Will we see personalised VR videos from influencers instead of advertising next year? Meta (formerly Facebook) thinks so. The trends for 2022: creators, discovery commerce and, of course, the metaverse.
The next technological revolution
Apart from a new name, Facebook announced a new vision this year: Mark Zuckerberg’s company committed 100% to the metaverse. Thanks to added and virtual reality, it will be an internet in which the user is at the centre. It is the world of computer games, 3D avatars and virtual collaborations in Horizon Workrooms.
“Every 10 to 15 years, there is a major technological shift. The last one was the smartphone revolution. Now it will be the metaverse”, said Meta’s vice president Nicola Mendelsohn at the annual press briefing. However, we are not there yet: the company does not expect mass adoption of Horizon for another five to ten years.
So, what should we expect from 2022? Meta has identified three major trends in marketing: creators (the new word for influencers), e-commerce that is becoming increasingly social and brands that are taking the first preparatory steps towards the metaverse.
1) Creators
No longer say ‘influencers’, say ‘creators’. Next year, creators will become the new artistic class of “professional internet producers”. Internet culture is their life: last year, the number of video makers earning more than 10,000 euros rose by 88 per cent, and in 2022, the creator economy will be even bigger. Next year, Meta will invest a billion dollars in that market, including developing a reward system for successful influencers.
According to Mendelsohn, creators are also becoming increasingly important for brands: consumers now spend twelve times more time on content from (ex-)influencers than on branded content. “It’s harder than ever to stand out, but at the same time more important than ever”, notes Caroline Drucker, director of Instagram Media Partnerships.
The new name for influencers came about for a reason: the way in which they influence is changing. For consumers, authenticity comes first nowadays, changing the way brands work with these digital creatives: in 2022, long-term collaborations are prefered, whereby the creator expects freedom and trust to do their ‘thing’ with the product.
“Creators know their craft, trust them. Also, choose creators who are already using your products. If that is not the case, give them ample time to get to know the brand truly”, advises Drucker: “A creator is not just a signboard.”
2) Discovery commerce
Covid-19 has changed the way people shop online: it is no longer just for speed and convenience, but it should also be inspiring and fun. Today, two-thirds of consumers already use social media to purchase things online. People are – according to Meta – constantly shopping nowadays, even when they are scrolling through pictures of holidays on Instagram. Half of all time spent on Meta platforms is already devoted to video content.
According to a study by McKinsey, 61 per cent of consumers have changed their shopping behaviour during the pandemic: consumers buy more spontaneously and on impulse. Meta, therefore, believes in ‘discovery commerce’ as a follow-up to e-commerce: in e-commerce, people find products, but in discovery commerce, the products find the people, is the reasoning.
Of course, this involves personalised advertising, allowing people to shop instantly. For example, ‘Collaborative ads’ are a novelty feature whereby a personalised series of products of a brand is shown in collaboration with a retailer’s webshop. For example, Nestlé campaigned on Facebook with the supermarket chain Monoprix: clicking on Nestlé products led to the Monoprix site.
In time, Meta wants to be able to support the entire ‘customer journey’ so that consumers can order and checkout without ever leaving the platform. This function is already available in the United States (and to a limited extent in the United Kingdom) but will not reach the European Union yet in the coming year. Meta wants to focus on discovery first, with, among other things, shopping pages that automatically adapt to the visitor and online fittings with added reality. After all, even post-Covid, two out of three online shoppers still want to be able to try on clothes at home.
3) Metaverse
What would you do if all the existing limitations of the physical world were lifted? Because that is what the metaverse promises: a borderless, virtual world. It does not exist yet, but brands could already prepare for it. Adidas, for example, bridged the gap to the metaverse with its campaign revolving around NBA basketball player James Harden last year. The star basketball player travels to Paris nearly every year to launch new trainers, but Covid measures prevented him from doing so. Therefore, Harden paid a virtual visit: an avatar of the basketball player paid a virtual visit to five European creators. Each held their own virtual meet & greet with Harden. Every creator in their own way.
One creator set up an AR basketball game with Harden. Her followers could also play a virtual game against the avatar. For the popular unboxing videos, the creators received the new shoes physically. These videos were also “shoppable”: consumers could purchase the shoes instantly.
The number of brands creating their own AR filters and applications is growing daily. Electronics manufacturer LG, for example, enables consumers to place multiple products in their homes on a full scale. That way, they can try out arrangements and find the perfect design. Fashion houses are already designing virtual outfits and shoes for the perfect selfie. The metaverse will soon offer unprecedented opportunities for brand experience, creative commerce and new revenue.
