Strap on your Oculus or VR headset ladies and gentlemen ‘cause we’re about to explore web 3.0 and the metaverse…
At the July AMA Wichita event, marketers from across the area came to WSU Tech’s south campus to be enlightened by the insanely knowledgeable Krissy Buck and learn the ways web 3.0 and the metaverse are already impacting the marketing we do and how it will continue to impact marketing in the future.
Before we jump into the marketing portion of Krissy’s presentation, let’s go through a quick vocab lesson (also provided by Krissy).
What is web 3.0?
As Krissy described, Web 3.0 is the internet owned by builders and users, orchestrated with tokens. It is the decentralized internet. Web 1.0 was about information, Web 2.0 is about social media, and where eCommerce was born. Web 3.0 is and will be an experience that allows users to share in the content creation and control it.
So in a world of Web 2.0 where we can purchase cars over the internet, purchase groceries, and have them delivered to our door (sometimes without even changing out of our PJs), you may ask how can it get better?!?!?
Well, my friends, that is where the metaverse steps in…
What is the metaverse?
Krissy explains the metaverse as being how we will engage with the internet. She simplified it by telling us to think of how we used to say “cyberspace” and now replace that with metaverse. The metaverse allows individuals the ability to engage with brands in a 3D environment.
Note: This is not a thing of the future… we are already in the Metaverse with the integration of XR (extended reality) through AR (augmented reality), VR (virtual reality), and MR (mixed reality), but more on that later.
So now that we have the vernacular down, Krissy launched us into the next section and why we were all there. Answering the question… HOW WILL WE MARKET ON THIS NEW FRONTIER?!?!
Krissy started by sharing that she predicts (and a load of other really smart people) that social media as we know it will soon be a thing of the past and we will see peer-to-peer social media networks built on blockchain technology. She backed this up by naming many brands that are moving off Facebook groups and going to other communities on discord. As the head of the Digital Marketing program at WSU Tech, Krissy has also moved to this type of community, and she communicates with her students solely through a variety of discord channels. These channels provide a space for students to collaborate, engage with one another, and even share “safe for work” memes and gifs.
Ok so the platform is going to be different, now what about content? Krissy states that the world is shifting from the “professional creator” to an “amateur creator” (or amateur creator look) because they are relevant. And currently, there are over 50 million content creators around the globe, with a majority of them being amateur creators. (There’s a reason the big brands are moving to Tiktok-styled videos…)
Recap of the recap: Everything is going to be different and we need to be professional amateur content creators. So where do you start?
Krissy shared these tips to get started:
- Tap into creator economy – there are people here in Wichita who are excellent creators, just search! As consumers are trusting brands less they are trusting influencers more. Find someone to help tell your story!
- Share free resources and forums on your own site – we’ve seen the fashion TikToks and have browsed the target clothing section… we’re taking it back to the 90s. So try this even on your site and use a forum or discussion board.
- Create a discord server for community building and management.
Now let’s get back to XR and how brands can be using it because this may have been my favorite section of Krissy’s presentation…
First up, AR or Augmented Reality –
AR became really mainstream with the overwhelming popularity of Pokemon Go. Krissy went on to tell us about a study where kids who grew up with AR believed at a young age that there is another dimension we are living in that you can only see through a phone or a tablet. These kids are now in middle school and will soon be investing in our economy. It will be important to integrate AR into what you do.
Krissy went on to share ideas for how organizations, right here in our city, could use AR. Thanks for sharing your dreams Krissy, it really got the idea juice flowing. She shared a couple but I’ll share my favorite, and spoiler alert… it was a wild one. Imagine yourself at the Sedgwick County Zoo (the best zoo around IMO). What if you could stand directly next to one of their wild animals? Sounds dangerous right? But not with AR. What if there was a code near the exhibit that you can scan and BOOM an animal would appear in augmented reality, full-size in all its glory.
The opportunities are endless.
Next, is Virtual Reality or VR. We are already seeing VR used to create immersive experiences. You can attend a concert, watch sports, get in a workout, or play video games all in virtual reality.
But it’s not being used just in leisure activities. Krissy shared that businesses are conducting meetings and holding seminars and conferences. Real Estate is being sold through virtual reality and individuals are exploring places of the world they never could have before thanks to this technology. Krissy also announced that she will be holding her Community Building and Management course for the digital marketing program in virtual reality through the use of Oculus headsets! This will allow students to “be in the classroom” without having to ever step foot on campus.
Last up in Krissy’s tour of XR is Mixed Reality(MR). With products like google glass (not google glasses, this is their updated product that isn’t all shady with the privacy stuff) and hololens. Krissy shared that the opportunities to integrate MR can range from showing product prototypes to identifying your business on Google Maps to providing customer service and troubleshooting.
Is your head spinning yet?? If the answer is yes, imagine all of us who were in attendance. I didn’t even go into NFTs and the monetization and protection for artists that they can and will provide…
Let’s round up what we learned…
- Web 3.0 is decentralized
- Content Creators will drive content
- Artists will be able to monetize and protect their artwork from copy
- Creators and brands will own their communities
- There are 50 million content creators around the globe
- Web 3.0 is about helping people belong
- The metaverse is how we engage with the internet in web 3.0
- XR is AR, VR, and MR
And Krissy mic-dropped, I mean closed her presentation with “The future is now, how will YOU incorporate these technologies in your marketing?”
On behalf of everyone in the audience, Wow. Thank you Krissy Buck for sharing your incredible amount of knowledge, passion, and challenging us to look to the future!
Mandy Fouse
Director of Membership & Event Recap Writer
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