I was hunting down a story on one of the biggest and most notable businessmen in the virtual world. I remember the meeting as if it were yesterday, walking through his expansive, modern, glass building, taking an elevator up to the top floor and sitting around a huge boardroom table. 

My interview uncovered that he had built this entire virtual island and a flourishing business while embedded in Iraq. He explained that the meaningful connections he made in the virtual world helped ease the stress and anxiety of his real-world chaos. I was amazed, and it cemented my belief in the power of this technology. 

This story is not unique. Reporting on Second Life business I heard dozens of similar stories of people getting real-life needs met by virtual connections. Second Life was full of virtual humans — some even run by computers — who immensely influenced others in the community even though there was never a physical meeting.

I quickly learned not to care if the avatar accurately represented the human. Our digital representations afforded us the freedom we couldn’t find anywhere else and a safe place to explore ourselves and our relationships with others. I believe this freedom and the willingness of consumers to let go of the stigma surrounding digital connections are helping to fuel the current trend of virtual influencers. 

Today’s virtual influencer

Fast forward 20 years, and we now have brands and agencies creating virtual humans to help build connections between their organizations and the hearts of their consumers. Wikipedia defines a virtual influencer as “a computer-generated fictional character that can be used for a variety of marketing-related purposes, but most frequently for social media marketing, in lieu of human influencers. Most virtual influencers are designed using computer graphics and motion capture technology to resemble real people in realistic situations.” 

“Virtual influencers are the most human reflection of a brand, in that the brand is required to take ownership of their identity and apply their creativity to bring it to life in the form of a virtual being,” says the leading virtual human expert and “Forbes 30 Under 30 Entrepreneur” Christopher Travers. “For fans, a virtual influencer created by a team who cares about message, craft and creativity is a valuable media experience that can entertain and provide fulfillment in the form of insight, friendship, or just fun.” 

Benefits of virtual influencers to an organization include not paying the exorbitant fees of real influencers, owning the face (in fact owning the whole thing!) of the influencer or spokesperson and removing much of the risk associated with having a mistake-prone human represent your brand.  

Virtual influencers solve the challenge brands encounter when building meaningful connections across social platforms because like it or not, brands and corporations are not people. Crafting a values-driven, virtual influencer offers audiences a relatable and human-centered experience that can help grow brand affinity and relevance. 

Meet the new breed of influencers

There are almost 300 virtual influencers on record today, and the number is growing. Arguably the most successful and popular virtual influencer is Lu. She has a following of over 30 million users across her social platforms and is a new revenue stream for her creator, the Brazilian retailer Magalu. 

Described as the Amazon of South America with brick-and-mortar stores, Magalu has turned Lu into an influencer that can charge advertisers a high premium. Anyone selling a product on Magalu can pay to have their product creatively placed within the storytelling content that Lu is sharing with her 30 million followers.

She is active on all the major platforms, including YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Twitter. Stay tuned for a more comprehensive case study on Lu and Magalu, as I believe this is the future of advertising. 

Not all these virtual influencers are B2C-focused. Maarten Reijgersberg, CEO of creative agency RAUWcc, crafted Esther Olofsson, a self-described “virtual human created with AI.” 

You can follow Esther’s adventures on Instagram as she explores top tech conferences such as SXSW and The Next Web. Esther got her start as part of a campaign for a Dutch hotel chain, and Reijgersberg decided to keep her alive as an innovation engine and testing ground for new projects. 

Dig deeper: How to become a B2B influencer on LinkedIn

When asked about how he is measuring her success, Reijgersberg quips:

“[She is] successful if my colleagues continue to challenge their generative AI knowledge and if she generates press coverage for RAUWcc. Of course, we are working on more reach and engagement and she will eventually have to earn her own money.” 

Poor thing. Even virtual influencers need to prove their ROI. 

To AI or not to AI? That is the question

The improvements in AI and ML technologies have vastly increased the capabilities of automated avatars since my days in Second Life. At that time, virtual avatars or “bots” could do simple tasks like engage in a one-way conversation, share text-based chat messages and make simple, repeatable movements.

Today tools like ChatGPT, Cinema 4D, Stable Diffusion and a host of others allow teams to create much more life-like human interactions and content with their virtual humans. 

But just because the technology exists doesn’t mean all successful virtual influencers are AI-driven. Lu is crafted by a large team of content creators who don’t use AI tools. 

The benefit is that the brand has 100% control over creative content and output. The downside is that producing social content for millions of followers across multiple channels is hugely time-consuming and resource intensive. AI tools can ease the burden of cranking out content and reduce the required resources, but it increases risk and unpredictability in exchange. 

You can experience this unpredictability by engaging with AI-driven influencers such as Kuki, described as “the world’s most advanced AI virtual model,” or Kitt, an AI-driven vTuber. 

vTubers have taken over Twitch and YouTube and are essentially human-run, animated avatars that stream live content onto streaming platforms. Kitt, however, is completely run by AI technologies and engages her following in animated and unpredictable conversation. You can even pay $25 to have her sing your favorite song, a very interesting monetization model. 

While the unpredictability and newness of this technology are extremely captivating, it’s like watching a train wreck.

At one point, Kuki was correcting the grammar of one of her followers, educating him on the difference between “you are” and “your” — not the way to build affinity for a brand. 

Fast forward to the future

Despite the clunkiness and unpredictability of AI-run influencers, tools and platforms are being developed to perfect these technologies and use cases. One day, brands can spin up a virtual influencer that can produce their content, monitor their feeds and build relationships with fans 24/7. In the meantime, brands and creative teams will continue exploring and innovating how virtual influencers can bring value to consumers. 

“Tomorrow, virtual influencers will be as abundant as the JPG, the GIF, or the MP4. In this landscape, the novelty of the medium will fully wane and the most value-adding, artful implementations will reign,: says Travers. “Perhaps some leaders will be entirely generative, perhaps other leaders will be creator-led, but ultimately the barrier to entry will be made [zero] in time, there will be an abundance of virtual influencers and creativity will win at the margin.”

The post Meet 3D virtual influencers, the new breed of marketing influencers appeared first on MarTech.

The app charged a fee for users to upload a photo of themselves that would then be altered to include the digital fashion item so that they could post it on their social media. This is worthless to me — as I can easily alter an image of myself or snap a photo through an AR lens. Most social apps these days offer similar capabilities. 

However, after more exploring, this digital closet app also sold the idea of being able to wear these digital fashions on virtual dates and in virtual meetings. In my view, this is how I envision a truly digital closet — one you can wear virtually, wherever you are. To get this capability, you needed to purchase an NFT. 

Excited by the idea of wearing a digital, pink feather boa during my next online class, I eagerly attempted to buy a cool NFT. After an investment of several hours and dollars, I’m still unable to wear my digital fashion in a Zoom meeting. This capability doesn’t even exist. So, what gives? 

NFTs just aren’t there yet

Let this story be a cautionary tale. Without the right strategy, you will annoy your audience and might never win them back. There have been many headlines announcing the failure of NFT drops, Porsche being one of the latest casualties. (Yes, Porsche!) This is just the start of NFT woes.

A recent court ruling has suggested that NFTs are securities and need to be treated as such, with oversight by the SEC. This same court ruling now holds the brand responsible for violations resulting from their attempt to reduce friction in purchasing the NFT and provide a better user experience. 

While NFTs may be risky for marketers, the metaverse can still offer brands opportunities to engage their audiences, share digital goods, and build community. And if there’s just one thing I want you to take away from this article, it’s that NFTs, the metaverse and Web 3.0 aren’t the same.

Dig deeper: What is the metaverse and how can we get there?

Metaverse, Web 3.0 and NFTs aren’t the same things

If they aren’t the same thing, how are they related? Why do the media, agencies and industry experts keep bundling them together? 

These terms are often intermingled because of a lack of historical perspective and the belief that all digital goods ownership begins and ends with an NFT. This isn’t the case. You can own a digital item, digital land in the metaverse and not get anywhere near an NFT or the blockchain. Let me try and offer simple definitions of these terms through a marketing lens. 

If you are old like me, you remember the promise of Web 2.0 and the excitement around turning passive internet users into active creators. Tools like WordPress, YouTube Studio and others allowed anyone to create web content. Social platforms allowed communities to come together like never before and offered a framework for those communities to share product reviews and recommendations. 

Smart marketers were not only excited about these innovative technologies but quick to adopt them themselves and begin exploring their new capabilities. I see Web 3.0 in the same way. 

The promise of Web 3.0

The common definition of Web 3.0 (or Web3) often includes technologies such as blockchain and cryptocurrency. However, I choose to define Web 3.0 more broadly. The future of the internet is spatial and I see Web 3.0 as referring to this new 3D version of the internet. 

