What the Metaverse means for PR

Technology is moving forward at a rate where futuristic tech from the likes of ‘Ready Player One’ fantasy type worlds is in closer reach than we may think. With Mark Zuckerberg transitioning Facebook into a ‘Metaverse company’, it’s worth understanding what it actually is, and what the Metaverse means for PR. 

So what actually is the metaverse? 

It is fundamentally different to the closed ecosystems of the web that we are used to, which built walled systems around customer data, allowing the tech platforms to build the powerful advertising engines that made them the billion dollar companies they are today. 

What Zuckerberg, CEO of Metaverse, is aiming to do with this merge, is to strike a balance between “enabling research and interoperability with blocking down data as much as possible”. Metaverses want to bring this idea to life and give people across the globe a way to connect using this new ever-evolving technology. 

In short, the Metaverse itself is a virtual reality space in which users can interact with a computer generated environment with other users. It will become a space where within it you’ll be able to do anything you could possibly imagine. 

What the Metaverse means for PR 

Despite the amount of technology, and billions of dollars being invested in building the Metaverse, it will still be years until it will reach it’s beginning stages, and even longer before it reaches its full potential. 

There’s not a lot to do as of right now, as it’s still only in development, however the key to staying ahead of the game is being educated and ready to jump right in. We’ve seen time and time again that brands and companies who jump onto these new platforms first and start experimenting with it tend to be greatly rewarded. 

When it comes to advertising within the Metaverse itself, this is looking to be a gamechanger with ads holding a great amount of power. In a world where people can just think of something and have it appear in front of them, the need for promotion and advertising, although quite different from what we’re used to, is important.  

This is creating a whole new world for PR, one where estate agents can do virtual viewings from anywhere in the world, clothing brands can offer digital try-ons… the opportunities are countless. 

For companies it’s time to begin developing unique ideas for the move into this new Metaverse so we can be ready to jump in headfirst, be ahead of the crowd and make the most out of this new era of technology we’re moving into.