With the end of this year, digital advertisers are on lookout for new marketing trends that might dominate next year. There are two topics that have been in the news recently and from what it seems, it might be good to keep an eye on them. These are the “metaverse” and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Here is what you need to know about these interesting changes coming to 2022 and beyond.
The “Metaverse”
At the beginning it might look like a video game combined with virtual reality experiences that we thought would be the future based on 90’s sci-fi movies. But there is more to it. In a more general term, it talks about bringing the physical world and the virtual world together. There are still details that will vary depending on who you ask, but one thing that is for certain. This will include the widespread adoption of technologies like augmented reality and virtual reality.
Some would say that avatars will be part of this, but this is not some video game. You’ll have your real life, just with a little spice thanks to the new and advanced digital space. This new technology is the one making NFTs an important topic for next year and the others to come.
NFTs:
The best way to understand what they are, is to focus on the definition of “fungible”. Basically this means the ability of a good or asset to be readily interchanged for another of like kind. In other words, money is fungible and so is bitcoin, as they can be exchanged for exactly the same thing. But, it’s not possible to interchange NFTs like for like, because they’re completely unique.
So, why are NFTs and metarverse connected? According to some sources, how we use NFTs will shift from owning digital art and gaming, but as a way to access the metaverse.
With the expansion of the metaverse, this will have experiences that will parallel the real world but also extend it. NFTs will be a key part of it, as they will be used to gain access to both physical and virtual VIP events.
If one is here to stay, then so is the other. And that won’t be the end of it, as more tokens will start appearing.
How does Metaverse and NFTs affect Digital Advertising?
In a lot of ways! Facebook has plans to shift from a social media platform and company to building a metaverse company. It plans on employing 10,000 people in Europe to help build it, and they expect to make the transition over the next five years. Part of their plans include, rebranding, name change of the holding company and more to tie in better with the metaverse innovations in progress.
And it doesn’t end with Facebook, as TikTok is also experimenting with NFTs potential, as more artists and creators are also looking into it. There are also various gaming platforms who are getting involved, like Roblox and Fortnite, as well as Decentraland and The Sandbox where users can build virtual environments. And the list goes on as more platforms are looking into it.
How You Can Prepare
With this type of rapid rises, we have to be careful of the rapid declines. In this case, the metaverse is gaining momentum and backed by big names. If it works, the digital advertising world could change dramatically.
Brands would need to adapt to 3D narrative or presence. Marketers and advertisers will have to understand and adopt technology quicker than before. But brands can also participate in providing paid experiences in addition to their products.
With the appearance of a new way to connect, brands will need new ways to use SEO, one of them being “visual SEO”. There may be virtual influencers and a whole plethora of other things. Don’t ignore this new world, instead keep an eye close as we get to see it be created, discovered and evolved into ways we’re yet to find out.