Immersive spaces aren’t reliant on the blockchain or cryptocurrency and it’s misleading to suggest otherwise. I also feel that a component of Web 3.0 is moving users from creating 2D elements such as images and videos to creating 3D content. 

Whether this 3D content lives on a decentralized network is yet to be determined. To recap, Web 3.0 is a broad term referring to the future of the web as being spatial, which may or may not include emerging technologies such as NFTs, blockchain and cryptocurrencies. 

Metaverse or virtual world?

The metaverse commonly refers to virtual spaces where users will spend time. Here, the promise of Web 3.0 will come to life and provide the infrastructure and framework to support these interoperable and immersive spaces. I believe the metaverse exists, yet it’s an aspirational vision of what we can achieve in the future. We all have a role to play in shaping it. You can read my take on how we get there in my Manifesto for the makers of the metaverse. 

Today, we have a network of private clubs or walled gardens (I would call “virtual worlds”). They have different languages, rules and currencies, making navigating from one community to another difficult. 

This also challenges brands looking to build a community in one of these immersive spaces. In the same way you carefully choose where to place your media spend to reach your target audience (i.e., CIO.com, Wall Street Journal, CNN, USA Today, etc.), you need to hunt down your audience across these virtual worlds. 

You can identify the right platform with the help of this report, which shows the size, demographics and technology behind all the major virtual worlds, including Roblox, Second Life, Decentraland, The Sandbox and hundreds of others. 

Digital ownership is not new

So now that we have a working definition of Web 3.0 and the Metaverse, how do NFTs fit into this mix of emerging tech?

A non-fungible token (or NFT) is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a unique digital identifier that cannot be copied, substituted, or subdivided, that is recorded in a blockchain and that is used to certify authenticity and ownership.” If we remove the bit about blockchain, then the virtual world of Second Life has been offering NFTs for over a decade. 

Second Life was forced to solve the issue of digital ownership back in 2006 as content creators on that platform were selling their virtual goods. Initially, the Second Life platform didn’t have a framework to prevent users from copying virtual items such as clothing, skins, furniture and buildings. The creators of this content couldn’t “own” their creations. The developers quickly created a system of permissions that allowed a content creator to designate if the item could be copied or transferred to another user.

If the creator wanted to make a one-of-a-kind thing, they could. But it was more common to sell multiple versions of the item that were non-transferrable, more like buying an item of clothing off the rack. I could only wear that item if I purchased it from its creator. This system allowed many Second Life designers to earn significant dollars in real life, with the virtual world’s first millionaire, Anshe Chung, being announced during that time. 

Does it solve an actual problem? 

One of my major problems with NFTs is that I don’t see the problem they solve. You can create digital ownership without NFTs. Their value is positioned as allowing for true ownership of a digital good through a decentralized platform instead of relying on infrastructure provided by a big tech company. And this may be true, but right now, that benefit is exactly what makes them risky and difficult for consumers to engage with. 

I have had a digital closet in Second Life since 2006, and I still “own” every item in that closet. I can even wear them today on the platform. This is an amazing statement, given the shifting landscape of the metaverse and immersive worlds over the last 20 years. I predict that NFTs, as we know them today, will go away and this technology will morph into something truly valuable — but not for years to come. 

What’s in store for the metaverse, Web 3.0 and NFTs? 

The promise for the metaverse, Web 3.0 and NFTs is a world where I can wear every item in my digital closet anywhere. The promise includes immersive spaces for work, for play and even for navigating around the real world with the use of AR eyewear — and a persistent and interoperable digital layer that interacts with real-world and virtual worlds. This vision will become a reality. We’re just not quite there yet. 

The post Metaverse, Web 3.0 and NFTs: What marketers need to know appeared first on MarTech.

• One that is craving the in-person networking, excitement and sheer adrenaline of large-scale events.
• Another that is highly selective about when and how I travel, ensuring my health is my top priority.

You may fall on one side of this equation, the other or land somewhere in between, but there is no denying that events will continue to be an important avenue for marketing professionals. 

Having explored events that include immersive media and technologies for marketers pre-pandemic, I was eager to discover how the landscape has shifted after the last few years.

Most of the events that made the list before COVID are back in full swing as in-person events in 2023. Some are opting to include digital passes, hoping to offer a nice stay-at-home option. 

So, without further ado, below are my top picks for marketing professionals looking to boost their metaverse marketing muscle. 

1. GatherVerse AI Summit 2023

February 1, 2023 / Virtual (Watch the recap here)

The Gatherverse community is squarely focused on the metaverse and the community implications these new technologies present to business leaders and organizations.

The group leads with wellness, ethics, and safety which is a refreshing change from many other tech events that are more focused on ROI and business outcomes. Very much like the tenets of my Metaverse Manifesto, there is a strong focus on digital citizenship, inclusion, and accessibility of the metaverse for all. 

The group offers several virtual events each year with various topics ranging from women in tech to athletics in the metaverse. The AI summit provided valuable information for marketing professionals as all of us are grappling with how advances in AI will impact our role, strategies and tactics moving forward. 

2. Mobile World Congress

February 27–March 2, 2023 / Barcelona, Spain

The role of 5G within the immersive media landscape can’t be overstated. As more consumers adopt 5G, the opportunity to create and share mind-blowing immersive experiences via mobile devices increases as well. 

A few of the metaverse-themed sessions this year include: 

• NFT’s: The one-hit wonder? 
• From Metaverse to Matterverse, How to Do it Right.
• Who are the New Consumers in Web 3.0. 

This must be the largest event on this list with over 100,000 attendees this year traveling from all over the globe. The conference will house the latest and greatest immersive technology advancements from the big players with big budgets. 

MWC takes over the entire city and housing and transportation become a major challenge. Plan to wait in long lines for public transit and taxis so consider walking instead. Barcelona is one of the most walkable and beautiful cities I have ever visited.

3. South by Southwest (SXSW)

March 10–19, 2023 / Austin, Texas, USA (Online passes available)

Originating as a music festival, SXSW has matured into a massive phenomenon attracting approximately 75,000 attendees. The conference now attracts professionals from the film, music, and interactive industries. 

Technology and brand experience are paired at SXSW, with an entire track dedicated to brands and marketing. The world’s hippest creative teams descend upon Austin – hoping to keep it weird and stand out in a crowded landscape.

Like Cannes Lions, many professionals head to Austin without an official SXSW badge as there are hundreds of free events. You’ll absolutely need to plan, prepare and focus on the key events you want to hit before you arrive. 

Driving in downtown Austin isn’t recommended and walking is most likely your best transportation option. Avoid the temptation of wearing your hippest gear, as sticking to comfortable shoes and practical clothing options is definitely the way to go. 

Although the weather in Austin does tend to be sunny, it’s not guaranteed and packing all-weather items such as a rain poncho is recommended.

4. Laval Virtual

April 12–16, 2023 / Laval, France

Laval Virtual is an industry conference with about 20,000 annual attendees gathering in a small town outside of Paris. 

Highlighting a strong focus on industry and business case uses for immersive such as healthcare, architecture and construction, prior years have included tracks dedicated to cross-vertical topics such as marketing, sales, infrastructure, 5G, storytelling, perception, and IoT. 

This conference is squarely focused on business-to-business immersive tech so if you’re more interested in consumer campaigns, this might not be the best choice.

Laval is steeped in history, being built in the 11th century. There are chateaus, museums, and lots of local flavors to take in during your stay. It presents a beautiful backdrop to the immersive industry networking happening outside of event sessions.

5. National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) Show

April 15–19, 2023 / Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

NAB is a huge show that spans the entire digital ecosystem including advertising, app development, artificial intelligence, audio, augmented reality, broadcast, cable, cloud solutions, digital video, film, mixed reality, virtual reality, 5G and more. 

This is an industry event that draws professionals from all disciplines wanting to further their careers, gain knowledge, experience cutting-edge training, get hands-on with the latest technology, and connect with industry trailblazers advancing the art, science and business of content.

The show offers a wide selection of immersive technical tracks — focusing on content particularly valuable to broadcasters and media professionals. This year, the show includes a visual storytelling track that will be sure to feature innovative immersive content. 

The show also provides a dedicated immersive theater space, allowing exhibitors and speakers to show off the latest immersive broadcasting capabilities. Taking place in Vegas, you might get seduced by finding a hotel on the strip, but I recommend finding a hotel off the strip closer to the convention center as they tend to be less expensive and a nice respite from the hubbub of the gambling capital of the world.

6. Digital Ascendant Semi-Annual Gathering

May 10–11, 2023 / New York City, USA

This invite-only, private network of top-level marketing brand leaders houses some of the most innovative minds in the business. I was fortunate enough to get a special invite to present at their fall event in Santa Clara and I was thoroughly impressed. 

