Table of Contents for Metaverse for Brands (Opportunities & Benefits):
- Metaverse - what is it about?
- What is the vision of the Metaverse?
- Brands in the metaverse - is that possible?
- Which brands are already in the Metaverse?
- Why the metaverse is already ubiquitous for companies
- How do I register my brand in the Metaverse?
- Conclusion Metaverse: A real opportunity for your brand
- FAQ about Metaverse
Everyone is talking about the metaverse - but what is it actually? And above all: What does it have to do with brands? Is there any way to take advantage of this new trend? We at Danthree Studio deal with brands in the metaverse and want to bring you closer to the topic of metaverse.
Metaverse - what is it actually about?
This term has been a recurring theme in the tech scene for some time now. Mark Zuckerberg's name is closely associated with it. However, he did not invent the metaverse and in fact other company bosses in Silicon Valley also see the future of their companies in this mysterious virtual world.
The story really took off in April 2021, when Epic Games (makers of Fortnite, among others) announced a financing round worth one billion US dollars. The money was to be used to turn the company's vision into a kind of digital reality.
Just a few months later, Mark Zuckerberg made an announcement to investors that the corporate complex behind Facebook and Co. would become a "metaverse" company in future. Satya Nadella, head of Microsoft, followed suit and announced that Microsoft would also create a metaverse.
The science fiction novel "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson used the term "metaverse" for the first time. The novel was published in 1991, and the term describes a form of global virtual reality. People enter this reality as avatars. Stephenson's novel also has a dystopian feel, combining digital and steampunk themes and painting an unpleasant future full of social problems.
However, the Metaverse can also be compared to today's massively multiplayer online role-playing games. Subtract the game idea, high scores and set goals, and there you are. Daniel Suarez, thriller writer, took up the theme in his 2004 novel "Daemon", which is also about a kind of digital reality in which people meet, live, live and do business.
Suarez calls the digital space "D-space". In it, an artificial intelligence, grown from unixoid operating systems, intervenes in people's reality. Of course it ends badly - it's a thriller.
What is the vision of the Metaverse?
Basically, this vision of a meta-universe is not so different from today's Internet. Matthew Ball clearly defines the rules of the meta-universe in an essay in 2020. He writes:
- The metaverse continues to run, it can neither be ended nor paused.
- Everything is live, it takes place in real time.
- There are no upper limits for the number of participants.
- There is a separate economy, companies and individuals interact just like in the real world. This also includes paid work, which is remunerated in this digital space using a currency that is valid here.
- The metaverse encompasses both the digital and physical worlds, but also offers closed platforms.
- Digital objects such as items from video games can be exchanged and thus used outside of their original context.
This new space should therefore encompass even more areas of our daily lives than today's Internet. One of Ball's expectations is that the "new Internet", with its expanded possibilities, would generate even more revenue than the Internet already does today.
And this is where companies come into play: the 10 most valuable public limited companies in the world today are leading internet companies. Those who invest early in the metaverse are likely to come out on top in the future. Zuckerberg, Sweeney and the other tech bosses therefore felt compelled by Ball's predictions to invest as early as possible.
Brands in the metaverse - is that possible?
Yes, there is quite a lot going on. For example, t3n reported on December 1, 2021 that the company Republic Realm had acquired a plot of land in the metaverse of "The Sandbox" for 4.3 million US dollars.
You have to let that melt in your mouth: This plot of land is a digital construct, basically a few (very many) lines of code and many, many small colorful pixels to visually represent it. A virtual (i.e. only digitally existing, consisting exclusively of current pulses) plot of land was sold for 4.3 million US dollars.
The Metaverse already has its own functioning economic system. People are already meeting here, holding business lunches, presenting themselves and their companies. And just like in "real life", it's all about appearances, trendy things, fashions and prestigious items.
They are "only virtual", but that also applies to this text here. It's not written on paper either, but basically consists of a bit of code and a few pixels. So we have to take all the hype about the new digital space and virtual properties seriously.
Virtual plots of land are built with virtual labor, remunerated with virtual currency. Buildings are constructed in which apartments are rented or sold, office space is rented and stores are set up. People move through this world in the form of their avatars. The buildings have interior furnishings. The avatars wear clothes. Unlike Pacman, they can even change their clothes. Avatars want to wear the latest sneakers. They want to store for it-pieces and show them off.
