Why Creative Thinking Is Essential in the Metaverse

The Metaverse is being hailed as the next internet. Or Web 3.0. But really, the concept is quite open and no one can really articulate what it is in finite terms, other than to say that it's a 'virtual world' and Mark Zuckerberg seems to want to control it. And just like when there was the dot.com boom in the late 90's, brands are keen to jump in and lead the way in virtual brand experiences.

So, where are we at? Well, Ariana Grande held a virtual concert in Fortnite which had 78 million people watching. 78 MILLION. She made a fast tonne of cash, performed with her deceased ex, broke new ground for performance, and in what could be considered a massive social leap forward in concert attendance, non of her concert attendees were able to attack each other whilst in the 'Rift Tour' game segment. Which is definitely a step up from real life, when a terrorist let off a bomb at one of her European concerts.

Now we have Zuck and the team at meta trying to convert whoever is still using facebook into the metaverse. Meta launched a concert series over the New Year period, with Young Thug, DJ David Guetta, and The Chainsmokers all billed on 3 separate nights. It failed pretty spectacularly in terms of audience numbers. I going to have a guess and say that trying to convert the users of facebook to engage with VR is going to be a bigger challenge than simply getting people already in a virtual world to engage with real life artists (or brands). If Zuck thinks that this effort is going to bring the kids back in, he's way off. The 'legacy' of facebook will be hard to shake, and there are better platforms for virtual worlds (Decentraland) as well as the existing gaming platforms (like Fortnite or Animal Crossing) which already have an engaged virtual audience.

Which brings us to brands in the Metaverse. There are plenty of big brands who are now getting involved - Nike, H&M, Verizon, Gucci... it crosses from luxury brands, FMCG to athleisure, real estate and beyond. From collectables & NFTs to branded in-game experiences etc etc. But what just caught my attention is that some brands are using the metaverse to replicate their real life experience. Which beggars belief.

The thing that is a true joy about the metaverse is that you are not bound by any of your real life limitations. This is why it's enjoyable: the freedom! In the metaverse you have none of your imperfections, none of your baggage, none of your limitations, none of your responsibilities. You can fly. You can shapeshift. So why on earth would you want to shop in a retail store that looks the same as it does in real life.

I hope that brands start to truly value better creative ideas at this point. The metaverse is limitless, and the easiest way to show how creatively barren your brand is (or how little vision your Marketing / Management team have), is by launching a real life imitation in a virtual life world.