Metaverse: what it is and how it changes digital marketing
For a few months now, following Zuckerberg’s announcement, digital professionals and enthusiasts have talked about nothing else: the Metaverse is at the center of attention, from the media and beyond. But what exactly is it? Is what the owner of Facebook announced really something new? And what will the consequences be in the field of digital marketing? Let’s start from the beginning. The term “metaverse” has existed for thirty years, ever since it was coined by Neal Stephenson in one of his cyberpunk science fiction novels. In Snow Cash, Stephenson defines “metaverse” as a global virtual reality, shared via the internet, in which people interact through three-dimensional avatars. Coming to the present day, before Facebook’s announcement there were already some examples of shared virtual reality. From advanced gaming to the Oculus and augmented reality headsets, many hi-tech companies have moved in this direction over the years, namely that of uniting the virtual and the real. The metaverse, in fact, is nothing other than the peak of the union between online and offline: the physical world and the digital world find their meeting point in a new virtual dimension. What distinguishes it from the classic use of the Internet, from traditional web browsing, is the possibility of living a complete immersive experience.
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How do you enter the metaverse?
The metaverse is not so different from the social platforms that have established themselves in recent years. To enter the metaverse, the user must create an account, configure their avatar, that is their virtual alter ego representing them in the new reality, and then access the platform. In this cyberspace, with space-time coordinates corresponding to real ones, it is possible to interact with other avatars, carry out a series of activities and live multiple experiences. It is as if life were transferred into another dimension, yet without losing concreteness and validity. To make this experience even more complete and immersive, users can equip themselves with an augmented reality headset that will let them identify completely with the avatar. In this way engagement and the sense of realism increase, because the user projects mind and body inside the metaverse. Digital activity becomes direct experience, real and concrete action.How the metaverse works
The Zuckerberg project is still rather hazy, but the announced timeline is to bring this new world up to full speed within 5 years, a very long time if you consider the pace of digital evolution. The workings of the metaverse, moreover, are closely linked to those of the Internet: to enter it you just need an internet connection, a device such as a PC or smartphone, and to register your account on the platform. Customizing the avatar and the augmented reality headset will take the decisive step, namely bringing the body too into the digital realm. The main limit of the Internet, and in particular of the social networks that Zuckerberg himself launched and developed, is precisely that of creating a detachment between mind and body. Or rather, between the physical mind and body and the digital ones. However much online and offline intertwine until they almost merge, a line of separation always remains between the digital world and physical reality. The metaverse, understood precisely as a virtual world, aims to make this boundary line disappear. The goal is to amplify the digital experience until it becomes real, giving users the possibility to live online activities even more fully.New communication strategies
A virtual world, parallel and at the same time intertwined with the real one, opens up new prospects for communication and marketing. The basic idea remains that of digital marketing as such: reaching customers where they spend their time and are most receptive, rather than waiting for them to contact the company. With the metaverse this contact and relationship with potential customers can become even more direct and intense. Not only by inserting products and services within the virtual world, with which users will be able to customize their avatar and have it carry out certain activities. The challenge of digital marketing will be to create a consumer journey that continuously goes back and forth between the metaverse and the physical world. What is seen, desired and purchased in the metaverse will have to be visible, desirable and purchasable in reality too, and vice versa. This means diversifying the business in a coordinated and integrated way, personalizing all the touch points with customers based on users’ habits and behaviors. The metaverse, therefore, should be observed carefully as a possibility to enhance and improve your business. The virtual world will constitute a new point of contact with users, a new tool to reach potential customers and build their loyalty.Related service: discover Marketing Consulting by ARvis — the agency that scales with you.