Because behind every avatar is a real person who expresses themselves, their personality and interests through the design of the avatar. This person experiences what the avatar experiences through the VR glasses. The person looks down at themselves and sees the cool pants, the cool sneakers. Virtual space and the physical world have long since become one.
Which brands are already in the Metaverse?
As the marketplace of the future, the importance of the digital alternative reality is growing, and the end is not yet in sight. Numerous well-known brands are already represented here and market their products digitally.
Examples of brands in the metaverse:
1. sports brand Nike:
Thesports and fitness brand has been advertising for many years with a focus on fun and repeated references to sporting competitions. One of Nike's Metaverse projects is based in the Roblox system.
Here you will find Nikeland, a place where sport and play are integrated into a lifestyle. Equipped with parks and squares, with running tracks and obstacle courses, Nike presents itself here as a metaverse brand with a focus on sport and play.
However, the company's products are also sold in digitalized versions and show how CGI can also work in the fashion industry. Clothing and shoes are available here as NFTs (non-fungible tokens).
2nd fashion brand Zara:
Zara is also represented as a clothing brand in the Metaverse. The appearance is a joint project with the South Korean fashion collective Ader Error and the Zepeto app.
The project enables users to use virtual clothing and make-up for the customizable avatars in the app. Zara connects the digital world with the real world: users can switch between the two and the shopping experience is seamless.
3rd beer brand Stella Artois:
Less well-known, but all the more spectacular, is the approach of Stella Artois. The brand belongs to AB InBev, one of the largest beer breweries in the world and also a sponsor of famous racetracks. Stella Artois has teamed up with Virtually Human Studio to create a unique digital racing platform.
Zed Run, as the platform is called, is one of the first sports sponsorships in the still young meta-universe. On Zed Run, viewers watch 3D horse races, but people can also actively breed horses, which they can buy and sell to use in the races. Unique breeds and horse skins are offered by Stella Artois itself. Even a branded 3D race track is in the works.
4. other brands in the Metaverse:
The fashion brands Gucci, Adidas and Atari, Burberry and Forever 21 now also exist as digital "offshoots" and offer virtual goods. Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Balenciaga and other brands are also taking advantage of the brave new digital world.
Balenciaga, for example, is currently ensuring that Fortnite is equipped with digital fashion. Brands are clearly working together here to unite several worlds for the user. Brands can be experienced through activities - for users, this is more than just consumption - it may mean an expansion of their own identity.
Why the metaverse is already ubiquitous for companies
Which brand can afford not to serve this business segment?
Of course, it's still a niche today. But the Internet was also a niche for a long time. Internet-capable cell phones were available very early on with the Blackberry, and WAP was already a kind of mobile version of the Internet.
However, mobile Internet only made its big breakthrough with the iPhone 3G - and today you are permanently online with your smartphone and are probably looking at this text on our mobile website.
Why should it be any different with the "Metaverse"? The hype, which is currently only taken seriously by a few wacky tech freaks, will probably not catch on this year. But in the end it will happen very quickly. The transition from Web2 to Web3 will be seamless.
It's time to make your brand metaverse-ready so that you're one (virtual) step ahead of your competitors when the real action starts!
How do I register my brand in the Metaverse?
To protect your trademark in the metaverse and prevent other companies from taking up your designs, you must register your trademark for the metaverse. You usually have to re-register your trademark with the DPMA, EUIPO or WIPO, as you cannot transfer your real trademark virtually.
You also need to create a list of goods and services. Make sure you select the right classes to represent your brand virtually in the Metarverse. For example, you can tick class 9 for software or class 41 for entertainment services.
And you're ready to go: As soon as you have registered your brand in the Metaverse, you can impress potential customers with high-quality digital visualizations or digital animations. With augmented reality services, you can even show customers in the metaverse what a product would look like in the real world.
Conclusion Metaverse: A real opportunity for your brand!
We think you should future-proof your brand and your products and take advantage of the opportunities offered by the metaverse.
We have seen the developments from Web1 to Web2: Back then (not so long ago), many a top dog was killed because they simply slept through the developments and did not make the leap into the digital space quickly and comprehensively enough. Now it's all about Web3.
With CGI, you have everything you need to present your brand in the Metaverse. Welcome to a new world!