This group offers one of the most important aspects of industry events — power networking. The close-knit group offers a supportive and discrete network of brand marketers who are openly discussing today’s challenges. 

There is a membership fee and vetting process to join the group, but this ensures that there’s a good fit on both sides. The topics and content offered at their gatherings are sure to hit on current trends for brand marketers including everything immersive and the metaverse. 

The intimacy of these events allows for the development of meaningful industry connections, which may be lacking at larger events. 

7. Augmented World Expo (AWE) 2023

May 31–June 2, 2023 / Santa Clara, California, USA (Online passes available)

I’ve attended AWE over the last several years and have seen this conference mature into a premier XR event. I’m thrilled to have been invited back this year to present a case study on how Intel’s marketing team engaged (and delighted!) the developer audience using augmented reality. 

This year’s three-day event features several tracks that will be of interest to marketers including retail, ecommerce, advertising, web3, AI and virtual beings, gaming, entertainment, and media. 

Taking place in the heart of Silicon Valley, AWE pairs investors with the latest XR-focused start-ups. This is the conference to attend if you’re looking for bleeding-edge technology that could take your campaigns to the next level.

8. Cannes Lions 2023

June 19–23, 2023 / Cannes, France

Cannes Lions explores the value of creativity in branded communications. The five-day festival and awards show provides the industry with access to new ideas, consumer research and emerging technologies which will help make and shape popular culture. 

Prior years have included tracks that feature brands leveraging immersive technology to engage audiences. If you’re looking to network with best-in-class marketing teams and agencies — then this is the conference for you! 

Passes run upward of $3,000 for the official conference sessions. However, every publisher imaginable hosts “unofficial” workshops and networking events. Conference veterans can go back each year without purchasing a pass and still have a full agenda.

Cannes Lions is more about brand building and advertising than technology, so don’t attend hoping to find Immersive Marketing 101 or tactical content. It’s more about rubbing shoulders with some of the best marketing teams in the business while sipping rosé on the beach. 

I was fortunate enough to present at Cannes pre-pandemic in partnership with Brand Innovators and they are sure to be bringing in some awesome speakers using cutting-edge technology this year as well.

9. Advertising Week New York

September 2023 / New York City, USA

This four-day event features a blend of thought leadership content and engaging special events, with attendees ranging from public relations pros and advertising execs to chief marketing officers and social media advisers. Prior years have had dozens of sessions featuring immersive content and I’m sure this year will have even more.

Taking place in bustling New York City, this conference brings together everyone who’s anyone in the media biz. Grappling with declining TV viewership and a proliferation of content, attendees are afforded a behind-the-curtain peak into the future of advertising. Similar to Cannes, there are hundreds of sessions and parties on the roster, so doing your homework before you arrive is essential.

10. The Immerse Global Summit

December 2023, Location TBD

The Immerse Global Summit is the annual event organized by the AR/VR Association( https://www.thevrara.com/) . It was held in Miami in 2022 after a Covid-induced hiatus and promises to be one of the best industry events of 2023.

The AR/VR Association is an active group of immersive industry professionals focused on verticals successfully leveraging immersive technologies such as education, marketing, finance, and others. The group has regional chapters that hold many events monthly and is a wonderful place to find other pioneers and innovators specializing in XR.

Boost your metaverse marketing muscle

I also host a virtual, monthly, live event for marketers looking to explore immersive spaces and I would love for you to join. We gather via Zoom on the fourth Friday of each month at noon PT, you can learn more and find the link to join here.

The above is by no means a comprehensive list of all the conferences covering marketing in the metaverse in 2023, so please feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn and share any great options that I may have missed.

The post Top 10 immersive marketing events of 2023 appeared first on MarTech.

Besides the fact that those with access to the internet are better off than 99% of the rest of the world’s population, there are many other reasons to feel hopeful as the new year approaches. No, really — there are. I’m here to help your grinchy heart grow three sizes today. 

So, in the spirit of the holidays, I have crafted this — if not optimistic, then entertaining — list of immersive marketing trends to look forward to in 2023. My wish is that this approach helps us enter the new year filled with humor and gratitude and not take ourselves too seriously. 

So, without further ado, here’s your countdown of the “Top 10 reasons marketers can be optimistic in 2023” à la David Letterman. (If you’re too young to remember Letterman’s nightly Top 10 list — here’s a great example on YouTube to get you up to speed with us old people.) 

10. Better B2B marketing in the metaverse

If you have followed my writing at all, you know I’m passionate about innovative B2B marketing and can’t wait for us all to move away from lengthy solution briefs and white papers that nobody but us are reading. 

I feel 2022 ushered in a new, exploratory era in B2B marketing that will mature throughout the upcoming year. Companies will begin to better understand how to leverage immersive media to help meet their business objectives while simultaneously solving customer pain points. I hope we see more companies embracing the three use cases outlined in my recent article: 

• Events.
• Learning and education.
• Networking. 

All have been vital to reaching and influencing a B2B audience and now we can scale our efforts exponentially by strategically using immersive technology.

9. No more mind-numbingly passive (and boring) virtual events

And speaking of events, I can’t wait to see marketers embrace truly interactive and immersive platforms for their virtual and hybrid events. If your event attendee is expected to be sitting and watching anything from home, you’re doing something wrong. 

Ironically, I listened to a great webinar recently while walking my dog that outlined one of my top trends for 2023 — the need to move our audiences from passive to active participants. 

So, the question you need to ask yourself is: “How can I provide my virtual event attendees things to do and ways to engage while offering them more of a ‘choose your own adventure’ approach?” 

Extended reality, or XR, does a great job solving this problem. You can learn more ways to use XR for your events in 2023 and beyond in this recent MarTech article.

8. Beautiful (but empty) virtual spaces

2023 will continue to see an increase in new, metaverse-esque and artsy platforms that allow artists and 3D content creators to build their own worlds. A few examples of these types of spaces include Monaverse, Room and OnCyber. 

Many of these platforms boast an active community of virtual space dwellers. However, upon closer inspection, most of the featured spaces are empty of real life. 

One of the least fun things to do is wander around a jaw-dropping, beautifully built virtual space on your own. And why should you when the major benefit of connected immersive spaces is the ability to be present in a space with anyone from anywhere in the world?

7. Real-time, user-generated, 360-degree streaming video becomes a thing

The proliferation of 5G will help fuel an increase in real-time, immersive video content streaming. So, prepare to watch your friend’s grandmother’s 100th birthday as it’s happening in all the glory of 360-degree streaming video — yay!

6. We no longer have to connect a crypto wallet to access blockchain-powered virtual worlds — hallelujah!

Anyone who has attempted to explore an Ethereum-powered virtual world will understand my pain on this one. It’s a major headache to create and connect a crypto wallet to your virtual world account, which creates so much friction that many potential users bail. There are many other reasons we will continue to see headlines like “After the hype, NFTs fall as speculators exit” as NFT-centered virtual spaces pivot to try and entice users to stick around.

5. Brands stop forcing virtual world explorers to adopt dopy avatars shaped like paperclips and weeble wobbles — double hallelujah! 

Hopefully, 2023 will be the year that marketers wake up to the fact that, yes, avatars are important. Of course, they are — they are a representation of ourselves. How we express ourselves through avatars is deeply rooted in our subconscious and ties into that infamous reptilian brain that drives all our purchasing decisions. 

Forcing your audience to live inside the body of a crappy avatar is a stupid marketing decision. And what you deem as a suitable and even likable avatar is most likely not suitable or even desirable from your target audience’s perspective. Trying to make something that looks cool for the kids is often the kiss of death. 

A better approach is taking the risk to allow your community to bring their own avatar via an integration with Ready Player Me or providing robust tools to allow them to customize it themselves.

4. No more stock images of someone in a head-mounted display — ever!

Yes, I’m taking a page from Joan Crawford’s book on this one. I hate, hate, hate this overused and almost always completely irrelevant image of someone in a VR headset. Spoiler alert — we won’t be walking around with a VR headset strapped to our faces in the future. 

We will be finding a more comfortable and intuitive way to access immersive content while going about our daily lives. This could look like eyewear or something we haven’t even imagined yet.

3. Fewer epic metaverse marketing fails (well, maybe just a few fewer)

Sigh. This one does sadden my heart a bit. Epic fails in the metaverse hurt us all, and it’s my sincere wish that perhaps some of my articles on marketing in the metaverse will help prevent these types of mishaps.

A recent example, the EU’s $400K foray into the metaverse, was proclaimed a failure by many media outlets, including a Yahoo Finance article stating that virtually nobody attended the online event. The huge cost to develop the stand-alone platform would have been better spent doing some good in the world. I can’t say that I radically disagree with that perspective but let me try and paint a silver lining. 

