No one knows exactly what form the internet of the future will take, but the frustrations of the current internet won’t automatically go away with new technology.
With all the hype and investment in the metaverse, marketers are naturally questioning how big a deal the metaverse will be for brands. Here’s a prediction I found interesting from Jane Lacher, head of growth at GroupM:
“It’s going to be big and niche at the same time. Niche in that it’s a virtual experience in virtual worlds, big in that you have an entire generation who in a decade are going to be virtual-first consumers.”
If consumers of the future will be virtual-first, the metaverse of the future is currently being designed to be marketer-first (not consumer-first). The ad formats, brand experiences, and social commerce, are being worked out quicker than the value proposition for actual people.
I like this caution from Jane Lacher:
“If brands paper the metaverse with ads, they’ll have blown it … The last thing a brand wants to do is create a bad experience on one of these metaverse platforms and just be there as an advertiser…
“The rules of engagement haven’t changed when it comes to the necessity to create value for consumers, and in this territory it’s more important than anywhere else.”
Here are a few related cartoons I’ve drawn over the years:
