Technology is constantly evolving, and each innovation seems more impactful than the last.
This is increasingly evident with the establishment of the Metaverse, which is a hot topic amongst marketers at the moment due to its predicted transformation of the advertising landscape. However, for those of us who are used to more traditional forms of marketing, this entire concept can be a lot to wrap your head around. So, what is the Metaverse?
Well, to understand the Metaverse one must first understand augmented and virtual reality. Virtual reality uses technology to create completely digital, simulated realities that users can insert themselves in and then feel as if they are physically transported there, generally using immersive headsets and motion tracking technology.
Augmented reality on the other hand augments our existing reality by using a device’s camera to take in what is already there and add digital models to it on the screen. One of the most successful examples of this in recent history was Pokémon Go which involved the use of camera technology to place Pokémon characters in the real world for players to catch and collect.
What the Metaverse intends to do is take all this technology to completely new levels, not just creating new worlds but creating a completely virtual and interconnected universe of user generated content that people can exist in just as they exist in the real world. This means going to work in virtual offices, attending lectures in virtual classrooms and maybe even joining your long-distance friends around a virtual dinner table for a drink. Sounds crazy right?
Well, you may be surprised to know that, despite only recently becoming popularised, thanks in part to Facebook becoming Meta, this concept is something that has existed and been experimented with for a very long time.
A very early example of ‘metaverse’ like technology is the video game Second Life which was created in 2003. It was advertised, as the name suggests, as a place to create a second, digital life. While it did not initially involve virtual or augmented reality technology, users created and controlled avatars and could text and voice chat. The game became very popular with players for the sandbox opportunities, meaning that they could pretty much create anything they wanted and play within that space. Naturally, this feature also became very popular with marketers. Worlds were built just to promote products or campaigns, and players interacted with them regularly. While second life is not as popular as it was in the early 2000s, they still claim to support around 40,000 concurrent users [1] Similar to this is Roblox, another user generated virtual world that began in 2006 and boasts 43.2 million daily active users.
So, why is this important to marketers? Read our follow up blog ‘Marketing in the Metaverse’ to learn more 😉
Source:
[1] Second Life Grid Statistics – March Update 2022