Building in the metaverse for brands

In this blog, we explore the trend of building experiences in the metaverse for brands. With the growing popularity of virtual worlds, more and more brands are tapping into this market to create unique experiences for their customers. From virtual gaming platforms to blockchain-based worlds, we'll cover where to build, how to build, and how to get your customers to experience your brand in the metaverse.

Building in the metaverse helps brands provide engaging and immersive customer experiences, gain a competitive advantage, and expand their offerings. Additionally, they can experiment with new forms of advertising and marketing, provide unique experiences, and reach younger audiences inhabiting virtual worlds. When building in the metaverse, it is vital to consider the user experience, scalability, and social media and choose the platforms that align with their values and target audience. To engage their existing community, brands should leverage social media, partner with influencers, offer exclusive access, provide clear instructions, and use email marketing.

What type of brands should build experiences in the metaverse?

As brands seek novel ways to connect with customers, the metaverse emerges as a powerful way of providing new and unique experiences. Brands that want to build experiences in the metaverse have an excellent opportunity to engage with customers and gain a competitive advantage. The types of brands that should build experiences in the metaverse are those that want to:

• Create unique customer experiences: Creating immersive and interactive experiences that transcend the possibilities of the physical world is one of the prime benefits the metaverse offers. Such experiences can help brands create positive associations and leave a lasting impression on their customers.

• Tap into the growing market of virtual experiences: Did you know that virtual and augmented reality is a thriving market? Goldman Sachs predicts that people could spend up to $80 billion on these technologies by 2025! That's a lot of money going towards virtual experiences. This could be a significant opportunity for brands to pivot into an evolving market with vast untapped potential and a burgeoning user base.

• Experiment with new forms of advertising and marketing: The metaverse offers a unique opportunity to create interactive and engaging experiences that capture users' attention in a way that traditional marketing cannot. For instance, our in-house research suggests that brands can get up to ten minutes of dwell time in their experiences on average, far exceeding the possibilities of traditional marketing.

• Engage with younger audiences more familiar with virtual worlds: Gen Z and Gen Alpha are spending more and more time in virtual worlds, and brands that want to engage with them should respond accordingly. For example, upmarket brands such as Gucci and RTFKT are already engaging this audience in the Metaverse with specially-designed immersive luxury offerings.

• Create immersive experiences that cannot be replicated in the physical world: The metaverse takes users on a journey to diverse digital worlds and enables them to engage with digital objects in ways that cannot be experienced in the physical world. Royal Caribbean, for example, launched a digital twin of its largest cruise ship in the Metaverse platform, offering a mind-blowing experience.

• Provide a safe and accessible environment for customers to trial products or services: The metaverse offers such space where consumers can browse and try clothes, for instance, from the comfort and safety of their homes.

• Build a strong community around their brand, and foster user-generated content: The Metaverse offers a social and collaborative environment where people can mingle, create content, complete quests, and solve puzzles. Brands can use this to build a community around their products and services, foster user-generated content, and convert customers into brand advocates.

• Stay ahead of the curve and be seen as innovative and forward-thinking leaders in their industry: By building experiences in the metaverse, brands can demonstrate their willingness to experiment with new technologies, trial and learn from new approaches and evolve their offering faster than competitors. Mastercard’s Pride Plaza activation in Decentraland is just one such example.

In conclusion, brands that want to engage with customers and stand out should build in the Metaverse.

How do you build something in the metaverse?

Building something in the metaverse can be challenging, but getting expert support can make it an empowering venture. So, this section will explore critical considerations when creating metaverse experiences.

The primary thing to consider is the user experience. You want your experience to be intuitive and easy to use, so using familiar design elements aligned with your brand is essential. This will help make the experience recognisable and easily accessible to a large audience. Ease of use is among the most critical factors when engaging with virtual environments, so this should be a top priority for the metaverse activation you’re building.

Scalability is also fundamental. Given the expansive and concurrent nature of the metaverse, your experience must be able to handle many users simultaneously. Thus, investing in robust infrastructure and designing your experience for scalability can help you avoid performance issues and poor quality of experience QoE. Additionally, partnering with established virtual world platforms like Second Life or Roblox can give you access to a broader audience.

Social media is crucial when building in the metaverse. You can leverage your existing communities on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to drive traffic to your metaverse activation. Furthermore, sharing images and videos from your metaverse build can generate buzz around it and attract even more people.

Additionally, provide clear instructions on accessing and using your experience. Ensure that users know how to find and navigate your experience by creating easy-to-follow guides and tutorials. However, before launching to a wider audience, you should test the experience with a smaller pilot group. This can help you identify any issues, collect feedback, and improve before the formal launch.

To sum up, building your brand in the metaverse can be a fantastic opportunity to realise your creativity and innovation if you follow these tips.

Samot Club in The Sandbox

Where do you build in the metaverse?

Several platforms allow users and brands to build experiences in their virtual worlds. We’ll divide them into Web3 (decentralized) and Web2 (centralized).

Web3 platforms operate on the decentralized web and use blockchain technology to secure virtual assets and experiences created in the metaverse. Blockchain lets users monetize their virtual assets through tokens and smart contracts. Relevant examples include:

• The Sandbox is an Ethereum-based virtual world that allows players to build, own, and monetize their gaming experiences. Users interact with 3D avatars in various virtual worlds and experiences. The Sandbox also enables users to trade and sell their virtual assets. Some of the leading brand activations here include SC Ventures, Adidas, Gucci, and HSBC, and your neighbours there would include celebrity rapper Snoop Dog and tennis superstar Stanislas Wawrinka.

