Advertisers need to think like gamers to succeed in the metaverse

One of the more blatant facts about the metaverse is that it isn’t real. It’s all digital. Metaverse spaces are only limited by the imaginations of the creators and players. Roblox’s Manuel Bronstein joined GamesBeat’s Rachel Kaser on our GamesBeat Summit Next 2022 panel Running a Vibrant Economy in the Metaverse to brainstorm some ways to make some money despite a lack of physical items.

Advertisers need to get into that same headspace if they want to make their ad campaigns hugely successful. In the real world, we’re limited by these pesky physical laws like gravity. In the digital world, we can fly. A static ad doesn’t need to be ground-bound in the digital world. But even that isn’t imaginative enough. More than that, this new reality in the metaverse is a fact that many gamers have simply grown up with.

“The majority [of Roblox users] is over the age of 13,” said Bronstein. “The fastest growing demographic is 17 to 24.”

These metaverse spaces are, generally speaking, games. So make ads interactive. Make them games and make them fun. Barring that, make them the gateway to fun. Or give gamers another reason to engage, if you can’t pull off a game. Lots of gamers love to collect things to customize their avatars.

So give them stuff to collect and dress up with.

Advertisers, look to Roblox for inspiration

Roblox, one of the best examples of a metaverse space, has essentially solved this sort of ad integration. Currently the game features an ongoing ad campaign from Philips Norelco, sellers of razors and other grooming equipment.

“For many people the experience is in the background,” said Bronstein. “What you wanna do is hang out with your friends. You go there to be there, together… sharing the same space.”

Philips Norelco’s ad campaign isn’t the digital equivalent of a billboard. It’s really tapping into the gaming mindset. While the ad campaign is active, gamers can collect and wear dozens of different hairstyles just by messing about inside the ad.

The advertisement area, Shavetopia, also comes equipped with portals to some of Roblox’s most played games, too. Players have a reason to spend time in Shavetopia. Beyond that, players practically become walking advertisements for Philips Norelco for the entire time Shavetopia is live.

Nobody’s talking about what ad they happened to catch on television anymore. People are much more likely to chat about where their sick goatee came from. Basic ads just don’t cut it anymore. Fun, interactive experiences are the metaverse advertising meta.