The event space was crafted by Journee, one of the best immersive agencies out there (thus the hefty price tag). It was beautiful, easy to navigate and had quite a bit of entertaining features. Only a few months before the EU’s event, I had attended a similar event built by Journee, which was a huge success, well-attended and much more of a bellwether for the future of events in virtual spaces. 

The EU may have made some missteps, however, what they have learned from this project will hopefully fuel much better campaigns in the future. I tell my students all the time that marketers learn so much more from what others deem failures than we do from successes.

2. None of us are too cool for school in 2023

Being a lifelong student, I’m extremely happy about this one. There will be more valuable online immersive marketing programs available to marketers and communicators looking to create innovative and effective campaigns. 

You can look at a few of the online educational resources that exist today in my article on becoming a metaverse marketing maven. In addition to the ones I outline, new programs are being developed that are solely focused on immersive communications and strategy, like this newly launched remote program from the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communications. (Spoiler alert: I am teaching in this program and couldn’t be more thrilled!)

1. Great news – those vapid, superficial and perfect-looking influencers on Instagram aren’t real

That’s right. There will be an increase in virtual influencers in 2023 as brands continue to love the idea of not having to deal with a real person’s demands and bad behaviors. I love the idea that companies can now exploit AI-driven, virtual avatars that shamelessly wear and promote their products. Brands such as Prada, Diesel, Tommy Hilfiger and even Chevrolet have leveraged completely made-up virtual influencers in prominent campaigns. 

A fascinating study conducted this year concluded that a consumer’s relationship with a virtual media persona doesn’t differ significantly from their response to influencers who are actually human. 

Duh! This is what I’ve been preaching for years, who cares if your digital boyfriend is real or not — they meet a real need and that’s what counts. Hopefully, this new era of virtual influencers will help remove the stigma that still lingers with having a meaningful relationship solely through digital technology, whether it is AI-driven or not. 

You can learn more about this trend at virtualhumans.org, a platform that tracks the activities of virtual influencers across the globe.

Bonus trend for 2023: Peace, joy and love 

May more marketers awaken to the role they play in shaping a sustainable digital universe where technology and nature not only co-exist but thrive.

And because it’s the holidays, my gift to you, my lovely reader, is this extra special bonus. My most sincere wish for 2023 is that marketers around the world wake up to the fact that we are responsible for creating the world that we are all hoping for. 

We all need to become informed digital citizens, better understanding our relationship to technology and advocating for the well-being, safety and freedom of our audiences in the digital world. 

You can learn more and join me in this mission by reading my manifesto and attending my monthly XR for Marketing and Communications Pub Crawl, which will resume in the new year. In the meantime, happy holidays to all, and to all a good night!

The post Top 10 immersive marketing trends that will grow your grinchy heart in 2023 appeared first on MarTech.

How our digital lives are shaped in the future hinges on the decisions we are making right now, at this moment. We all need to pay close attention to the assumptions, beliefs, judgments and biases we hold when we consider our digital selves and the digital lives of others. 

The online world is not separate from the physical world. Our experiences with the aid of technology impact our psyche in the same way as those that require no technology at all.

Dig deeper: How B2B marketers can leverage the metaverse

As we get closer to building a digital universe, it’s time to pause and reflect on the world we have the potential to build. It’s time to forget what we know, the duality of two worlds — virtual and real — and focus on one enhanced world where technology and nature co-exist.

Building a metaverse that is sustainable for both our planet and our species is not going to be an easy task. It will require radical changes in how we think, feel and behave. It will require radical changes in how we work, communicate and measure value. It will require a new language spoken by pioneers, visionaries and change-makers that are brave enough to face their discomfort and the discomfort of others.

Change on this level is never easy, and we all need to wake up from our trance of self-involvement and embrace our fears, worries and anxieties, transforming them into wisdom, love and courage. 

A framework for building the metaverse

Whether you are a corporate leader, manager, creator, mentor, or student — you have a voice in how the digital universe will unfold. We all are responsible for paying attention, taking action, and advocating for a digital world that allows for “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” 

As a profession, communications and marketing teams owe a responsibility to the public they serve. We must act as advocates for our audiences, ensuring their inalienable rights are honored and respected in these new digital spaces.

We need to shed our old ways of thinking and be open to the new possibilities that these immersive worlds provide. We have been given a powerful set of tools. Are we ready to make the best use of them? 

This manifesto provides a framework for building the metaverse. Each of the three pillars can be applied to how you approach your life and work now. Whether you are responsible for building a metaverse of many or are navigating solo, we each have an essential part to play. 

1. Citizens, not consumers

• The metaverse will be comprised of citizens entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 
• Citizens are entitled to contribute to the making of the rules and regulations that govern the community. 
• Citizens are entitled to protection from a governing body and are granted the rights and privileges of free people.

Calling on the citizen and not the consumer is nothing new. Jonah Sachs has been championing this movement with “empowerment marketing.” This way of thinking is a radical departure from the traditional advertising model. No longer can we treat users like mindless sheep, building experiences based upon company-centric calls to action (or any CTA, for that matter!). 

Empowering your audience to have a say in your work is possible now. No longer can we be mindless sheep, unaware of the digital currency we are giving away to companies who don’t align with our values. Every click, pageview and digital move we make contributes to someone’s bottom line, and it’s our job to educate ourselves and be informed citizens in this new economy. 

Dig deeper: 10 rules for successful metaverse marketing

2. Make meaning not money

• The metaverse will enable citizens to make meaningful connections with the community and each other.
• The metaverse will support a free exchange of ideas and provide citizens with tools to express their views while offering protection against abuse and harm. 
• The metaverse will enact rules and regulations ensuring all citizens’ protection. 

We are all striving for an open and welcoming metaverse, and requires a shift away from the walled gardens that exist today. There is a place for private business within the metaverse, just as there’s a place for your local grocery store or Best Buy.

The metaverse will provide the structure for private businesses to thrive while not limiting access to only those who are shopping. There need to be free and open spaces where anyone can make meaningful connections, express themselves and not be viewed as a commodity. 

3. Provide access to all

• The metaverse will allow anyone access and not limit participation to the privileged few. 
• The metaverse will provide citizens the tools to easily build the world around them and the freedom to pursue what makes them happy. 
• The metaverse will not censor, judge, or impose biases upon citizens but instead, encourage and support all voices and perspectives. 

A thoughtful approach is required to ensure a diverse population can access the tools to build the metaverse. Companies investing in this space need to consider how easy or hard it is to create shared spaces. 

Just as platforms such as WordPress and Wix have democratized the creation of websites, so will there be platforms that democratize building 3D worlds. Investing in open-source solutions will play a vital role in an accessible and inclusive metaverse. 

Dig deeper: Top 3 marketing use cases for the B2B metaverse

Our role in shaping the digital universe

We are on the precipice of a defining moment for our profession and the world at large. Your thoughts, words, and actions matter now more than ever. Take the time to pause and reflect on how you want to show up in the world, the values you want to champion and the role you want to play in shaping our digital universe. 

• How will you interact with these powerful tools? 
• How will you be an informed digital citizen? 
• How will you honor the publics you are responsible for? 
• How are your beliefs, judgments and words limiting the potential of what the metaverse can become? 
• What small changes can you enact today to help make tomorrow’s metaverse? 

The post Manifesto for the makers of the metaverse appeared first on MarTech.

There’s a plethora of emerging technologies, along with daily news updates about these immersive technologies’ promise and potential downside. Although much hype surrounds gaming and consumer-focused virtual spaces like Fortnite and Meta’s Horizon Worlds, a large portion of that $13 trillion pie will be dedicated to business communications. 

B2B marketers can no longer dismiss virtual worlds and immersive technology as tactics solely dedicated to consumer campaigns. Business marketers are embracing these technologies and successfully and strategically deploying them to hit KPIs. 

“How?” you might ask. Keep reading as I provide an overview of the metaverse from a business communications perspective and call out the best use cases being done today. 

Dig deeper: How B2B marketers can leverage the metaverse

Follow the money

To get to the heart of what enterprise B2B marketers need to care about when it comes to the metaverse, we need to follow the money. Looking at who is investing in immersive technologies will help us predict the industry’s future. 

Coinscapture listed the following as the top three companies investing big in the metaverse:

• Microsoft.
• Meta (Facebook).
• Google.

Developer Updates identified the top five players building the metaverse as:

• Microsoft.
• Epic Games. 
• Meta (Facebook).
• Nvidia.
• Google. 

A few thoughts come to mind as I contemplate these lists from a B2B marketing perspective. Although building an immersive workplace solution, Meta will never succeed in the enterprise space. They are one of the least trusted companies out there today, and I can’t see any enterprise wanting to risk the trust of their employees, partners, and customers. As for Epic Games, they are building immersive experiences at scale, reaching billions of consumers. However, their core demographic is younger and not well-suited for the typical B2B campaign. 

