DIGITAL MARKETING COURSE IN BTM -Influencer Marketing Strategy
Future Perfect-Metaverse in marketing opens a new era of innovation_Final.doc
1. Future Perfect: Metaverse in marketing opens a new era of innovation
The next great leap in marketing technology will be the rise of the metaverse. Think of the
metaverse as a new platform where multiple technologies converge. Metaverse will offer marketers
powerful consumer behaviour intelligence, guiding future business decisions in marketing, product
development, sales and customer service.
This article will look at how Metaverse is shaping our future and its implications for marketers in the
21st century.
Creating a more intuitive environment
Metaverse, defined by the Cambridge dictionary, is “a virtual environment where avatars of real
people can interact in the 3D space mimicking the real world”. Digital Twins are being created to
translate the real to the virtual and vice versa. The concept of metaverse has been around since the
early 90s with Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash novel (yes, we're talking about a book written nearly
three decades ago, about the present). Stephenson was one of many who predicted that a deeper
probing of the technological advances over time makes the prediction really obvious.
In the metaverse world, digital channels can communicate with external digital channels (such as
social media), which can communicate with the devices inside their physical environments. It could
be a little spooky for some and highly desired by others. But the possibilities are virtually endless,
and we’ve seen some depictions in the likes of the Black Mirror series. The thought of making it
secure through precautionary measures is not misplaced. The entire movie series Matrix is about
that, but let’s not drift away into fantasy.
The movement of devices is increasingly being controlled by human interaction through natural
language in the Web 3.0 era. Smart audio assistants in mobiles and home speakers have already
changed the way people interact with devices. This innovation is now making it easier to buy
products virtually and receive them for real. Metaverse is like going into a physical store and being
able to order items while you're there while having them delivered directly to your physical address.
The next great leap in marketing technology
Metaverse is more than just an idea, as it's already happening. Metaverses have been created by
companies like Facebook and Google, allowing users to create avatars and share experiences within
their digital worlds. These efforts are only the beginning of what's possible when marketers begin
thinking about utilising this technology for their campaigns. The global market of Metaverse is
expected to grow at a consistent pace at a CAGR of close to 40%, as described in the following graph:
Figure 1.0: Global Metaverse Market Expectations (Source: Global Newswire)
2. The above graph demonstrates that the total market shall be close to the $1 trillion mark by 2030.
The evolution of the metaverse, based on the maturity levels, has been indicated by the following
graph:
Figure 2.0: Evolution Spectrum for the Metaverse (Source: Gartner Research)
As described by the graph above, the world is emerging as Web 3.0 makes up most of the market
and technology-related advances. According to the graph (and the research), the technology is
expected to mature only post 2030.
For example, many industry experts opine that Indonesia is yet to catch up in the Web 3.0 game and
might miss out on the benefits of the marketing spurt. But the same is far from the truth, as
Indonesia has witnessed a magnificent rate of digitalisation in recent times. The gamification trend is
seeing a steep curve in the economy, with the high adaptability of crypto on a routine basis.
Techpreneurs in the country are taking keen note of the acceptance of MarTech and are ensuring
that they don’t miss out on leveraging the booming market.
Metaverse marketing is about conversations
This trending marketing landscape is no longer about conversations between consumers and brands
but about being amongst consumers across devices. In this way, the metaverse changes the nature
of interaction from one-to-one (e.g., a person talking on TV) to one-to-many (person talking through
a device), where the brand acts as a cupid in the peer-to-peer interaction.
Conversations happening in a shared, virtual space offer businesses sophisticated new ways to
collect and interpret customer data. They can use this data to understand consumer behaviour,
guide future business decisions in marketing, product development, sales and service, and even
make better offers.
Data becomes more valuable over time when it's used to understand consumer behaviour across
journeys, contexts and situations. As consumers continue to move online, the amount of data
available for marketers to understand consumer behaviour increases exponentially. The challenge
lies in how we can use this data to make better decisions, create more engaging experiences and
ultimately drive more sales.
3. Real-time data ensures better results
Imagine being able to send a message about a deal on your product right as someone walks into a
store or pointing out an attractive mannequin with your brand name on it as they enter the mall.
This is what marketers have been craving for decades: real-time context. The marketer wants to use
data in real-time to send highly relevant personalised messages to consumers while they're still in
those physical environments. This is why the total addressable market size primarily consists of
advertisement and social commerce, as described in the following graph:
Figure 3.0: Themes covered by Metaverse (Source: Seeking Alpha)
But as technology evolves, so does our understanding of how it works, including its applications and
limitations. In today's world, we are seeing more "omnichannel" strategies where brands try to
reach consumers across all channels (digital, physical etc.). Marketers' ability to understand the
potential of each channel has become essential if they want their campaigns not only pushed out
across multiple platforms but also optimised for each one individually.
Truly leveraging the metaverse
Being inspired by stories knitted by Balenciaga is good, but it does require a lens of relevance to
differentiate between their audience and yours. So, the causes and the solutions that are
piggybacked in the virtual world need to resonate with your target audience. Moreover, the
targeted group should also be able to access the media channel. The timing, in the marketing world,
is crucial for innumerable reasons. Marketing decisions are so vital that they can often be the fine
line between success and failure.
The metaverse has so far been catering for the rich pop culture crowd and the gamers (who are core
to this world). Apart from accessibility, another significant reason was a lack of need in the market
for such a platform. But as the transition of Facebook to Meta occurred, and the acquisition of
Activision by Microsoft took place recently, the term has become a buzzword with 72x searches
since. This has brought acceptance and raised the demand required to build innovative products to
bridge the accessibility gap. NFTs have a key role to play in this universe for memberships and
privileges. And with the advent of brain-machine interfaces like Neuralink, the e-commerce
capabilities will surely enhance.
Conclusion
We're still at the beginning stages of the metaverse trend, but it's already revolutionising how
companies connect with customers. And effectively how they strategise their digital marketing
campaigns. But it’s not necessary for everyone, certainly not if you have just begun to break even. It
certainly takes some investment to create an impactful experience as the metaverse landscape is
still being explored for its potential business value.
4. Despite the nascency, the metaverse market is expected to multiply at a CAGR of 47.6% until 2029.
With the integration of blockchain technology, this digital platform has earned the public’s trust
more organically. At the same time, the visceral aspect of this exciting new landscape makes a world
of difference in the customer journey. As the latest Generation Alpha forms two-thirds of Roblox’s
daily user base, more metaverse native trends will appear with the parallelly growing popularity of
influencer marketing..