three, if you also give users a new, virtual product. And some brands even manage to change the price.
Let’s look at Gucci as an example. The brand was one of the first to launch e-commerce in the metaverse.
Back in March 2021, the company released an exclusive pair of digital sneakers called the Gucci Virtual 25.
The campaign’s success was not accidental and was the last one. A digital Gucci Dionysus bag with the brand’s logo was sold on the Roblox gaming platform for $4,115. This is more than its real-world price of $3,400.
Later, the company’s specialists created a Gucci garden in Roblox, simulating the Gucci gardens in Florence, Italy. Here, players can “walk”, buy digital figures, and communicate with other users.
Examples of Marketing in the Metaverse
In the metaverse, brands will be able to interact with users in a variety of ways to differentiate themselves from competitors, capture users’ attention, achieve engagement and interaction, and build trust and loyalty.
Now let’s see how this is possible using specific examples.
Parallel Marketing
When we talk about promotion in the metaverse, this does not mean a complete and final transition from advertising in the “real world” and conventional digital marketing. To begin with, it will be enough for companies to test parallel marketing – to reproduce in a virtual environment the approaches they already use.
By the way, the very step towards the metaverse can become an effective way for a brand to attract attention and increase recognition.
An example of this marketing strategy being effectively applied is Balenciaga’s collaboration with Fortnite. For one month, players were able to purchase digital Balenciaga clothing for their avatar in the brand’s virtual boutique. At the same time, the real “Fortnite x Balenciaga” clothing collection was also available in select stores and on the brand’s website. What’s more, buyers of real outfits automatically and simultaneously unlocked virtual Balenciaga Metaverse clothing in the Fortnite game.
Of course, the implementation of such a plan requires certain resources for development, launch, and most importantly, for a well-thought-out process of interaction with the user at all stages and in two “dimensions” simultaneously.
Direct sales from the virtual world to the real world (D2C)
Direct-to-Consumer or D2C is a new sales business model in which the customer journey begins in the virtual world and ends in the real one. The product ordered by the buyer’s avatar in a virtual store in the metaverse is delivered to the buyer in real life.
“Imagine that in addition to viewing photos of clothes on an online store website, you could try them on and buy them without leaving the online space. People would buy things for their digital avatar, and the corresponding real product would also be delivered to your home by courier. In the metaverse, this will be possible.” ― Doug Stevens.
Such a strategy . The world’s largest fast-food chain has already filed trademark applications for virtual restaurants that will deliver food personally to the customer.
McDonald’s management believes that the combination of virtual and physical sites will be very profitable.
“You’re wandering around the metaverse and you feel hungry. You don’t have to put down your headset or get up from your computer. You walk into a virtual McDonald’s and place your order. A little later, it arrives at your door , ”
a company representative said.
Augmented reality
Augmented reality (AR) is an interactive experience that involves enhancing real-world environments with computer-generated information.
To make it easier to understand how to use this technology in marketing, let’s take the example of IKEA. Let’s say you want to update your interior, but first you need to see with your own eyes how individual items fit together and whether they fit into the room’s decor. The app allows the user to imagine the product in the desired environment using AR. It shows things in 3D and adapts them to the scale of the room. This removes any doubts from the buyer about the size, design, and practical application of the products.
Other companies can do the same with different products. Using virtual and augmented reality, they can show customers a 3D version of a product before they buy it. And customers don’t even have to leave their home to try out a new product, like imagining themselves driving a car or trying on clothes.
For example, Porsche and Hyundai have already created virtual viewing rooms where you can get a virtual tour and inspection of the car. They also hold virtual events to present individual models.
Direct advertising in the metaverse
It’s funny, but old school advertising like billboards, as well as “radio” and “TV” exist and work well in the metaverse.
The advantage of traditional advertising is that it allows brands to reach a larger audience, while being more affordable than real-world advertising and other forms of virtual advertising.
So, Coca-Cola and Samsung have virtual billboards in video games like Football Manager. And Calvin Klein recently invested in virtual billboards in the game.
Perhaps this is the promotion format that entrepreneurs will be willing to test, since most of them successfully use outdoor or printed advertising in the regular world. But how can you tell if billboards, business cards, and running lines on electronic boards really work? For this, – the tool will show whether people are calling the numbers you place in offline advertising.
If you run ads in the metaverse, we will connect call tracking for you there too.