So that leaves us with Google and Microsoft. Google has been relatively quiet regarding their efforts to leverage immersive technologies after they attempted launching Google Glass and Google Lively. (Any other geeks out there remember that project?) 

On the other hand, Microsoft has been loud and proud with many announcements outlining how they are building the immersive workplace of the future. Their latest product offering, Microsoft Mesh, promises to combine Microsoft Teams, the enterprise-preferred communications and collaboration platform, with immersive capabilities like attending meetings as your avatar and easily collaborating in a metaverse-like environment. 

I predict that there will be some new announcements about Microsoft Mesh this October during their flagship developer conference, Ignite, and I can’t wait!

In the meantime, I have found three primary areas where immersive technology is effectively helping B2B marketing teams. 

3 of the best use cases for the B2B metaverse

1. Events, events, events

Events have been a mainstay in B2B teams’ marketing mix. Despite the global pandemic, this will not change. Post-COVID events need to be hybrid and include both in-person and online options to meet the demands of attendees with varying levels of comfort with travel. 

Enterprise travel budgets have never been tighter, and justifying an in-person conference experience has become more challenging. Coupled with the need to provide a hybrid experience, those opting to stay home need to be presented with something more engaging than the typical 2D conference experience. This new dynamic creates many challenges for the event marketer that immersive technology can help tackle. If you’re looking for tips on leveraging XR and immersive technology for your next event, check out my post, 10 Things to Consider When Using XR for Your Event. 

Many new enterprise-ready, immersive event platforms and technologies have been developed with new players entering the field almost every day. One promising start-up, TouchCast, has built an interactive 2.5D enterprise event solution that integrates with Microsoft Teams. They are building an impressive list of partners such as Microsoft, Accenture and Nvidia and are one of the first to offer “Metaverse-as-a-Service.” To see their platform in action and to access some compelling keynote presentations on the future of the metaverse, visit the on-demand version of their Metaverse Summit. 

According to Ricky Houck, TouchCast’s senior enterprise strategist:

“There’s already so much technology being underutilized by enterprise companies. We can build off the innovation from 3D world building for gaming and entertainment, expanding their use cases into virtual events, sales, training, and many other B2B use cases.” 

2. Learning, education and training

And speaking of training, there’s quite a bit of education that must go into most B2B campaigns. Potential buying committees need to understand extremely complex products and services fully. Post-purchase, they need to know how to use the product. Here, customer success and sales enablement teams lean heavily on training materials to help with upsell opportunities. 

Research has proven that immersive technology can help improve learning outcomes and information recall. A study by the University of Maryland concluded that people remember information better if it is presented in a virtual environment. Global IT firm Accenture has capitalized on this trend by creating an immersive office space they have dubbed The Nth Floor. 

One of the first examples of the promise of Microsoft Mesh, The Nth Floor, integrates with Microsoft Teams to allow Accenture employees to seamlessly create avatars, visit virtual 3D locations and collaborate in a virtual environment. The company has successfully used the virtual office for onboarding more than 150,000 employees and is excited about the outcome. Jason Warnke, Senior Managing Director, Global IT and Digital Experiences Lead at Accenture shared in a recent blog post: 

“We found that a majority of learners (70%) forgot training content within 24 hours and virtually all (90%) forgot after a month. Interestingly, a study also found immersive VR instruction offered a path to achieve 33% higher learning retention when compared to video.” 

Currently, The Nth Floor is limited to Accenture employees only. However, I did find an employee video of the experience shared on YouTube.

It clearly is built using Microsoft’s AltSpace platform and sheds light on a future where anyone using Microsoft Teams will also have easy access to AltSpace. 

Dig deeper: 10 rules for successful metaverse marketing

3. Mind-blowing networking

With fewer business prospects traveling, building relationships virtually becomes essential. Connecting on an emotional level over standard video conferencing is really hard. There are those awkward silences, the moments when you’re talking over each other and that awful feeling of watching yourself on video. 

Immersive tech can save the day by providing tools that help promote connection like a shared 3D environment, avatars that can facilitate self-expression, and opportunities to have fun!

One of the best virtual networking events I attended was iHeart Media’s virtual Billie Eilish concert in conjunction with CES. The iHeart team went all out and provided a stellar live-streamed broadcast that included Ryan Seacrest, Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish. 

Instead of just holding a more traditional 2D broadcast, they leveraged the 3D platform from Vatom to provide an immersive experience for hundreds of invited VIP guests. This business event targeted iHeart media’s big advertisers and top branding executives and brought the fun while at the same time enabling true networking to take place. 

Instead of an anonymous, graphics-heavy avatar, the platform overlaid live webcam video of each attendee. This allowed me to instantly recognize other attendees and colleagues and engage in conversation without wondering who I was chatting with. It also saved me the time of customizing an avatar and made entering the 3D venue frictionless. 

Where to start

These three areas are great places to begin your metaverse marketing journey. Robust educational opportunities and active communities are cropping up around the globe to help support innovative marketers looking to produce breakthrough campaigns and communications. I teach XR for communications at the University of Oregon, and they offer a Master’s Degree in Immersive Strategic Communications. 

You can also attend industry conferences that house the latest information on new marketing technologies, like The MarTech Conference this month. On Thursday, September 29, I’ll be presenting How marketers can make sense of the metaverse alongside fellow MarTech contributor Tim Parkin and MarTech editor Chris Wood. It’s sure to be a lively discussion, and I hope you can join us.

There are also more informal interest groups, like my monthly XR Pub Crawl for Marketing and Comms professionals where we explore the latest immersive platforms and examine them through the lens of marketing and communications. 

Finally, if you need specialized help building an immersive strategy, experienced consultants are just waiting to roll up their sleeves. 

The post Top 3 marketing use cases for the B2B metaverse appeared first on MarTech.

It was a great question.

My answer to her also sums up why you should care about this article. Finding examples of campaigns that can be evaluated based upon performance metrics can be a great way to reduce the risk and anxiety around trying innovative tactics. “Imitate until you can innovate” isn’t a bad mantra and there’s no shame in copying something that has worked. 

A balance between leveraging previous success and pioneering new tactics

Of course, solely relying on previous campaign data to select your tactics can be an innovation killer — so it’s important to find a balance between leveraging previous campaign examples and pioneering new technology and tactics. You may not find examples on this list that are directly relevant to your work, however I hope you do find inspiration for innovative ways to engage and communicate with your audiences. 

These ten examples were sourced from my XR (extended reality) students, XR colleagues, XR faculty at the University of Oregon’s Strategic Communications immersive media program and my own personal research and work. I hope they will help demonstrate effective uses of immersive technologies to engage with and connect users around the globe. If you’re looking for an active group of XR communicators, try joining my monthly XR Pub Crawl, where we explore online worlds and immersive technologies used for marketing and communications. Previous pub crawls can be found on Twitch.tv/lisapeyton and our upcoming event can be found on LinkedIn. 

Click on the links below each example to immerse yourself in the experience.

1. Breonna’s Garden

Why I like it. The Breonna’s Garden app is a perfect example of the magic that can come of a mixed reality experience. The virtual, living memorial for Breonna Taylor leverages many different types of 3D assets, 2D video and augmented reality to allow users to pay tribute to and celebrate Breonna’s life. The app features video footage of Breonna and her family along with a 3D hologram of Breonna’s sister and a 3D rendering of Breonna herself. 

The app brings to life a real-world garden and allows anyone, anywhere to join in the community, leave their own personal message and step into a wonderous, virtual flower garden in their own home. 

Technology used. AR, 2D video, holograms, and 3D avatar.

Immerse yourselves. https://breonnasgarden.com/

Dig deeper: 10 rules for successful metaverse marketing

2. Gatorade’s “Beat the Blitz”

Why I like it. “Beat the Blitz” uses high-end virtual reality to simulate what it feels like when a player gets dehydrated. It combines gamification, headset-based, immersive VR, and a 3D hologram of Peyton Manning to simulate getting dehydrated on the field and its impact on performance. Part educational tool and part VR game, Gatorade has done an outstanding job of building an experience not about the product but about their grand gift – hydration. They also crafted this experience with their target audience in-mind, recruiting an industry icon and using actual arm movement to simulate skills that players can relate to. 

Technology used. Head-set VR, 3D virtual content, holograms

Immerse yourselves. https://store.steampowered.com/app/748420/Beat_the_Blitz/

3. 2022 Oscars 5G portal

Why I like it. Streaming behind-the-scenes footage from the Oscars is nothing new, but this year Verizon used some innovative targeting techniques to create serious FOMO among those not yet armed with 5G. The live-streaming, immersive red-carpet experience used Verizon 5G to provide users access to several different 360-degree cameras placed on or around the red carpet. Viewers could choose the camera view they were interested in and get a real-time, interactive view of all the action. 

