Abstract
This chapter was written based on exploratory study and documentary research and on current reports and articles at the time of writing, however, over time, it tends to have a historical nature. Texts were read about exploratory methodologies to proceed with the investigation and reports on trends in the metaverse and extended realities. The objective was to provide updated research on marketing theories in the metaverse, In the exploratory study, it was revealed, in the metaverse ecosystem, that it is imperative to optimize the relationship with consumers to mitigate gaps in difficulty in purchases, in addition to the need to measure how customers find, how they interact and how they consume content and images in the metaverse. It was found that both brands and consumers are in identity transition in the metaverse and that immersive experiences are more significant for phygital life.
TopIntroduction
In the article published on the World Economic Forum Blog, on March 31, 2022, there was one affirmation and one question: We could be spending an hour a day in the metaverse by 2026. But what will we be doing there? (Masterson, 2022). Part of the question is in line with Gartner research which shows that a quarter [¼] of people will spend at least one hour a day in the metaverse by 2026 for work, action of purchasing, education, social activities that may or may not be entertainment, according to the Gartner Press Release (2022) which defines a metaverse as a collective virtual shared space.
In the definition, the company informed that the metaverse is created by the convergence of physical and digital reality and Carvalho, Mengalli and Lucas (2022, p. 12) wrote that, in the phygital transformation, there is a combination of the physical and the digital, therefore, the metaverse powers phygital with augmented and virtually enhanced reality to provide immersive experiences with or without standalone and accessible devices.
On Frame’s blog (2021), Socrates speculates about the prisoner when he is released, because the people in the cave lived in chains and with misunderstandings of image and imagination. If the prisoner is freed from the handcuffs, he is obliged to stand up, bend his neck, take a few steps and look into the fire, it can be painful and the brightness of the light prevents him from seeing the objects that cast the shadows that the prisoner has contemplated for years and he believed in his own imagination.
Many questions can be asked about the released prisoner, such as: about the reactions when he discovers that, for decades, he lived with illusions, that reality is different and that there is a world with authentic things that can be seen with more reality and truth or even if the freedman were asked to name the artificial figures that passed from one side to the other. In the sections of the chapter, the reader can plunge into some statements that may answer these questions, even if they are not the main questions of the chapter.
In this chapter, everything that exists in the metaverse is not in the physical world, however, in immersive worlds, unique and distinctive opportunities are provided for consumers to interact with brands. The purpose of the chapter is to provide up-to-date research on theories of Marketing in the metaverse and highlight avatar and meta-human influencers, as well as unveil innovative potential for people interested in Marketing, developers and designers of digital influencers.
It is possible to announce that, in the same way that updated research is provided, over the years, there is a history in data and information that refer to reports that were trends for the future and for what can be done in the real world, such as the trends, impact and future of the metaverse that are explained in the chapter regarding Marketing and digital influencers.
The target audience of the chapter are readers interested in the subjects: metaverse ecosystem, consumer society 5.0, Marketing theories in the metaverse and digital influencers. Researchers are potential readers of the chapter, because it is an exploratory research with studies of reports and business articles, since there is not much epistemological knowledge disseminated in research on the theme of the chapter.
Developers and designers of digital influencers for markets, for brands and for celebrities are also the chapter's audience, because, on a theoretical basis, there is up-to-date literature [which, over time, will be historical] and, in the exploratory study, are the gaps filled about research that are not yet known to support the construction of concepts and hypotheses. There will be information that touches the statistical conclusions, since it is an exploratory research.
A pesquisa deu origem a dois capítulos de livros em língua portuguesa: “Transformação Digital e Sociedade 5.0 no Metaverso: O Impacto do Digital na Educação Corporativa” (2022) e “Gamificação no Metaverso: Transformações Digitais na Educação Corporativa” (2022).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Influencer Marketing: In contemporary times, it has become a fashionable way of Marketing. It mainly involves the most vulnerable public, the youth. It is considered that it is important to think carefully about the tactics in the implementation of ethical paths. With the advent of the metaverse, digital humans are created to influence brand audiences to purchase more products or services. It is noteworthy that there are few influencers for the 50+ public, as well as representing the diversity of the population.
Phygital Transformation: It is supported by objects and applications as digital solutions that contain physical mechanisms with virtual interfaces and contents. The contexts are fundamental, because they show the overlapping physical and virtual place and space. In the consumer's or client's journey, there are processes that advance over time and show the dissolution between virtuality and reality. It is an experience that integrates physical and digital elements with emotions, feelings, behaviors and that affect decisions in the phygital journey.
Consumer Society 5.0: It is considered that, in the contemporary era and under capitalism, there has been economic growth and, as a consequence, the generation of profit and wealth for companies that provide for consumption in commercial activity in their business plans. The growth is linked to the advertising media in the life of the population with the dissemination of the most different products and services. It is understood that, in the consumer society, people usually buy new goods and having is more valued in the possession of goods with a high value attributed to each purchase. People want to consume and show feelings and emotions when shopping.
Metaverse Ecosystem: There are the challenges of the metaverse [ecosystem], such as infrastructure, environment digitalization and user interaction, because it is understood that, in the metaverse ecosystem, there are: equipment, mobile and fixed devices, software, applications, avatars, digital humans, renderings, sessions, user-to-users interactions, user-to-business interactions, and user-three-dimensional semiotic objects-interactions.