Twinning in the metaverse and the future of marketing
We are going to be spending a lot more time in the virtual world than we are in the real world, says George Kovoor, group creative director at Ogilvy India. He offers a wake-up call for marketers to look for their consumer cohort in a different place.
Welcome to the Metaverse
Welcome to the Metaverse. A fantastic new twin universe that looks and feels surprisingly real except that it resides in the insides of your laptop, PC or mobile device. Where, with a few deft touches of your keyboard, you come face to face with someone that looks vaguely familiar. Say hello to your digital twin.
For those who haven’t met their twin yet, there’s no need to rush to your therapist. It’s probably hiding inside you waiting to come out as a striking bluenet with perfect curves or a brawny jock with a 6 pack or even an 8 pack! Your digital twin may look exactly like you or nothing like you. That depends on you. And why not! After all, he or she is going to be living your life, in the not-so-distant future.
Here are a few reasons why we all should get comfortable living in your digital twin’s skin.
Nowhere else in the virtual universe will your digital twin feel more at home than the incredible world of online games. Your twin is the passport to success in any game from Fortnite to Minecraft and Roblox to everything in between. Earning everything from style points to kill points and all manner of rewards and recognition.
Tired of showing your face in virtual calls? Your twin will take your place in the meeting for you. Facebook is working on prototypes that will allow users to create 3D semi-realistic avatars for virtual meeting rooms using a combination of VR and AI technologies. Before long, your digital twin will not only look and talk like you, but it will also even think like you.
In the rapidly evolving retail and fashion world, your digital avatar can roam around virtual malls and fashion avenues around the world while you are in the comfort of your home. Try new clothes, test drive cars, experiment with new hairstyles. Your twin can do everything for you, all with the click of a button, as the cliché goes.
And there’s more. Now you can buy and sell anything from paintings to music, even land in the virtual world. Blockchain technologies like NFT and Cryptocurrencies have enabled you to put your name on stuff that you couldn’t dream of owning in the real world. So, you can be a boring bank manager in the real world and an art dealer with swag in the virtual world. All thanks to your multi-faceted, multi-tasking digital twin.
Today there are companies that offer users a customized avatar that will carry over across the entire metaverse. Users can build their avatars from pictures or from scratch, and then use them across hundreds of apps and games. So, you don’t even have to bother creating a new avatar for every new platform you go to. One avatar for the entire meta world!
Look around, everyone under the age of 25 has their nose buried into a device. It is their world. It is our world. Let’s face it, we are going to be spending a lot more time in the virtual world than we are in the real world. May as well look good while doing it.
So, if you haven’t found your twin in the metaverse, it's time you do. And while you are doing it can you also give me your thoughts on mine!
George Kovoor is the group creative director at Ogilvy India.