Although almost everyone has heard of it by now, the metaverse is a concept that still hides many mysteries. The future of technology and advertising will surely take place in this virtual space; that is why experts are working hard to explain to the general public what advantages and disadvantages this new universe will offer us.
Edgar Martín-Blas, CEO and creative director of Virtual Voyagers , has developed more than 200 immersive projects and is now delving into yet another: his book Metaverso. Pioneers on a journey beyond reality (LID Editorial).
At MarketingDirecto.com we spoke with the author about the opportunities and challenges offered by the metaverse, the fundamental pillars of this space and the elements to take into account when immersing yourself in it.
What is the metaverse really and why is it considered the technological future?
The metaverse is still in the process of being defined, as the concept being proposed is extremely vast . Today, it is defined as a new three-dimensional immersive internet in which we move from a model based on flat information based on click interactions (the old web) to an environment in which we feel presence, we can do physical activities, interact with other people who are there in person, and we will always have the perception of being somewhere else.
It's been quite a sensation, but is this a new concept or was this idea already being worked on before?
The concept has been around for decades in science fiction, but the arrival of Oculus on the market in 2013 (virtual reality glasses) meant the leap in quality that was expected. The prototype created by Palmer Luckey also managed to lower the cost of virtual reality to around $350, making this new world accessible to millions of people. Within a year, this virtual device was acquired by Facebook for 2 billion US dollars.
What opportunities does the metaverse offer you?
We are now looking for the real uses of the metaverse . Firstly, the social part, the e-commerce part, the experiential content part (concerts, events, cinema, training, etc.) is what is making all this move forward. Marketing is very important and is also investing a lot of money to reach out to the generation Z that already populates this world.
Above all, it is about understanding the format, experimenting with it to find the place that each brand will have in this new three-dimensional internet. Some brands will go for content, others for direct sales and others for pure branding. What expands this new world is that you no longer interact with clicks, you interact with real actions of people who move in that world. Everything changes at a creative and technical level.
What elements must be taken into account when wanting to participate in the creation of the metaverse?
The main thing is to know if a brand is a content generator for an already created metaverse (META, jordan number data VRchat, Roblox, etc.) or wants to create its own branded metaverse , with its own activities and rules. Luckily, there are already programming platforms that allow this whole world to be compatible, OPEN XR and WEBGL .
The ideal is to go down this line so that what is done now has an evolution in the future. The one-shots of a quick press release to create an office in Descenterland are not the way to go, the metaverse is much richer than walking through rooms looking at 2D photos.
Invest part of your budget in advertising or innovation to ride the wave. It is better to ride alongside it and experience its advances than to lose it.
What will be the pillars of the metaverse?
The first is identity . The brand has to provide an avatar, clothing and accessories so that the user has a presence chosen by him. There will be many options and in fact there are already brands such as Nike that have positioned themselves in this branch.
The second is exploration . Every metaverse has to offer its visitors an experience in which going further, searching, investigating and discovering is what drives the narrative forward, not something linear like TV advertising.
The third is belonging . Each metaverse will propose a series of activities with other people that, if well done and recurring, will generate the feeling of a group, something very human.