The Drum will be doing a deep dive into out-of-home this week. Strategiq’s Emma Burley defends advertising in real life, arguing that people might be drawn back to the outside by the metaverse.
Is the metaverse capable of emulating the beauty and randomness of mother Nature? The unpredictable, the raw experience, and the grounding effect of soil between your feet. Even those most likely to embrace and accept it, such as gen Z, have reservations.
Our industry is facing a real threat, not just mixed feelings. Are creativity and the ability to connect with the natural world at stake? How can brands connect with and target different identities within and outside the metaverse?
Creativity, in between worlds
Millions of viewers continue watching Mark Zuckerberg’s vision of the metaverse. Opinions are divided. It sends chills down my spine. I love fresh air and pushing the boundaries in the real world. The evolution of the web to a three-dimensional “space” where people can push the boundaries, in reality, offers some great opportunities for creative applications.
Where do creativity and inspiration come from if we cannot leave the world and its primary and primal needs? When ‘dangers are no longer dangers,’ and ‘people’ and ‘identities are removed from our reality, our fight and flight instincts can dilute.
What does it mean for creativity if your eyes show you a reality that isn’t real to all your senses?
Are we at risk of destroying creativity and the essential touchpoints that allow us to explore, create and innovate? Living two lives could dilute the raw emotion of a single sense or self. Children and adults have equal access to the new world, which can lead to compromises in the development of primal and natural centers through stimulation and interaction.
The metaverse environment where people “exist” is entirely created by someone else.
Dream or nightmare?
Indeed, we should all be rubbing our heads together in adland. Creating the perfect environment for your business and cultivating profitable and meaningful audiences is possible. But is that possible? How do you target people who aren’t “real”? How can decisions and motivations change when people are immersed in an alternate reality?
Marketers must create value propositions and map customer journeys for ‘alter egos’ to address this core problem. According to Tidio’s recent survey, creating an alter-ego was the third most anticipated benefit of the metaverse. 46% of respondents expect future people to be more prominently in the metaverse than in the real world. This is a significant consideration for targeting, persona generation, and attribution. Perhaps the ability to identify oneself in the metaverse will allow individuals to respond and act in a more predictable manner, which could make targeting easier.
It will be interesting to see how brands navigate the transition between the real and metaverse along a customer journey.
Zuckerberg claims the metaverse will revolutionize creativity and art. It offers access to theater, art, and entertainment without boundaries or discrimination. But where is the creative inspiration when the brain moves from the real to the virtual? A mind founded on Earth can only allow for unlimited imagination.
A metaverse is where creativity can flourish through social interaction and collaboration. Artists and creatives draw inspiration from the combination of their environment and the work of others. This means that many will look to the mix of the natural world and the virtual to find the right blend for the vital touchpoints and collaborative opportunities to realize their creative potential.
The metaverse will change the way we think about creativity. However, how creatives adapt to this rapid change is crucial to their success. To be creatively inspired, you must connect with the natural world and embrace freedom in this brave new world.
