Marketing (and Dreaming) in the Metaverse

I woke up yesterday morning from a dream where I imagined I'd finished writing this week's newsletter and just needed to share it.

And for a couple of sleepy minutes, I thought, wow ... Time. well. spent.

Then reality hit me and here I am.

And even though my dream was little more than an illusion, it did make me pine for an alternate state of life.

Getting Real with Digital Reality

I've been reading a fascinating book lately, Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy by David Chalmers, professor and co-director of the Center for Mind, Brain and Consciousness at New York University.

In his book, Chalmers argues that virtual reality isn't an illusion; it's simply another type of reality, based in the digital realm. The author shares a fascinating and at times challenging perspective on why this is so.

So maybe there is a parallel world where my newsletter's already written and I need to tap into that.

Or maybe, I just have to buckle down and do the work!

Did You Check the Metaverse?

Of course, the other reality I was alluding to is the metaverse.

Like many of you, I've been thinking about the concept a lot. Especially how it could alter to our work and lives.

A day doesn't go by without a barrage of metaverse news. That's often cloaked in so much hype, it's tough to get a handle on where we are and where we may be heading.

For instance, if you're a student applying to college, do you want your courses to happen in a traditional or metaversity setting? That is, with you wearing a VR headset and immersively experiencing the material you're studying. I suppose this gives new meaning to the expression deep dive.

Or, if you're in marketing or PR, maybe your agency's opening a metaverse office where you and your colleagues will put your creativity to the test by developing some newfangled virtual commercial interactions, which we'll soon be calling VCIs.

How will we balance interpersonal communications in VR and AR settings? And the myriad of interactions between customers and brands?

Are You Being Paid to Talk to Me?

There's a lot to consider.

And a wide open canvas - er virtual whiteboard for marketing ideas. So brace yourself for more than a few branding surprises.

But amid all the excitement, we need to ask ourselves where ethics and transparency fit in. Otherwise, the metaverse could become one giant immersive ad.

Consider:

• How much control should companies have over virtual landscapes and nature? Is it OK to create branded experiences from a breathtaking digital vista?
• What about virtual birds and animals displaying a logo or morphing into a representation of a your favorite soft drink or potato chip?
• Do you have a right to know when an avatar you're chatting with in a digital bar is being paid to hawk a product? How will you monitor that?
• Retargeting lets adds 'follow' you around the internet as you browse. What about ads that literally stalk you and appear whenever you turn around?

Marketing in the metaverse is the subject this week's Digital Marketing Trends video.

I look at some of the big picture opportunities and how they might evolve. And I talk about where to draw the ethical line.

Check out the video to start thinking about how you may want it to play out.

Connect With Martin

And now it's time for you to return to your own reality as we've reached the end of issue #52.

How commercial do you want the metaverse to be? What would you do if you found out your best friend was just a paid virtual shill trying to separate you from your money? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Be sure to reach out if you have questions about any of the videos in Digital Marketing Trends, or my other?LinkedIn Learning courses.

And if you want to find me, follow me on?LinkedIn?or?Twitter.

Or visit?my?my website?and send a message or a question.

And speaking of ideas, if you've got any you'd like me to cover in my next newsletter, be sure to send them my way.

Thank you again for reading and subscribing!

I'll be back in a couple of weeks with another twist of reality.

Till then, I'll be watching for your thoughts and comments ??!