From /Boost, a unit specialized in strategy and digital marketing of the technology consulting firm Stratesys, they have compiled a list of applications of the metaverse to experiential marketing that are already possible and measurable.
New paths in content and influencer marketing, a paradigm shift in the search model or a boost in d-commerce (decentralized commerce) are some of the avenues explored.
The 360º connection model that brands are moving towards involves connecting physical and digital reality on two levels: experience and business.
Since Mark Zuckerberg announced it last October, the conversation around the metaverse and its possibilities has not stopped growing. For the moment, the bulk of the debate is reduced to that: to the possibilities, to the theory.
Market studies suggest that 70% of brands will have a presence in the metaverse in one way or another within 5 years. The 360º connection model towards which they are moving involves connecting physical reality and digital reality on two levels: experience and business. The reality that has already been taking shape in the coming years -paying for enriching the experience in digital environments- means that the former has a certain advantage over the latter. From /Boost, a unit specialized in strategy and digital marketing of the technology consulting firm Stratesys, they have drawn up a list of applications of the metaverse to experiential marketing that are already possible and measurable, and on which they have already begun to work with their clients:
- Upgrading events in real time: giving a physical event a digital dimension, either to enjoy a live performance of a musician who is actually in remote, or to acquire a digital product (art exhibitions linked to the event).
- Positioning strategies: The current paradigm of product searches, with the prominence of voice and text, could shift towards a greater relevance of visual positioning. Visual search is a content search modality in which images are used as inputs instead of text. Thus, a user can upload a photograph, screenshot or any generic image to a visual search engine to find related content.
- Promotional actions: again integrating the 2 worlds. A common use case is to use promotional codes redeemable in the real world and vice versa (physically generated and redeemable on the platform).
- Content marketing: developing specific actions linked to new virtual content and its consumption by different types of users.
- Influencer marketing: there are already companies managing the relationship of brands in the metaverse with digital influencers that will have their ‘virtual twin’ to serve the needs of these macras. When there is a significant audience, this will be a common model.
- Ad hoc campaigns: again, algorithms will play a fundamental role in drawing advertising in the metaverse. But in the first instance, the appearance of ads and banners integrated into the experience will be the norm.
- d-commerce strategies (decentralized commerce): in the end, the metaverse will be a new scenario for d-commerce. We will be able to purchase services and products directly on the platform/experience without the need to be redirected to a typical shopping platform.
Nikeland Roblox: a precedent setting example
To understand how many of these applications work in practice, we can look at Nikeland, the immersive experience that Nike created on the Roblox platform in 2021. The brand offered an immersive digital experience with virtual items capable of enriching it (there is a tool kit with which users can create their own mini-games).
In addition, it connected the digital environment with real life by promoting physical movement, collected through hardware to complete the virtual experience. On the other hand, it offered a new consumption model: D2A (Direct-to-Avatar) with a digital showroom with Nike product for your avatar. And, again, it went from the virtual to the physical by bringing the Nikeland experience to its ‘Nike’s House of Innovation’ through augmented reality.
“At the moment, at /Boost by Stratesys, we feel more comfortable exploring the development of experiences in controlled environments and projects, where we don’t have to deal with the remaining issues in terms of legislation (blockchain application, NFTs, privacy, data mining, etc.), and taking advantage of partnership models with developers who have been designing digital interaction platforms and environments for a long time”, explains Zahira Tomasi, Associate Director of Creative Strategy at /Boost.