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The universe is passé. Can a brand afford not to be present in virtual worlds like Roblox, The Sandbox, Fortnite, or Horizon? And is event-based presence sufficient, or should a brand have a 365-day ‘always on’ mentality to win the hearts and minds of GenZ? Because they will become the customer and employees of the future. Do we see similarities here with the rise of social media or the rise of e-commerce? Or is the Metaverse much ado about nothing? Also: if you want to talk to someone, it’s not enough to use their language, you need to communicate through their medium, too.
As is
Go where your audience goes.
The debate on whether or not the Metaverse is ‘a thing’ has been silenced for a while now. Still, brands struggle to find their way into those new virtual worlds. Where should they be present and how, who are they reaching when moving into Roblox or Decentraland? And what message should they bring? Every medium has an immense impact on the message, and since the medium became the virtual twin of our reality, those questions haven’t become any easier to answer. Still, if you're early, you don’t have to get it right from the get-go. If you’re early to the party, you’re sure to get the PR value, simply for trying.
Could be
The gap between early adaptors and the masses is immense.
PR value rhymes with early adopters. But what comes after that? The masses aren't present in Decentraland and the money isn’t either. With every NFT released, it's mainly the crypto fans taking their chances. It almost feels like the technology is preparing itself for the further 3Dimensionalisation of the internet. With every game released and every plot of virtual land sold, the groundworks are being laid for when the masses do decide to join. And if we look at mankind and its history of curiosity, we are pretty sure they will, in their own time and provided it's worth their time.
Maybe the metaverse still has to move from a marketing tool to a reality with actual economic value. When assessing new technology, what appears to be lacking is often a feeling of connection, of community and dialogue. The metaverse and its immersive technology may just be the first attempt at filling that gap, which is worth mentioning. If the audience wants it, the technology should try and provide it. So if your kids live and breathe in Roblox, that's where their attention lies, that's where you can grab it. It’s always the same adage: you have to go where our audience goes.