You don’t have to go far to look for information about the Metaverse and its impacts on business: theories and discussions on the topic are everywhere.
Well, not just the Metaverse: Virtual Reality, NFTs, Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies… new technologies are ubiquitous now. But be honest: are you currently seeing an opportunity for your brand in these?
A survey made by Digiday+ interviewed several dozen publishers, and nearly half of them said they do not believe these technologies will have significant impacts on their industry in the next few years.
However, you’ve probably heard about some brands that are betting on this technological future.
In this article, we bring some data and reflections on this subject.
What the Digiday+ survey says
Conducted in January 2022, the research interviewed publishers about different topics and included questions about what businesses are prioritizing for the future.
One of the questions asked respondents to choose which emerging technologies would have the biggest impact on their business in the future. The options were:
- NFTs
- Metaverse
- Blockchain
- Cryptocurrencies
- None of the above
The result: more than 40% of the audience chose “none of the above”.
Also according to Digiday+, part of this perception comes from the fact that some of the giants that are betting on the Metaverse — such as Meta itself — recognize that most of the technologies that will drive this virtual universe are years away from existing.
The promise land of the moment
Besides Meta, we can mention a range of brands for which the Metaverse is already a reality.
In December 2021, Disney registered a patent for a simulator that virtually reproduces, in a 3D realm, one of its parks. In fact, the entertainment giant had already started to integrate the physical, digital and virtual worlds through the MagicBand+, a wrist device for the public to live interactive experiences when visiting a park.
Warner Bros. Pictures hosted a virtual party in 2021 to promote a movie. Visitors could watch behind-the-scenes material, such as interviews, as well as participate in interactive games. Pictures hosted a virtual party in 2021 to promote a movie
You may be thinking that investing in the technological future is an exclusive privilege of large corporations, but you can already see smaller companies in the advertising business growing around the Metaverse.
Also according to Digiday+, “B2B publisher Blockworks expects, in 2022, to double its revenue to US$20 million through strategies such as the sale of NFTs. Finally, several cryptocurrency companies have purchased Super Bowl ads this year.
This definitely tells us something.
Metaverse: to go or not to go?
The point is: if we look at the evolution of media consumption in the world over time, obviously we will see large and revolutionary changes. Perhaps one of the most significant is the arrival and consolidation of Inbound Marketing, practically putting an end to the age of mandatory interruption by advertisers.
Another conclusion is that, even if a change seems challenging and disruptive at first, over time it becomes a natural path for brands that need to go where their audience is, of course.
Therefore, as much as it is not possible to determine, today, what the future of brands will be in this new universe and the path to get there, just look back and see that, regardless of the size of the challenge, companies always find — or invent! — a way to reach the consumer!
But those who prepare for what is to come have an advantage. Podcasts, for example, exploded in 2015, but in 2004, we already had some pioneers.
So, if you want to increase your chances of success in a world that is still being discovered, the time to start studying and planning is now!
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