What do all these brands have in common? Nike, Adidas, Gucci, McDonalds, Pizza hut, Coca Cola, Samsung, Burger King, Louis Vuitton, and Hennessy.
Correct, they are all bringing their communities to the metaverse. Some are doing it well, others terribly, some are smashing it out the park. All have increased their brand awareness. (I know that’s hard to do when you are Coca-Cola.)
At RLTY we believe virtual events will be the next driver for mainstream adoption of the metaverse. Are we ambitious? We sure are, we think events will equal gaming for reach and offer near-unlimited opportunities for brands.
From community, culture and collaboration, to a feeling of belonging and original experience, here are six ways your brand can use metaverse events to increase awareness.
1 — Original (metaverse) experience
Is there a better way for a global brand to increase awareness than throwing an event? Exclusive pop-ups, live-streaming premiers, trade shows, seminars, parties, conferences, music festivals, gallery openings and exhibitions, the choice for communal experience is endless.
In the Metaverse, brands can create events quickly and at a fraction of the cost of a physical event. They can take customers on a unique journey and make them feel truly special. Don’t believe us? Then ask Generation Z how they think about virtual events and brand culture.
Brands can run their metaverse events in conjunction with real world events (SXSW, Cannes, Paris NFT Day), or as independent, metaverse only experiences. They can be as wild, sensible, mysterious or exciting as your brand (decides).
Using the RLTY suite of building tools, it’s also very simple. Events can be created and launched quickly and often cheaper than in real life.
2 — Collaboration
Brands have always used collaboration to connect with new audiences. Very often that collaboration comes in the form of celebrity endorsement. In the metaverse, A-Listers are crying out for web3 and forward thinking web2 brands to experiment with.
Snoop Dogg, Paris Hilton, Reese Witherspoon, Keanu Reeves, Jake Paul, Method Man, Steve Aoki, Lebron James, Rick Ross, Shaquille O’Neal. The list goes on. Your brand is in a unique position. Throw an event now and celebrities you only ever dreamed of advertising your brand could be telling their millions of followers about your event. Not sure where to start? Reach out on Twitter. It’s really that simple. Tell them RLTY sent you.
Collaboration is an exciting cultural extension of the metaverse and sure to give a boost to your brand’s global awareness.
3 — Be First
In the history of business, the battle is often won by the trailblazing brands that have moved first. Metaverse events give your brand the firepower to make moves while others are still sleeping.
For all the brands throwing metaverse events, millions are yet to pull the trigger. For reasons of finance, geography, culture or for fear of getting it wrong, they are staying away. All the more reason for your brand to launch an event and increase brand awareness by being first.
4 — Re-build brand awareness
Once the domain of nostalgic t-shirts and the halcyon days of game consoles, Atari has been re-born in the Metaverse. In Decentraland they have the Atari Casino, In The Sandbox they are using land to create a virtual theme park.
Atari wasn’t dead — if you look at its yearly revenue it has been on the up since 2013 — but in the eyes of many it was a dinosaur. Its foray into the metaverse has lit a fire under its brand awareness. If your brand is wallowing in the doldrums, throwing events in the metaverse could be the wind it needs.
5 — Speak directly with your audience
Traditional advertising is a hit and miss affair, no matter what the ad agencies tell you. Social media advertising lacks excitement, is expensive, time-consuming, needs real science to make it efficient and any positive brand building takes time.
Another Facebook ad? Really?
Metaverse events give brands an immersive and instant channel where they can speak directly with an audience, in real time, face-to-face (or at least avatar-to-avatar) in a fun, engaging, exciting and unique way.
6 — Use POAPS with real life utility
POAPS (Proof of Attendance Protocol) are a specific type of NFT that shows you attended an event. Your brand could have a world famous or up and coming artist design them, creating buzz and excitement before the event even begins.
Want more physical utility? Link your POAP to signed memorabilia, exclusive screenings, access to early product launches, secondary events and more.
A POAP may seem like a small way to increase your brand awareness, but it shows the power of the metaverse to offer brands opportunity at every touch point, every interaction, every event.
The metaverse is an extension of the real world, it offers myriad opportunities for brands to change, improve, or grow their user base and brand awareness.
