Marketing has played a key role in building businesses for decades. Starting with traditional advertising and offline promotion, it made its way into the online space with search engine creators realising that it was an opportunity to monetize. Not very long after that marketing crept its way into every facet of the online sphere, from gaming apps to social media platforms. Now, with the world shifting into its web 3 phases, it begs the question, how will it impact marketing?

The concept of a metaverse has existed for some time now, being teased through sci-fi movies like Avatar that gave us a glimpse of what a completely virtual universe would look like. It has always been considered to be a very futuristic concept that has carried the weight of peoples irrational concerns regarding AI taking over the world and so on. But, it doesn’t feel so far-fetched when you take into account the numerous variations that exist like gaming platforms such as Fortnight that have integrated aspects of offline interaction into its online space. With Mark Zuckerberg announcing the launch of the Metaverse a few months ago, in combination with the booming cryptocurrency market, the concept has shifted from being a “tech-geek” topic of conversation to something that most people have an opinion about.

There’s no doubt that the online world is an integral part of our lives. From influencing our taste to moulding our opinions, the internet has become our thought leader. While we haven’t yet crossed over into completely virtual life, our online presence has become an almost indispensable part of our offline identity. Take for instance that new outfit you bought. You might have worn it on one or two occasions, but it hasn’t officially been worn until it has made it to your feed or your stories at the very least. It’s alright if your eyes look puffy and your dark circles are prominent in real life, as long as the filter fixes it for you. Slowly but surely we are transitioning into a time when your online presence is valued almost on the same par as your offline presence. But, don’t worry, we’re not inching our way towards a future that resembles Black Mirror.

Over the years we have become increasingly immersed in social media with the average amount of screen time progressively increasing, so it only makes sense that we assign a high value to it in our lives. Brands noticed this and directed their marketing resources towards that space, finding new ways to leverage the internet to aid their sales. Marketing at the end of the day can only succeed by keeping up with the times. Now, as virtual reality has taken the world by storm, it’s the newest trend to hop onto. We make no comment on when it will take off or how long it will last but what we do know is that as long as it’s at the top of your mind, brands want in on it.

While we can’t predict the actual impact that it will have, one thing is clear, the potential is boundless. While 360 campaigns involved tapping into offline activity, social media platforms and other areas of the internet, it came with its worldly limits. Virtual spaces once mainstream offer creativity the means to run wild and free, such that even the laws of gravity don’t matter. It’s likely that over the next few years, the concept of virtual reality will change the face of marketing and we for one are excited to see what is to come.