1、 2023 dentsu|all rights reservedRoads to theMETARoads to the Metaverse2Table of ContentsPART 1Pervasive Value ExchangeHow the Metaverse Will Transform Commerce ExperiencesPART 2Refracted Identities Building Audience Connections in the Age of the MetaversePART 3Building a Better World Opportunities f

2、or Equality and Inclusion in the MetaversePART 4The Coming to Life of Brands Where Weve Been and Where We Might Go in the Age of the MetaverseCONCLUSIONGetting StartedGaming and Other Test BedsINTRODUCTIONAll Roads Lead to the Metaverse3INTRODUCTIONAll Roads Lead to the MetaverseThis is why we start

3、ed discussing the potential impact of the metaverse on business1 and why in August 2021,a couple of months before Facebook rebranded into Meta to reflect its ambition to transition from being primarily seen as a social media company to becoming a metaverse company,2 we launched our Roads to the Meta

4、verse series,in an attempt to go deeper than much of the PR-able content we saw started emerging on this topic,by exploring this concept and its implications for brands in the present and in the near future.3While it may seem that the industry buzz around the metaverse has erupted suddenly in the la

5、st few years,the excitement for what this may represent for businesses is the result of consumer behaviors that have cemented for over 20 years,across a number of collaborative experiences in games like The Sims,Second Life,Minecraft,and Pokemon Go,perhaps the first mainstream virtual play invasion

6、of real-world locations.Brands are now looking for ways to connect authentically with a generation of consumers who have grown up with these environments and the behaviors they promote.At dentsu,weve embarked on this journey alongside brands exploring how these types of experiences can evolve within

7、 and translate beyond gaming,whether through the gamification of commerce KFC experimented with in China,the integration of digital artefacts in Starbucks loyalty program,or Benetton launching a virtual collection in Animal Crossing.With so much buzz and skepticism surrounding this term in the last

8、few months,we decided that,while we plan to continue this series throughout 2023 and beyond,it would be beneficial to collect the content we have developed so far in the series in this ebook.We believe the metaverse is near but not yet here.Its not uncommon to run into articles describing a brand ac

9、tivation in an open-world videogame,or a customer experience based on augmented or virtual reality as a launch in the metaverse,as if its something that already exists,but the truth is that we are still ways away from this vision fully coming to fruition.So,lets quickly rewind and clarify where we a

10、re on our journey toward the emergence of the metaverse and why its important for brands to start preparing for it.INTRODUCTIONAll Roads Lead to the MetaverseAt dentsu,we help brands prepare for whats next.4Pervasive Value ExchangePART 1The term“metaverse”first appeared in Neal Stephensons sci-fi no

11、vel Snow Crash in 1992 and has been famously built upon by other science fiction novelists such as Ernest Cline,who depicted a version of the metaverse in his book,and subsequent 2018 movie adaption,Ready Player One.The idea accelerated and gained traction during the recent periods of social distanc

12、ing and lock-down,when people began meeting en masse(and even getting married)in video games.4 In April 2021,Epic Games,makers of Fortnite,have very publicly stated a metaverse ambition in their latest round of funding,indicating that they are raising$1b to support their long-term vision for it.5 Ar

13、guably,its in open world videogames like Fortnite that we can glimpse today into what the metaverse is expected to be tomorrow.The best way to think about the metaverse is that it will be the experiential layer built upon Web 3.0 technologies,such as augmented reality(AR),virtual reality(VR),mixed r

14、eality(MR),non-fungible tokens(NFTs),decentralized finance(DeFi),blockchain and cryptocurrencies,in the same way that,broadly speaking,much of the Internet as we know it today is the layer resting on top of Web 2.0 technologies.While Web 3.0 technologies are available today,their adoption and develo

15、pment have not yet sufficient critical mass to supplant the Web 2.0 standard.Most importantly,the vision for the metaverse is intrinsically tied to the notion of interoperability between various environments built upon Web 3.0 technologies,allowing users to transition seamlessly between them.Eventua

16、lly,the metaverse and the immersive environments that comprise it will become so pervasive in consumers day-to-day lives that some of the capabilities and experiences we associate with it will be linked to mundane activities like shopping in a physical store or sharing a picture on social media.The