Influence Marketing
Also traditional, but not effective enough in the metaverse, is influencer marketing. The method involves promoting a brand through influential virtual individuals.
Virtual influencers are often created by companies for this very purpose – to promote products or services, just like regular bloggers or opinion leaders. But sometimes brands create influencers themselves and use them at their own discretion.
For now, this is a really inexpensive, but attractive due to its novelty, method of promotion.
In the US, some popular virtual influencers already have millions of followers. One of the most notable is Lil Miquela, a virtual influencer with 3 million followers on Instagram and TikTok.
The fact that Lil Miquela is not a real person does not stop her from living an active virtual life, blogging and meeting other influencers. She has collaborated with various brands from the fashion industry, such as Dior, Prada, Calvin Klein, Samsung electronics and MINI cars.
Metaverse Gaming
Incorporating metaverse games into your marketing strategy is a fun and unique way to attract attention and become organically visible.
For example, Deliveroo, a UK online food delivery company, joined the online game Animal Crossing to do what they do in the real world – deliver ordered meals. They also offered players a promo code to use in real life. The result was over 3 million interactions with players.
But Nike was one of the first companies to enter the metaverse, and it already has some accomplishments to show for itself. Nike CEO and President Jack Donahoe noted that , the sporting goods brand’s metaverse built in Roblox, has already been visited by 6.7 million people from 224 countries.
Nikeland lets you try on the brand’s new virtual avatars. This simple strategy accounts for 26% of Nike’s total revenue.
Events in the Metaverse
Events organized in the metaverse take place outside the real world, so they have no territorial restrictions. You can reach users from all over the world.
For example, the metaverse has already hosted virtual concerts, such as Justin Bieber’s show on the virtual music platform Wave and Ariana Grande’s performances in the game Fortnite.
But the metaverse isn’t just about entertainment. One example is Microsoft’s , a virtual meeting platform that will use mixed reality software to create the feeling of physical presence. Employees can communicate across the world using holographic 3D images. Mesh for Teams is currently only available in a limited, free preview.
This way, you can hold seminars, conferences, trainings, and other events that require a venue. Thanks to the metaverse, you won’t have to travel long distances to gather like-minded people. You will also be able to meet your customers from anywhere in the world to advertise your products and services.
Branded Avatars
An avatar is a virtual image of a person. Each user can customize the appearance of the avatar down to the smallest details: eye color, body shape, nose or lips.
Huge brands like Gucci and Nike are already using avatars. Gucci, for example, collaborated with famous singer Miley Cyrus to promote their new fragrance. They created an avatar of Cyrus in the digital version of the brand’s advertising campaign.
You can also create a branded avatar or provide access to your virtual products to create user avatars.
Advancing in the Metaverse: Prospects and Challenges
Including Mark Zuckerberg, the metaverse, as a new alternative world, will lead to the emergence of completely new forms of digital marketing and sales.
The metaverse is not limited by physical boundaries or ways of implementing ideas. It allows companies to create their own world that will represent the brand in a way that no animation, image, text or music can do. After all, the metaverse can be a combination of these components. And the new world will give users a unique new experience and a feeling of complete immersion. The metaverse offers a more immersive experience than traditional advertising.
But since the metaverse is something new, there is little practical experience yet, as well as convincing examples of the use of the tools available here.
According to Gartner analysts, at least 8 years are needed for the full development of the metaverse and a sufficient level of demand from users. Therefore, the coverage is still insignificant – too few people are aware of and interested in the possibilities of the metaverse:
Therefore, analysts recommend moderating emotions and reducing short-term expectations from the new virtual world. And investing – carefully, thoughtfully and selectively.
Access to technology can also be an issue. To fully immerse yourself in the metaverse, users need high-end computers, headsets, or VR glasses, which are quite expensive. Not many people can afford such devices, which significantly reduces the reach.
And the companies themselves, which intend to create their own platforms in the metaworld, also require large investments, as well as technologies and intellectual resources. That is, is very high.
Marketing in the metaverse requires deep research and preparation. A company must understand the essence of the metaverse well so that the brand fits into the new space successfully and organically. Promotion here requires unprecedented creativity and providing users with a unique experience that they have not had before.
In traditional marketing, there are many . But as you might guess, these metrics may mean nothing in the metaverse. And new indicators of effectiveness, such as engagement and interaction rates, will only emerge over time.