Verizon customers Googling the “Oscars” were strategically targeted to experience the AR portal through a web-based link, however if the link was shared with someone who didn’t have 5G – the experience wouldn’t provide both audio and video, creating a sense of missing out.  Wanting to make sure you can keep up with the latest online conversations about celebrities might just be a good enough reason to upgrade your phone. Or so Verizon hopes is the case. 

Technology used. Web-based AR, 360-degree live-streaming video

Immerse yourselves. https://blog.insta360.com/oscars-2022-360-live-streaming-from-the-red-carpet-backstage-more/

4. Pepsi’s The Weeknd Super Bowl half-time experience

Why I like it. Pepsi partnered with The Weeknd to create an easy-to-use, AR portal that could be accessed using a simple QR code — no download required. The seamless experience from soda can or digital signage to the AR portal made this experience a true touchdown. The portal allowed the user to enter an immersive world of exclusive The Weeknd video clips and experience their halftime performance via 360-degree video filmed from the front row. The interactivity and immersion of walking into an AR portal helped to improve upon the traditional 2D halftime show, in my opinion. 

Technology used. Web-based AR, 360-degree video, QR code

Immerse yourselves. https://www.8thwall.com/aircards/pepsi-halftime

5. Intel’s Microsoft Build AR experience

Why I like it. One of the few B2B examples on my list, Microsoft and Intel partnered to create a fun and playful AR experience for their developer audience. I was fortunate enough to work on this project, full disclaimer, so I’m a bit biased but also had an insider’s view of the project from start to finish. 

The biggest win for this campaign was piloting a mobile-based technology like AR for what has in the past been solely focused on desktop assets like blog posts, solution briefs and YouTube tutorials. These more traditional assets are extremely important when engaging with coders and developers who are focused on business solutions, however building awareness for these solutions doesn’t have to be ho-hum. Developers (in fact all of us!) love to be hands-on and prefer interactive experiences where they can help control and interact with the story. AR allows this type of interactivity and immersion along with helping to simulate complex, technical solutions. 

Technology used. Web-based AR, 3D scalable content, QR code

Immerse yourselves. https://build.rpr.to/

6. Chevron

Why I like it. The second B2B campaign on this list may surprise you, as it was built by a more traditional brand — Chevron. Chevron has been at the forefront of using immersive technology to engage its high-stake audiences like policy makers, Chevron executives, partners, and customers. One of the brands first attempts at immersive storytelling was their VR experience simulating life onboard an oil rig. The high-end, headset enabled experience used 360-degree video, 3D content and spatial audio to recreate the working conditions of one of the most dangerous places on earth. The experience rolled out to Chevron rig employees’ friends and families, allowing them to see where their loved ones worked for the first time. 

On the heels of this experience, Chevron crafted an AR campaign to be featured at the World Oil and Gas Conference in Washington, DC. Once again, they wanted to leverage innovative storytelling techniques to engage conference attendees in new ways. Instead of using VR, which would force attendees to wear a headset, they opted to use iPad Pros to display AR digital content. The experience featured their newest facility on an isolated island and told the story of conservation and innovation within the oil and gas industry. The experience also featured several rare wildlife species only found on the island, brought to life through animated AR, 3D content. 

Technology used. VR, AR, 360-degree video, animated 3D content

Immerse yourselves. https://martech.org/chevron-storytelling-uses-purposeful-immersive-experiences-to-engage-stakeholders/

7. The New York Times’ AR mask experience

Why I like it. The Times is no stranger to immersive journalism, and they have been at the forefront of leveraging AR and VR for education. The mask experience does an excellent job of educating users on why masks work. By taking the viewer inside the fibers that create the masks materials and simulating the activities of Covid molecules, it becomes apparent how masks trap and block the virus.

This is a great example of taking a user someplace they could never go in real life and visualizing something they could never see with the naked eye. 

Technology used. AR, 3D content

Immerse yourselves. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/10/30/science/wear-mask-covid-particles-ul.html

8. Jaguar and Gorillaz

Why I like it. Jaguar crafted a unique, immersive experience for one of their hardest to reach target audiences – top engineering talent. As many companies are moving toward becoming technology providers finding employees who can develop digital platforms and help digitize services has become challenging. To reach this group, Jaguar partnered with the popular band, Gorillaz, to craft a fully immersive world where coders and developers could participate in a challenge that would fast-track the most talented developers into Jaguar’s talent pool. 

Using the Gorillaz already popular mixed-reality app meant the campaign had a built-in captive audience and allowed Jaguar to focus on crafting a mind-blowing experience instead of acquiring new users. Since this campaign launched, Jaguar has continued to use innovative tactics to build an ongoing relationship with developers as they have recently announced a new coders academy that builds upon the initial approach of this campaign. 

Technology used. Mixed-reality, alternate reality game, influencer, and celebrity endorsements

Immerse yourselves. https://media.jaguar.com/news/2017/06/jaguar-land-rover-and-gorillaz-seek-new-engineering-talent-alternate-reality?q=&start=0&brand=jaguar

9. Ally Bank AR Monopoly

Why I like it. This fun and engaging campaign brought together several immersive technologies and a popular game that was sure to spark some nostalgia in its target audience. Ally Bank was hoping to get new customers and raise brand awareness in several key markets, so they crafted an AR-based scavenger hunt. 

Placing signs with the campaign QR code around popular urban locations, users could scan the code to experience entertaining AR content and enter to win cash prizes. Publicity campaigns like the one shown above that featured a real-life Mr. Monopoly helped to drive the buzz around the contest and build awareness among the target audience. 

Leveraging a game that is all about money helped to make this campaign feel in keeping with Ally Bank while at the same time evoking a sense of fun and taking users back to their childhood. While these types of scavenger hunts are becoming more popular, Ally was among one of the first to use this type of experience to try and promote business services. 

Technology used. QR codes, AR

Immerse yourselves. https://www.8thwall.com/blog/post/52535533666/ally-bank-transforms-cities-into-a-live-monopoly-game

10. The Stanford ocean acidification experience

Why I like it. Stanford needed a way to promote its latest research findings and make people care about preserving the planet. Realizing that children are our future, they built a VR game that helped to engage younger audiences and educate them on the plight of our planet. 

The experience is built using headset enabled VR and a gaming framework that uses game mechanics to incite users to go on a journey under the sea. Instead of a snooze-worthy, education video, Stanford opted to create a game that would use various types of tactile, strategic, and sensory immersion to help keep users engaged along with improving content recall. They understood you learn better when your brain is activated by playing instead of reading. This fan-created video demonstrates what it’s like to “play” this educational game and proves they are engaging a younger audience. 

Technology used. Game mechanics, VR

Immerse yourselves. https://stanfordvr.com/soae/

The post The top 10 immersive campaigns to learn from appeared first on MarTech.

He gave us the grand tour, which included a cozy and scattered live/work area and what looked like a full-blown production studio. Despres had been making some remarkably interesting mixed media content, and I was eager to understand his creative process. Before I had the chance to get into any probing questions, he kindly explained it was well past his bedtime, and he had an early morning. I checked my watch, and it was only 7 p.m., and then, as if on cue, Despres was gone. He had logged off.

Yes, this was a virtual meeting, but I remember it as if it were yesterday. The oldest and arguably most successful virtual world or metaverse Second Life (SL) had been our first meeting place. The platform allowed me to meet and chat with someone who lived across the globe, in a different time zone, while feeling like he lived right down the street.

Despres and I — or Bernhard Drax as he is known outside of SL — met several times after that first fateful meeting. He was a regular content contributor to the publication I founded almost 15 years ago, SLentrepreneur, dedicated to “making money in the metaverse.” For years, I managed a global team of writers, photographers and editors, all within the virtual world of SL. I knew immediately that the platform offered something extraordinary. However, it would be over a decade later before anyone in my profession would start taking the metaverse seriously.

Despres has been heavily involved with virtual spaces for almost twenty years and has become my go-to for all things related to building and engaging virtual communities. Despres and I eventually met several times in person and became fast friends. I interviewed him while he was attending Augmented World Expo in San Jose, and we presented together at AWE Europe in Munich. It was a HUGE highlight of that trip to explore Despres’ home city of Munich together, IRL or “in real life.”

I recently asked him to share his knowledge with my XR students at the University of Oregon. What follows are the top ten insights from our lively discussion. You can view the entire interview on my Twitch channel and several other XR-themed expert interviews.

