Events in the Metaverse

The Metaverse opens up new spaces for people and brands to meet and events become the decisive medium for achieving the ultimate attention.

Why should a brand embark on the journey into the metaverse?

A popular thesis in the 90s was: “We don’t need a website. People already discover us through TV and print”. This was followed in the 00s by, “We don’t need e-commerce, people buy in our shops after all.” Even in the 10s, you could hear that mobile websites and apps were a fringe phenomenon. After all, people bought everything on their desktop computer.

All these theories have quickly been overtaken by reality. Sure, you could say, “We don’t need a metaverse strategy. Our channels work fine.” But I believe that this thesis will also soon be history.

New generation, new media

According to the Gamer Consumer Research study, Gen Z already spends more time on gaming than on any other form of entertainment. In Gen Alpha, more than half of 8–11-year-olds and a third of 12-15-year-olds already play Roblox. The world is changing rapidly. If you want to reach your target groups tomorrow, you can’t avoid virtual worlds: social media is turning into metaverse & gaming. Web interfaces will become immersive worlds. Followers evolve into communities. But one constant is becoming apparent in all this change: In the competition for the highest user numbers, it is events that attract the greatest possible attention.

Metaverse events are becoming the ultimate user magnet

Whether Roblox, Fortnite, Decentraland or Sandbox: all these platforms work with events to increase attention and position themselves. The eventisation of the metaverse is in full swing: Pride Parade and Fashion Week celebrated their debut in Decentraland, brands like Gucci launched their own formats like the Gucci Garden (Roblox) or Gucci Vault Land (Sandbox). And Roblox and Fortnite itself are engaged in a battle for user records in playable concerts with over 30 mio. Players at the same time.

Playground for sponsors

The metaverse opens up new potentials for brands as organisers and sponsors, as even major events such as the FIFA World Cup find their platform in the metaverse. In the FIFA World, users can find dozens of different challenges. Also present: sponsors such as Adidas and Visa. The NFL and sponsor New Era also show how it’s done: the NFL presence in Roblox attracted 1.5 million users in the first two months alone, while New Era sells virtual baseball caps that match the season’s events.

Guerrilla tactics in the metaverse

It can also be done unorthodoxly: Fortnite regularly hosts events, such as the Burger vs. Pizza Challenge. As one of the biggest burger chains in the US, Wendy’s didn’t want to miss out. Wendy’s advertises that they only work with fresh, not frozen meat.

Consequently, Wendy’s entered the Fortnite event with its own avatar and targeted freezers instead of other players. For one day, freezers were smashed under the hashtag “Keeping Fortnite fresh“. Via Twitch, many imitators were found among well-known streamers. The result: 1.5 mio. minutes of attention in just nine hours.

What’s next?

Various top clubs from all over the world have announced that they are working on their own Metaverse stadiums in 2022, such as Manchester City (Premier League), Atlanta Braves (NFL) and the Brooklyn Nets (NBA). The Nets have already published the first footage of the beta version. The highlight of the “Netaverse”: The physical games are filmed with 100 cameras and rendered live in 3D. The 3D stadium enables freely selectable camera perspectives and thus a completely new level of immersion. The future offers many new possibilities here:

• 100-fold saleable digital advertising spaces
• Regionally customisable perimeter advertising
• Immersion in the game experience via AR/VR
• Larger fan base on owned channels

The metaverse is coming, and whether with an own event or as a sponsor, there are many new opportunities for brands to help shape this new and often still blank slate. With the right story in the right place, it is possible to make enormous waves. But you only find the right story when you start writing.