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The metaverse will take years, if not decades, to fulfil its
interconnected three-dimensional Web3 powered vision, but brands are encouraged
to make the leap now.
If they don’t, they’ll be missing the chance to connect with
audiences already playing in metaverse-like worlds.
The catch is: the rules of the game governing brand-audience
relationships are different.
M&C Saatchi London’s Niall Wilson, writing an op-ed
for The Drum, points out that the most popular virtual world
mass-participant experiences online today are games — Roblox, Call of
Duty, and Among Us being some of the biggest. Yet game-playing
communities aren’t drawn from familiar “advertising” demographics.
“Age, gender, location, ethnicity and affluence aren’t the
foundations on which these communities are built. I’m just as likely to be
killed by my daughter in Fortnite as I am to bump into my uncle
in Minecraft. I’m pretty sure they’ve met each other in Animal
Crossing,” Wilson says.
What online games do is bring together diverse communities
that share a passion for very specific experiences. Wilson suggests that those
who like to be rebellious play Doom. People who like to compete: FIFA.
Thrill seekers play The Last of Us and adventurers play World of
Warcraft.
“The people who make mass multiplayer games are better at
tapping into human passions and emotions than any other creators on earth. And
brands familiar with connecting people and their passions find the world of
gaming easier to penetrate,” Wilson writes.
Sports brands might find it easier than others to activate
in the gaming virtual world. For example, Nike’s Nikeland experience
in Roblox has been visited by more than 7 million people since it launched last
November.
Other brands on the books of M&C Saatchi London, like
O2, McDonald’s, Heineken and Coca-Cola, are making the transition to Web3 by
continuing to connect communities to their passions, in much the same way that
they have done before. Just virtually.
“The brands that may struggle, however, are those that have
grown quickly through the precision audience targeting of the social web,” says
Wilson.
He advises these brands to find games with playing
communities that share their values. Then they should start helping these
communities to grow by enhancing (not interrupting) their gaming experience.
“Charities such as Calm and The Kiyan Prince Foundation have
paved the way, showing us that gaming communities can be much more altruistic
than the echo chamber of social media,” notes Wilson. “Any brand unable to
clearly articulate its values will fall even further behind than they are now.”
Anyone looking for immediate success in the metaverse will
however be disappointed. Especially if success is measured against conventional
indicators like reach, awareness, and attention.
“[These] may simply not provide the ROI that many marketers
crave,” says Wilson.
Instead, brands should experiment in the space and invest to
learn what works and what does not.
“Those willing to invest now will have a better opportunity
to build trust and advocacy over a longer period with some of the most
passionate, engaged and diverse communities on earth,” Wilson urges. Who
wouldn’t want to do that?
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