17、Meta-What-Now?!?A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE METAVERSEEmma at 7:10pmthe physical version of the new top gets delivered just in time for her to wear before she goes out for a drink in WilliamsburgEmma at 9:05amhosting a conference panel via Horizon Workrooms while also entertaining attendees in a physica

18、l office location Physical RealityDigital RealityVirtual RealityEmma at 6:20pmusing that skin on her social media profile pic and to enhance her Fortnite characterEmma at 11.17ampurchasing a skin or NFT item of a new top in an open world platform along with its physical copyINTRODUCTIONAll Roads Lea

19、d to the Metaverse5 5Venture capitalist Matthew Ball,whose work has influenced many in this space,laid out some of the core attributes weve come to associate with the notion of the metaverse in his writings on the subject.6 We find that a good way to summarize these attributes is using the 7Ps of th

20、e metaverse:Plural.The metaverse wont be a single virtual environment but rather be comprised of multiple hybrid shared spaces that blend physical,digital,and virtual realities.An early example of this type of blending is Under Armour launch of wearable Steph Curry NFT snickers,which were made avail

21、able across multiple platforms.7 Participation.Experiences in the metaverse will be inherently social.There is an expectation that everyone will be able to participate in them and that users will be actively shaping and defining them.Presence.The experiences that will be interconnected throughout th

22、e metaverse will be highly immersive and make users feel like they are really there.Profound.These experiences will be limitlessly creative and stimulate a physical,visceral,or cerebral response from those who participate.Persistent.Metaverse environments will continue with or without our participat

23、ion.As we return to previously abandoned experiences,we will find environments transformed by what others have done in them.Exclusive performances that have taken place in open-world videogames to date give us a sense of how this will work:they happened live,like Ariana Grandes concert in Fortnite,a

24、s opposed to recordings experienced by users as they logged into the game.8 Possession.The metaverse will be characterized by decentralized ownership models where people can store wealth and easily transfer it.Ownership marks the delta between the early days of the World Wide Web(where most users co

25、uld only read content),Web 2.0(or the social Internet,where users read and write),and Web 3.0(an evolution into read/write/own).9 Productive.The metaverse will also feature a fully functioning economy where people will be able to create,sell,and buy items that provide utility(and are not exclusively

26、 cosmetic).Today,excitement for the prospect of this future economy is manifesting in the sometimes very expensive purchase of virtual estate in environments like Decentraland.10The 7 Ps of the MetaverseINTRODUCTIONAll Roads Lead to the Metaverse6 6Some doubt that there ever will be a metaverse,in t

27、he sense that disparate environments built on top of Web 3.0 technologies wont be integrated with each other to offer a single seamless,uninterrupted,interoperable limitless experience.However,whether we will witness the emergence of a single,unified metaverse or consumers will spend their time and

28、come together in multiple metaverses that dont bleed into each other(possibly,a scenario where tech giants will integrate their properties but keep them closed off from the environments owned and managed by their competitors),whats important is that consumers will spend most of their online time in

29、environments built on top of Web 3.0 tech that provide them with immersive experiences and that,in order to reach them,brands will need to find ways to connect with them through types of interactions that will become commonplace when this shift has reached critical mass.Beyond marketing buzz,consume

30、rs interest in Web 3.0 technologies and immersive experiences is growing.In a recent consumer Navigator,most consumers told us they see cryptocurrencies,the metaverse and NFTs being part of our lives in 10 years rather than just being a fad.11Why it Matters No Matter WhatFad,not relevant in 10 years

31、Future part of our lives in 10 yearsNFTs53%47%Meta verse46%54%41%Crypto59%Consumer Perspective on the Future Relevance of Web 3.07INTRODUCTIONAll Roads Lead to the MetaverseToday,consumers are most familiar with cryptocurrencies,which is not surprising since they have been around the longest,to the

32、point that 77%of them believe brands and retailers should accept them as a payment method across several shopping environments,including physical stores.12 However,other insights in the same consumer sentiment study suggest that NFTs and virtual goods will undergo a similar adoption curve over time.

