Weekly Tips & Tricks on negotiating The Metaverse with Pooky Amsterdam
"Through the past, smartly" could be the title of this weeks blog as News from Decentraland was caught up in my brain blender with a very fun video that we did a while back, and fits perfectly with the Question of the Week.
Q: Is it possible to build good brand relations in The Metaverse?
This weeks jaw-dropping events calendar from Decentraland is amazing! Cuervo with a MetaDistellery and Christian LaCroix 35th Anniversary is full on happening but what caught my eye was the new Netflix original, The Grey Man. Netflix is behind an 8 Day quest, where players are helped by knowledge of this movie. The prizes are digital facial, and other hair plus a level of wearables unknown from any movie before. Yes, it is more than possible to build good brand relations in The Metaverse, it can be imperative. Part of the fun and excitement of being in The Metaverse is the fun you can have. Why not with a brand?
The way of The Metaverse is to engage the end user, it is the same goal of engaging a customer with a brand. About 15 years ago JWT CEO Bob Jeffrey was quoted as saying, "Time is the new currency. The better the idea, the more time people spend with it." How much time people spend in one Metaverse is the key to its value. Engagement metrics should become time-based measures rather than impression based, for what percentage of a person's time is spent in a world, and why is vitally important. I find the Netflix investment in Decentraland fascinating as those who will go to find where the fountain is in the maze thus retrieving the virtual USB stick will be spending time with The Grey Man. I do believe those who do will watch it on Netflix. I'll be curious to see how it all goes down beginning this Friday.
So Beer Break is here to illustrate how in a virtual world, community could be built around a brand, and building out that shared experience. In this video it's about surfers; it was to be a world wide virtual surfing competition for The Beer with the winner getting a trip to the Baja peninsula and of course a year's supply of the beverage. Here there would be targeted reasons to go into a world, using both video, a quest, activity, sponsored competition that allows the community to build up around it. People would have had their avatars in a program, virtual reality TV if you will, that comes with a TOS understanding that by attending your avatar could be part of the series/show/event/program. Advertisers will gain by allowing their customers real opportunities to interact with their brand, not just throwing a lot of stuff up to see what will stick.
With live events taking place on a regular basis, and at specific times, people know to tune in or to go to these events in what becomes "Appointment Internet". This will build consumer loyalty to the event which will translate into customer loyalty in the product. The Metaverse is rapidly becoming a professional marketing environment, like living within the world of these virtual goods and services. There should be ongoing compelling reasons to return, that attract more and more potential customers with engagement, and rewards for that engagement. Though not every company may want to hand out fake moustaches, or the ubiquitous NFT.
How about this example? Let's say you were a Heineken drinker all your life, but there was a great game in Somnium Space called Bowling for Budweisers which was fun to play virtually, in a retro bowling alley where you could win a cool customized digital bowling shirt. Upon going, you meet people there, you bring people there and you begin to play and have fun, appearing on the leaderboard for everyone to see, taking pictures of that and your virtual buddies for your social media pages too. You are having fun with the product!! I don't care if you have been a Heineken drinker all your life, at some point you will eventually pick up a Budweiser because it has become part of your life through your chosen playtime, and you associate it with having fun.
And let's say there was a web series also filmed around this in the Metaverse and the "regulars' at the bowling alley are played by known actors. Even though they are relatively safe at home, they are mingling with people from all over the world, and you or I could have a conversation with them, maybe they would even pick us for their bowling team. A scripted series filmed for a fraction of real world costs around an activity creating a live audience spending time, actively participating in the promotion of the brand is what The Metaverse is made for. No one has to travel to Universal Studios to see the show, they just have to log in and be part of the brand game. It is insanely cost effective and also encourages people to create their own user generated content around the brand if they can utilize the sets and activities for their own social media promotion.
Here is a way to engage ones customers of a brand literally and figuratively where they live and play. So indeed The Metaverse can offer an outstanding platform upon which to build brand alliance, community and engagement. And this can be piggybacked upon existing advertising, all a company has to do is include the URL of where this game or event is going to take place. In The Metaverse this means cost effective, valuable, virtual community which meets the very important requirement of time spent with the brand.
If you have a question, please email info@pookymedia.com with Metaquette in the subject line.
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