Ten rules of the road for metaverse marketing

1. Understand the true potential of the platform

The term metaverse has been around for a long time and only recently has been co-opted by companies claiming that they have built or are building a metaverse. A true metaverse does not exist. It is a purely aspirational concept that would allow for an open, connected and interoperable network of virtual environments dedicated to social interaction. The metaverse is meant to be like a 3D Internet, where you can digitally move from virtual environment to virtual environment.

Each environment could have a different set of rules, different “owners,” different citizens — similar to different countries if you like – with underlying infrastructure that allows for seamless travel between these virtual worlds. That infrastructure needs to be decentralized and ideally open-sourced so that nobody is left behind and one company doesn’t monopolize our digital universe. A recent Fast Company article discusses this concept and highlights OpenSim or OpenSimulator, an open-sourced network of virtual worlds created in 2007.  

2. Understand the technology and the terminology

It is essential to understand the technology and terminology of virtual platforms. Virtual worlds and the metaverse are different. I would argue that the metaverse is an open and interoperable network of virtual worlds or environments. A “virtual world” is a digital space where you can spend time together and do nothing – you don’t need to play a game, for example – and no headset is required. Accessible 3D virtual spaces that users can access on a tablet, smartphone or laptop offer the same immersion and interaction as headsets or VR-based virtual worlds.

The media uses the term metaverse as a synonym for all the offerings in a virtual space, and often the term is associated with headset-based experiences. Meta, Apple, Microsoft, and anyone else who claims they have built a metaverse, has instead created a privately held, virtual world. These companies, of course, want you and everyone else to believe that they own the metaverse, thereby monetizing the data of its users and potentially monopolizing revenue from the required software to access the space.

3. Get smart on the benefits of immersion

There has been much research on the benefits of using virtual spaces to connect with and engage users. Virtual spaces improve recall of information, provide a greater sense of embodiment and presence, allow for greater interaction and agency, and help limit distractions. There are many different types of immersion: Strategic, tactile, sensory, narrative, spatial and virtual environments can help marketers and comms professionals leverage them all, making their experiences more interactive and less passive.

4. Refer to your audience as residents or citizens instead of users

Using the term “resident,” or “citizen” for virtual world users indicates they have a stake within that community and moves them into an active role instead of a passive one. This tenant reminds me of the great work done by Jonah Sachs and what he terms “empowerment marketing.” One of the tactics of empowerment marketing — forget the consumer and call on the citizen — reminds us that inspired citizens make better brand evangelists than helpless consumers. You can read more about Sach’s empowerment marketing in this great series of articles featuring his work.

5. Understand the differences between consumption devices

Just like you need to become familiar with a new social media platform before launching a campaign on the platform, you need to understand how your audience is consuming the virtual world. Within the splintered virtual world ecosystem, different virtual communities and platforms are consumed through a variety of different devices like smartphones, tablets, PCs, Mac computers, tethered headset devices like the Rift, tetherless headset devices like the Oculus Quest, mixed media devices like Microsoft’s Hololens and mobile VR devices like Google Cardboard.

This is one of the reasons building an interoperable network of virtual worlds is so daunting. There currently is not a set standard method of consuming these immersive environments. Each virtual world has been built to support very specific hardware, so understanding these requirements is essential before diving in.

6. Speak their language

Become familiar with the thriving virtual environments that exist today. Each virtual world requires a different avatar, language, etiquette, etc. If you are building a marketing plan for a virtual space – you need to understand as much as you can about the residents. Some great questions to ask include: What are the demographics of residents? Why are they on the platform? What role or need does the platform play in the life of the resident? What is the unique language of the platform? What are the community norms, rules and regulations?

7. Location, location, location!

Any good marketer understands you need to GO TO your audience, and tapping into an already thriving and active community is much cheaper than building one from scratch. When choosing a location or platform for your virtual experience, a strategic approach is required. The platform you choose can mean the difference between success and failure and should depend on your overall marketing goals and objectives and your target audience. Factors to consider: Who is spending time on the platform, how are people spending their time on the platform, and what is the cost (money/time) to spend time on the platform?

8. Use the design thinking process

Approaching your virtual world or metaverse strategy from a design thinking perspective is essential to make sure you are solving a real problem for the user. Leverage the tenets of design thinking:

1) Empathize with your target audience.

2) Define the problem statement.

3) Ideate.

4) Prototype.

5) Test.

This allows brands to understand residents’ core concerns better and ensure they are using technology to provide solutions rather than just sizzle. Big brands can succeed in virtual spaces if they respect the residents and design for their needs, not focus solely on the brand objectives.

9. Prioritizing short-term economic gains sacrifices resident experience

Today’s economic climate forces companies of all sizes to continually prove value to investors, with a quick ROI becoming the focal point to succeed. Therefore, it is no wonder that technology companies use short-term tactics to get their user numbers UP at the cost of longer-term considerations for the residents/users. It IS possible to build a lucrative, online platform without selling user data and force-feeding advertising down users’ throats.

For example, SL has slowly but steadily grown over the last decade because it is a freemium or subscription-based model. They rent virtual space to their residents, and the resident can do with it what they want. This business model allows SL not to sell resident data to advertisers. Linden Lab, the creator of SL, also gets about a 9% transaction fee for all virtual goods sold by users on the platform. Philip Rosedale, the founder of SL and an outspoken leader in the virtual world space, positions SL as a place where you can have digital sovereignty. Isn’t that refreshing? Rosedale has rejoined Linden Lab’s board of directors in hopes of providing a viable alternative to Meta’s (Facebook’s) virtual environment, where they are purportedly planning to charge over 40% for transaction fees while at the same time making billions from offering user data to advertisers.

10. Join an active community of virtual world explorers and pioneers

Trying to become familiar with all the virtual environments can be daunting, if not downright impossible. It is much more enjoyable to explore these worlds with natives, who speak the language and can help you learn the customs quickly. Several great communities bring together professionals looking to expand their knowledge in this space. I am involved with the VRAR Association, Augmented World Expo, Despres SL Life Book Club, and I host my own XR Pub Crawl. You can read the highlights from my last XR Pub Crawl with Billie Goldman in this recent post or register to join me LIVE on my birthday, where we’ll explore the latest virtual spaces being used for marketing and communications.

If you’re looking to get additional training on marketing in the metaverse, read my post “Become a Metaverse Marketing Maven,” where I outline some great online resources to help you flex your metaverse muscle. Remember, as I always tell my communications students, with XR and immersive media, we are only limited by our imagination. Together we can build something that will inspire, engage and immerse our digital citizens and communities!  

The post 10 rules for successful metaverse marketing appeared first on MarTech.

I recently moved away from a city where I had lived for over 20 years. I think I felt it would be no different than when I went off to college, easily adapting to my new life and easily making new friends. However, moving when you’re 20 and moving when you’re 50 are radically different things and I have been looking for creative ways to connect with the close friends and colleagues I left behind.

Zoom fatigue is real

Because of the past several years, I have been wary of Zoom calls with friends, and I searched for a new, fresh way to connect. Enter XR – extended reality – where avatar-based platforms can help make you feel more connected and provide a much richer experience. Why not try some of the platforms I’ve been writing about over the years to help me maintain my closest friendships and professional connections?

 With that goal in mind, along with offering up XR newbies an excuse to join in the fun and learn about the newest immersive platforms, I created the XR Marketing Pub Crawl. An immersive, virtual technology hang-out session that makes various stops in business-focused immersive and virtual spaces. Along the way, we chat about what we’re experiencing and share our thoughts on this emerging field of interactive marketing.

In my first-ever XR pub crawl, I invited my dear friend and mentor, Billie Goldman, to join me. We not only had a BLAST exploring, but we also discussed how businesses were (or weren’t!) currently leveraging immersive technology for events and marketing. A 25-year Intel veteran, Billie shared her perspective on why the enterprise has been slower to adopt these immersive virtual spaces. Highlights and the full-length version of our time together are available on Twitch.tv/lisapeyton. If you’re eager to learn more about XR for marketing, check out my latest post on the topic, Become a Metaverse Marketing Maven.