33、A very significant finding reveals that even among the consumers who said the metaverse is a fad,there is high interest in owning NFTs and investing in virtual real estate,once again signaling that enthusiasm for the category of experiences we tend to associate with the term metaverse is not depende

34、nt on the notion that all immersive environments built on top of Web 3.0 technologies will be integrated with each other.13This is why,regardless of countless discussions in the industry on the feasibility of a single,unified metaverse,CMOs are increasingly investing in the technologies and experien

35、ces that will inform the next-generation category of read/write/own customer experiences.In Wave 1 of our CMO Navigator study,marketing leaders in the U.S.and Canada indicated that emerging technologies like VR,crypto payments and branded environments in videogames are quickly catching up with curre

36、nt innovation front-runners like chatbots,AI,voice&machine learning in terms of fully becoming part of the marketing mix.14Additionally,marketers see in this future a huge opportunity to unlock new ways to monetize their brands and the cultural status their products,services and experiences have acq

37、uired over time or have the potential to achieve in the right context.In our latest CMO Navigator,76%of respondents told us that they consider virtual goods more or equally as valuable as physical goods,a point of view that is shared by most consumers.15 Nikes recent acquisition of RTFKT,an NFT comp

38、any known for producing virtual sneakers that are sold for as much as 80,000$(rather than the 100-200$range for a typical physical one)echoes this point of view.16With these initial clarifications on where we are on the journey towards the emergence of the metaverse,the traits that will define it,an

39、d why brands need to start preparing for it-whether you interpret the term in a purist or loose connotation-lets dive into the four roads to the metaverse we have explored so far in the series,imagining how commerce,customer identity,social responsibility,and brands themselves will evolve as we unde

40、rgo this paradigm shift,and identifying the actions that marketers can take in the present to prepare for it.REDO LAYOUT WITH GRAPH ON BOTTOMNORTH AMERICAN CMOS HIGH PRIORITY INVESTMENTS IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS(APRIL 2022)Why it Matters No Matter What33%33%33%34%35%36%39%40%41%41%46%49%51%Non-Fungible

41、 Tokens(NFTs)Spatial computingBranded environments within videogamesHeadless commerceBranded virtual goods in videogamesAugmented Reality(AR)BlockchainCrypto-based paymentsVirtual Reality(VR)Voice interfacesMachine learningChatbotsOtherWeb 3.0 tech&interactive CX8Pervasive Value ExchangePART 1Accord

42、ing to our recent Creative Experience survey,35%of CMOs have already adopted virtual product experiences,while 31%are considering adopting them.17 Luxury brands have been particularly active in this space in recent years:in 2020,Rolls Royce collaborated with Tencent to feature a virtual car in the Q

43、Q Speed Mobile game and,in March 2021,Gucci released its first virtual sneakers that can only be worn using Augmented Reality(AR).The Italian fashion house also made the headlines later this year by auctioning its first Non-Fungible Token(NFT)in May.18Brands are reflecting on how to deepen their inv

44、olvement with virtual experiences,move beyond PR-able launches,and actually build sustained ways to monetize the creator economy perhaps selling branded NFTs in the Decentraland marketplace and the younger consumer reach that integrations into gaming can provide.Open-world games are proving to be th

45、e ideal testing ground for brands to ensure they are at the epicenter of a rapidly evolving culture:for instance,Nike built a digital space,NIKELAND,in Roblox to enable gamers to outfit their avatars with special products.19Other brands like Balenciaga and Chipotle are exploring how creating correla

46、tions between virtual and physical products,as well as between virtual and physical experiences can boost engagement and accelerate revenue streams across both planes of reality:last year,Balenciaga launched a Fortnite partnership that featured both virtual skins available for purchase within the ga

47、me and physical fashionwear inspired by the game and available for sale on the fashion houses online commerce store;20 the restaurant chained open a virtual location in Roblox where players could get access to an offer code that entitled them to a free burrito in a physical U.S.location on Halloween

48、.21Ultimately,brands are recognizing that the currencies used in these open-world games are almost becoming the default pocket money for younger consumers and that enabling purchases in this context is the best way to access the market share this cohort represents.This type of experimentation in cre

49、ating connections between commerce experiences that take place on different planes of reality is also a step that marketers are taking(or should be taking)to prepare for the imminent emergence of the metaverse.What will this mean for commerce?With the emergence of digital experiences across multiple

