The migration of marketing from the physical world to online spaces is not new. However, since the metaverse buzzword took the world by storm last year, the anticipation is building about having new forms of ads generation and consumption for the users. While it is defined as the blend of virtual reality, augmented reality, and web3 to create a 3D virtual world, with ever-evolving aspects, where brands can create their personalized digital universe for customer interaction, we are still far from achieving it. Nevertheless, companies are already coming up with fresh solutions and perspectives to create digital experiences that boost brand visibility.Â
The user inhabits a borderless virtual environment in the metaverse. While seamlessly accessing virtual communities, activities, and events, there are no abrupt transitions requiring logging off and signing in. Being platform-independent and offering a seamless experience, are major components of the metaverse that will work in its favor for a user-centric approach. You can visit a virtual shopping mall as a virtual avatar of yourself, go to a cafe to have your macchiato latte, have fun at the bowling alley or walk around at the virtual pet store, waving at adorable puppies. All of these can be done while sitting in the warmth and comfort of your own home, without commuting through congested urban areas.
Metaverse is currently chasing the notion that instead of the unwanted pop-ups and forced commercials that you encounter today, brands will revolutionize the way they promote, creating a memorable experience. In-world ads will be cleverly positioned to draw user attention so that consumers can willingly interact with the ad, making it more compelling and interesting than today’s distracting commercials.
Companies are investing in the metaverse in the hopes of reaching new customers, and Meta is at the forefront. The metaverse has sparked public interest when Mark Zuckerberg, the concept’s most outspoken supporter, renamed Facebook to Meta last year. Meta is now planning to announce three-dimensional (3D) advertisements to help customers get a better picture of the things they’re interested in. Meta is cooperating with an e-commerce technology agency named VNTANA, to make it easier for companies to publish three-dimensional adverts to their Instagram and Facebook accounts.
VNTANA is the world’s first three-dimensional content management system (CMS), which automatically translates, enhances, and distributes three-dimensional content over the internet. This company offers high-resolution images and allows clients to virtually interact with the goods without leaving their house. Some companies utilize this platform to promote their goods and make them available to individuals all around the world.
Brands can now submit their current 3D designs from programs like Browzwear, Clo, Keyshot, and Modo and have them instantly converted for Facebook and Instagram, thanks to Meta and VNTANA’s new alliance. These 3D models may then be instantly uploaded to Meta, allowing firms to speed up the development of 3D advertisements. Prior to this 3D artists had to manually optimize their work for Facebook and Instagram ad requirements. Now, brands can use VNTANA to easily upload and convert the files into ads.
This is the first in a series of anticipated new features and capabilities, according to VNTANA, and both parties intend to enhance the interaction between their two platforms. According to VNTANA Chief Executive Ashley Crowder, this move is a stepping stone towards advertising in the metaverse, which is a futuristic concept of a collection of virtual worlds that can be accessed by devices such as headsets. Meta previously teamed with augmented reality (AR) startups Modiface and PerfectCorp to make 3D and AR advertising more accessible for beauty and cosmetic brands. Users who encounter a 3D ad while surfing on their PC or phone on Facebook or Instagram can interact with an image of a handbag, for example, and move it about to examine it from all angles.
“In a way, this offers a glimpse of what you might expect on future devices like AR glasses,” said Chris Barbour, director of augmented reality partnerships at Meta’s Reality Labs unit.
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Mark Zuckerberg rebranded Meta to introduce people to shared virtual worlds and experiences across multiple software and hardware platforms, betting big on the metaverse’s promise to alter immersive experiences and the internet. Since then, Meta has undertaken radical changes on a larger scale to bring the metaverse closer to the fundamental premise being marketed to impress brands. The company is already planning to invest billions of dollars in its development over the next several years, as well as attempting to recruit developers and artists. While technical limits will always exist, questions about accessibility must also be addressed. Interactive 3D commercials, for example, must be built in such a manner that persons with limited mobility and vision impairments can interact with them. Metaverse 3D Ads that rely on offering too much sensory input can be overstimulating for neurodivergent persons.
Meta and other companies should also focus on building 3D ads with basic information about products for users that want a hassle-free non-immersive checkout process. This will be immensely helpful for users who have a poor internet connection and don’t want to wait for an animation to load.