• Decentraland is another blockchain-based virtual world platform where you can create, experience, and monetize content and applications. In Decentraland, users can build and explore virtual experiences and earn by selling virtual assets. Corporate leaders Nike, Hershey's, Coca-Cola, and Samsung, among others, have launched brand activations here.

• Somnium Space also operates on the Ethereum blockchain. This virtual world allows players to buy land, and build, import and trade NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens). Somnium Space provides unique and immersive virtual world experiences that have attracted leading brands such as Sony, Cloud9, and Pull&Bear.

  
  

On the other hand, Web2 centralized metaverse platforms are virtual worlds controlled and operated by single entities. This type of platform runs on the traditional Web2 architecture, characterized by a centralized infrastructure, concentration of control, and a client-server model.

Essentially, the central entity has complete control over the platform, including content, data collection, and governing policies. Hence, these platforms are not blockchain-based and don’t give users the same control and ownership over their virtual assets.

• The gaming platform Roblox allows users to create and play virtual games. Its user-friendly interface allows you to quickly become an experience creator. As a result, Roblox has become a widely-selected platform for individuals and brands seeking to establish their own virtual realms. Prominent examples include Chipotle, Forever21, Kellogg’s and Ralph Lauren.

• Minecraft, a widely renowned sandbox game, empowers players to craft and traverse virtual realms, showcasing its reliability and robustness in delivering immersive experiences. Known for its simplicity and flexibility, it has become a popular platform for those keen to design and customise their own metaverse activations. Therefore, it is not surprising that brands such as Puma, Lacoste, and Angry Birds have tapped into Minecraft’s potential.

• Lastly, there's Fortnite Creative, a game mode within the popular battle royale game that allows players to create and share their virtual worlds. In addition, brands can use Fortnite Creative to showcase their products and services, create unique experiences, and reach a highly engaged audience. Is it surprising that over 100 brands are on Fortnite, including Marvel, the NFL, and celebrities like Travis Scott and Ariana Grande?

  
  

Importantly, both Web3 and Web2 platforms offer unique opportunities for brands. Therefore, it is vital to build metaverse experiences on the ones that align with their values and can help them reach their target audience.

Finally, it is crucial to realise that brands can also build standalone experiences independent of any platform. These can be hosted on their website or a public cloud environment that anyone can access via a link. Protocols like Matera can facilitate this and accelerate the growth of the Open Metaverse.

DystoPunks in The Sandbox

How to get your customers to your metaverse experience

A metaverse experience can offer customers a new and unique way to engage with your brand, but getting them there can be a challenge. So, let’s explore some strategies for engaging your existing community virtually.

• Metaverse billboards and teleporters: One of the best places to find new users is in the platforms themselves. LandVault has a network of billboards and teleporters that can take customers directly to your experience. This is a targeted way to reach people who are already active on the platforms and, therefore, more likely to engage with your experience.

• Leverage existing social media channels: With billions of people using social media daily, this is a solid way to reach your audience and nudge it to your metaverse experience. For example, consider creating posts, advertisements and competitions on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. By highlighting the benefits of participating in your experience and what customers can expect you increase the likelihood of them joining.

• Partner with influencers or other brands: For instance, collaborating with a famous influencer in your target market can effectively promote your experience among their followers. This can help you reach new audiences and leverage existing communities interested in your brand.

• Offer exclusive access or incentives: To demonstrate, you could offer early access to new products, discounts, or other rewards for customers who participate in your experience. This will incentivise customers to participate and help create a sense of exclusivity and uniqueness around your experience.

• Ensure that customers have a positive experience: Provide clear instructions on accessing and making the most of the experience. For example, a step-by-step tutorial walking customers through the experience and all it offers can make it more accessible and increase the likelihood of engaging. This makes it easier for customers to join and helps build trust and credibility.

• Consider creating a landing page on your website to promote the experience and give more information. Include details about what customers can expect, what the experience entails, and how to get started. By having a dedicated space for your metaverse experience, you can provide customers with a one-stop shop for information and help create a sense of excitement and anticipation around it.

• Use email marketing to reach out to your existing customer base and invite them to participate in your metaverse activation. So why not connect with customers who already know and trust you and nudge them to participate in something new and exciting? So, when crafting your email marketing campaign, highlight the benefits of participating.

  
  

In conclusion, promoting your metaverse experience and getting customers there requires a multi-faceted approach. So, it’s best to combine these tactics into a coherent strategy that helps get your customers excited about your virtual activation.

Conclusion

In summary, the metaverse is emerging as a powerful way to engage with customers and provide unique experiences. Brands can benefit from it by creating immersive and interactive experiences, tapping into the growing virtual market, testing new forms of advertising, engaging with younger audiences, providing safe and accessible trial environments, building communities, and staying ahead of the competition. Additionally, when building in the metaverse, brands should consider user experience, scalability, social media, and clear instructions and partner with established platforms or influencers. Crucially, promoting metaverse experiences requires a multi-faceted approach, leveraging social media, offering incentives, providing clear instructions, having a dedicated landing page, and using email marketing.

Could this be your brand?

If you're interested in exploring brand activations in the metaverse, contact us now.