50、 channels,the buyers journey has already expanded into a myriad of customer touchpoints that are often hard for brands to influence and monitor.The rise of the metaverse will open up a whole new set of engagement opportunities that can lead to transactions but also add complexity for brands that are

51、 less successful in mapping how various experiences contribute to influencing sales.Most importantly,brands that are unprepared for this paradigm shift and fail to figure out early what their footprint in the metaverse should be will be left in the dark and have an incomplete view of consumers behav

52、iors.PART 1PERVASIVE VALUE EXCHANGEHow the Metaverse Will Transform Commerce ExperiencesExperiments in virtual commerce and the interoperable customer journey on the horizon 8Pervasive Value ExchangePART 19Pervasive Value ExchangePART 1Exclusivity is one of the major drivers for interest and purchas

53、e that is emerging in the creator economy.Creating an NFT may not be the solution for all brands-for instance,it is questionable whether it would be worthwhile for manufacturers of utilitarian products like fast moving consumer goods to invest in this direction but exclusivity can manifest in variou

54、s ways:for instance,tying access to an exclusive sponsored event in an open world platform to a purchase in the physical world and vice versa.Ultimately,if your brands value proposition is not already tied to exclusivity,ownership in the virtual plane of reality will need to produce some type of val

55、ue or practical application in the physical world.Another area in which brands will be able to monetize exclusivity through the emergence of the metaverse is customization.In the future,interoperable platforms that allow consumers to modify and personalize a virtual product down to the finest level

56、of detail could not only provide to the customer the ability to purchase the unique branded virtual artefact that resulted out of the experience,but contextually also purchase the right for the physical equivalent of that design.This could be applicable not only for apparel brands,but for all produc

57、t categories in which a passionate fanbase values distinctive design:automotive,interior design,and any collectible category.The digital revolution transformed what once was a brand-centric market into a customer-centric market where limitless access to information and options empowered individual c

58、onsumers to be met by brands with convenience.Through the popularity of social and interactive ways to shop,play and watch entertainment together in recent years,we are now witnessing a shift towards a more community-centric market where consumers expect to be enabled by brands to interact with each

59、 other.The emergence of truly interoperable experiences will be a major enabler for this type of behavior:imagine being able to take a picture of a branded physical product in your home and create its virtual rendering through AI and machine learning;publishing this design on social media to form a

60、community of creators who share the same passion and can collaborate on enhancing it in a virtual environment;ultimately,receiving recommendations from the brand on which physical accessories or parts you should purchase to recreate the result of that collaboration as a physical product,or even bein

61、g able to pay a premium to get the brand to put this unique design in production,so you can gift the real thing to members of your community.Collaborative exclusivity and being able to persist a shopping cart that multiple metaverse experiences can integrate with-this is the ultimate playing field w

62、here experiential brands will compete in the future.Enable customization and collaboration to create a new dimension of exclusivity10Pervasive Value ExchangePART 1The emergence of the metaverse will also empower early adopting brands to overcome some of the challenges that physical and digital comme

63、rce present today and put them in a position to get better insights into consumer demand.Today,some brands are still shy of building direct-to-consumer digital experiences because of the operational complexities that are associated with standing up an online storefront that is connected to inventory

64、 management and order fulfillment.By doing so,however,they delegate primary aspects of the customer relationship to physical and digital retail partners and remain in a disintermediated position with regard to their target audience.In the future,these brands may be able to virtualize a direct-to-con

65、sumer model that allows them to gather crucial market insights and delegate to partners the real world actions and executions that emanate out of the transactional behaviors they are observing.More broadly,correlating-while at the same time decoupling-virtual shopping experiences with the inventory

66、and supply chain processes that govern physical production and distribution will empower brands to make investments that are more accurately based on demand by virtue of making virtual items shoppable before their physical equivalents are available or planned for production and purchase.In the futur

67、e,most forms of entertainment will likely be connected to the metaverse,so brands will be able to place their products within existing storytelling constructs and make them available for instant,virtual purchase.Entertainment companies and any brands that own properties with some type of cache will