The top ten considerations for XR and events

1. Accessibility: For business, the quality of the 3D content within the immersive space isn’t as important as accessibility and ease of use. The learning curve for professionals accessing immersive platforms is still a blocker to mass adoption. You DON’T need a headset for immersive experiences and events. 3D spaces that offer interaction and ‘choose your own adventure ‘capabilities can be accessed today via laptops, smartphones or tablets.
2. Relevance: There must be a compelling reason for the user to enter the immersive space. The pay-off must be worth the lift! These new immersive spaces need to create compelling ways to get new users to the table, including a free and open immersive campus with relevant events. The smartest platforms are holding their own events within the platform with exciting speakers and exclusive content for their target profiles.
3. Value: Done right, immersive can extend the life of an in-person event. Leveraging the big budgets that go into event planning and content towards a rolling thunder approach that includes evergreen digital touchpoints. Businesses need to continue to move toward an always-on, evergreen, relationship-building approach to their audiences and communities. Siloed event activations and campaigns ignore the new normal of 24/7 access to information, communications, and the new user journey of prospects.
4. Scale: Size of your event matters – immersive can scale. However, capabilities such as spatial audio and room mirroring will be needed to accommodate large-scale events.
5. Security: Many immersive platforms based upon Web-based 3D can live behind enterprise firewalls and support security protocols. This is a key question to ask when vetting any platform if security is a concern.
6. Usability: Immersive spaces need to allow for quick access to information. Platforms that require avatars to walk around 3D spaces can create friction and, therefore, be a barrier to professional adoption. Easy teleporting, running and flying need to be intuitive and help users rapidly find what they need. Enterprise still struggles with avatars, preferring a hyper-realistic approach instead of a more creative or expressive avatar.
7. Engagement: These spaces will never feel as comfortable as a real-world conversation, but immersive spaces can offer something better than Zoom or other standard video conferencing. Immersive spaces can be a great way to enhance (not replace) a more traditional 2D event platform, allowing for more interactive networking, collaboration and connection. Immersive spaces are perfect for gamification and can increase attendee engagement by creating easter eggs, scavenger hunts, leaderboards, contests and giveaways. Enterprise virtual events, even post-covid, aren’t doing a good job engaging online users. Virtual event engagement is still a very big issue.
8. Personalization: Immersive spaces lend themselves to the effective use of AI and chatbots, easily creating avatars that complete simple tasks like answering user questions and providing a more directed and intuitive experience. This enables the event organizer to provide a more personal experience and address simple user questions 24/7 without around-the-clock live support.
9. Customization: Immersive platforms have a robust array of customization options for self-representation, including fully customizable avatars, video display or both. It’s not ‘either or’ when choosing between an avatar or a live webcam shot of the user. You can creatively leverage both, as immersive spaces can combine the sense of presence and embodiment of having an avatar sitting within a virtual space and at the same time livestream in the webcam of the user on a screen within the space.
10. Deployment: The needs of SMB and enterprise events and event attendees are different and require a customized approach to attendee engagement. Immersive event technology and spaces offer many different capabilities, environments and experiences depending upon the method of consumption. The best immersive platforms allow the event organizer to determine how much interaction and customization is offered to attendees. Understanding the profile of your event attendee should drive the immersive strategy, ensuring that it’s set up to support their comfortability with the technology. Suppose you’re looking for white-glove service for your immersive event. In that case, it’s essential to hire a third-party event consultant or agency who can interface with the 3D platform, understands the challenges of the enterprise and understands immersive tech.

Join us in the Metaverse on Cinco de Mayo

Are you interested in joining the XR Marketing Pub Crawl? On May 5^th at 5 p.m. PT, we’ll be exploring the hottest trends and newest technologies and visiting accessible 3D spaces through the lens of marketing and communications. Learn more and register for this interactive webinar. We’d LOVE to see you.  

The post 10 things to consider when using XR for your event appeared first on MarTech.

According to Statista.com, there are already 1 billion active AR users worldwide, and the number will almost double by 2024. As marketers continue to break through the noise facing consumers 24/7, understanding and embracing new immersive technologies can be an effective way to engage and delight audiences.

Everyone responsible for communicating with and engaging audiences needs a baseline understanding of these new tools. From the CMO to the marketing manager to the content creator, the first step is to know the difference between AR, VR, XR (extended reality), and the communications capabilities provided by each flavor of this new immersive media.

Online training options for marketers

Most of the training provided today is focused on developing immersive content and is not relevant for marketers and strategists looking to leverage this technology for their campaigns. However, this is shifting as more brand marketing teams embrace immersive tactics. I have scoured the internet and curated my top picks for marketing-focused immersive technology courses to provide a baseline understanding of the technology. This list is by no means comprehensive but a great place to start your knowledge of these new forms of communication.

AWE Academy Web AR Workshop: Learn how to produce successful marketing campaigns

• Cost: $99.
• Time Required: 6 hours split into two live sessions over two days.
• Topics Covered: Accessible or web-based AR, platform overview, business goals, channel strategy, campaign mechanics and real-world use cases.

Built-in partnership with Augmented World Expo, this web AR workshop focuses on practical tools to help marketers build effective AR campaigns. The course materials were designed and presented by Patrick Johnson, CEO and founder of the global AR agency, Rock Paper Reality. The benefits of this type of live, synchronous, online course are that each session will have the most up-to-date information. The experts tapped to share their knowledge are available in real-time to answer questions and cater the content to those attending.

According to Johnson, many marketers see astounding results when effectively employing web-based AR, “In some instances, marketers are seeing AR outperform the benchmark by 95x, a 70% increase in brand retention, and a 4x increase in online purchases. AR is now a tool, not a toy. It drives real value for marketers, advertisers, and their customers.”

Johnson recommends this course for brands and product managers, marketers, advertisers, technology enthusiasts, and anyone who wants to learn web-based augmented reality for marketing advertising and tell stories more compellingly.

Creative Communication Beyond VR and AR on Futurelearn.com

• Cost: 7-day free trial, $39 monthly.
• Time Required: Self-paced, 12 hours.
• Topics Covered: XR, AR, VR, the metaverse, key strategic principles, designing for the metaverse, planning, and delivering strategic communications leveraging emerging technologies.

Designed by Derek Yates and Matt Wade out of Ravensbourne University in London, this self-paced, online course caters explicitly to marketing and communications professionals. The course is split into three sections that cover 1) XR Now – the current uses of immersive within marketing and communications 2) XR and MB Lab – moving from concept to creation and 3) XR and the metaverse.

This specific course on XR technology is part of a four-part ‘expert track’ called Creative Strategy for Emerging Digital Media that also includes additional recommended courses on brand strategy, designing for social media and creative strategies for influencer marketing. The series is quite cost-effective as you can access the entire track for just $39 bucks per month.

“Essentially, if you create content or commission content that needs to engage in the landscape of digital communication, this course will enhance your ability to do this successfully,” says Yates. “We offer inside information from some of the best people in the business that will help you establish the right mindset to plan & deliver communication that utilizes emerging platforms with coherence and purpose.” Yates also shared a link to the video interviews he features in the training; these can be found on Vimeo.

Dig deeper: Marketers – The metaverse is coming

LinkedIn Learning: Augmented Reality Marketing with Cathy Hackl

• Cost: $29.99 monthly subscription to LinkedIn Learning.
• Time Required: Less than 1 hour.
• Topics Covered: AR overview, planning AR campaign, designing AR campaign, identifying and defining metrics.

This short introductory course is a perfect place to learn about AR marketing. Author of “The Augmented Workforce” and “Marketing New Realities,” Cathy Hackl walks the viewer through the steps of planning an AR campaign and provides the framework to move from concept to execution. Upon finishing this course, you will get a certificate of completion and a downloadable folder with helpful worksheets.

“Even though AR has been around for quite some time now, it can still be viewed as relatively new for marketing tactics,” explains Hackl. “This course was designed to be a high-level course for marketing executives worldwide to get their head around AR, understanding the technology and the benefits they can get from it.”

Additional immersive marketing resources

Apart from these online courses, there are many other great resources where marketers can get up to speed on immersive technology. Live or virtual events are a great opportunity to learn from experts in the industry and network with other pioneering marketers looking to leverage this technology. Just search for “immersive marketing events” to get some suggestions. My favorites include Augmented World Expo, Advertising Week, Mobile World Congress, and SXSW, to name a few.

There are also online publications and groups like AR Insider, VRAR Association, and even mainstream outlets like Adweek and Martech.org that house articles, talks, research and opportunities to connect with experts in this field. Cathy Hackl hosts a podcast in partnership with Adweek called The metaverse Marketing Podcast that would be worth checking out.  

Masters in immersive marketing?

And for a much deeper dive, there are several certification and degree programs targeted at communications and marketing professionals looking to up their game in this arena. Along with many other tech-savvy marketing professors, I am hurriedly crafting new courses at universities across the country that focus on immersive technology and communications. Many of these programs will be offered remotely with online and hybrid options. Feel free to hit me up with any questions on these programs by connecting on LinkedIn.

I’m sure it comes as no surprise that I’m a HUGE fan of leveraging immersive technologies for communications. Since my first foray with Second Life’s 3D virtual world – YES, I was an SL power user in 2009! – I understood the immense power these tools have to create communities and engage online audiences. I’ve been championing these digital channels ever since and am so excited that its time has finally come. Now get smart on the technology, if you aren’t already and remember with immersive, we’re only limited by our imagination!

The post Become a metaverse marketing maven appeared first on MarTech.