68、thus evolve into or partner up to form end-to-end lifestyle retail ecosystems that monetize the big cultural moments their franchises create,enabling impulse buying for virtual artifacts before the physical merchandise is available,or even use virtual shoppability to gauge what items deserve to go i

69、nto production,or in the case of franchises with a standing legacy,what items should be re-released(if iconic sneaker designs are being reissued,why shouldnt iconic anything cars,playsets,action figures,team jerseys,coffee machines,soda bottles,stamps be,if there are first-hand insights on the deman

70、d that exists for them?).These tactics will enable cultural brands to position their licensed products as a preferred option to the DIY alternatives available in independent artist marketplaces like Redbubble,while leaving consumers an outstanding level of choice and customization.They will also emp

71、ower brands to monetize consumers nostalgia,which is currently fuelling the collectors second-hand market on platforms like Ebay.Reversing the availability and shoppability equation11Pervasive Value ExchangePART 1The best way for brands to prepare for this paradigm shift is to interrogate themselves

72、 on what are the levers that exist within their value proposition to generate or enhance some level of fandom or a sense of exclusivity.Do you take to market products that have cultural cache?What about your legacy products?Have you explored what it would take to create a virtual equivalent for eith

73、er of them with gaming engine companies?If you are not a cultural brand,do your products or services have a utilitarian purpose that can be tied to gaming as an activity?If so,what type of real life value or practical application could you let consumers unlock by taking part in an in-game buyers jou

74、rney so you start building relevance with a younger cohort that expects to be engaged in this new territory?Are there levels of customization or personalization of your products that are worthwhile exploring but are too costly to enable in physical production without certainty of demand?These types

75、of experimentations could fit within an existing gaming franchise as an integration to test the waters and get valuable learnings on what type of commercial presence in the metaverse your brand should expect and invest into in the long term./WATCH THE EPISODEHow brands should start preparing for com

76、merce in the Metaverse12Pervasive Value ExchangePART 1The rising popularity of virtual reality and the growing amount of time spent by consumers with gaming as their media of choice is leading brands to deploy activations that allow them to expose their products and services,or virtual surrogates fo

77、r their products and services,to consumers avatars in the context of popular gaming franchises,the afore-mentioned NIKELAND within Roblox being one of the most publicized examples of this trend.With the emergence of the metaverse,we expect greater(if not complete)connectivity between virtual environ

78、ments,enabling consumers to move from an experience within Fortnite to a different virtual world more seamlessly than today,potentially leveraging the same avatar across both,and then even migrate to correlated non-virtual digital and physical experiences without disruption.To give a practical examp

79、le,today,users collaborate in the professional sphere through VR within Metas Horizon Workrooms.Still,their presence in this space is limited to a siloed avatar that they created ad hoc for it.Tomorrow,they may be able to show up at a Horizon Workrooms dress down Friday as their Cyberpunk 2077 selve

80、s,without having to interrupt their experience.Even if the metaverse should not come to fruition in the purist sense of an integration of all consumer-facing environments in existence,we can still expect that soon we will see this level of interoperability between different virtual environments that

81、 belong to the same conglomerate ecosystem(imagine interoperability between different environments developed by Epic Games as the next generation version of the integration that exists today between different Microsoft products).We are already witnessing within the current explosion of media channel

82、s that“how different advertising messages work is a function of a combination of circumstances the message and creative,the context,the device,etc.”and that“viewability and other device measures can be quite arbitrary proxies for real attention.”22 The evolution of the notion of identity in the meta

83、verse will determine how brands engage consumers in the future and will create new dimensions to how attention is created,captured,and measured.Brands already need to start thinking beyond virtual eyeballs.PART 2REFRACTED CUSTOMER IDENTITIESBuilding audience connections in the age of the metaverseSi

84、loed avatars as another set of eyeballs12Refracted Customer IdentitiesPART 213Refracted Customer IdentitiesPART 2In a future where a consumers identity will be refracted and fragmented into several virtual selves,how should brands start thinking about advertising,audiences,and data?In most virtual e

85、nvironments today,the users virtual identity is coupled with the application,but this is sometimes frustrating and definitely at odds with how most imagine Web 3.0 decentralization.Once a seamless transition across metaverse experiences is available,who will enable and be in control of the translati

86、on points between environments?The literature around the rise of the metaverse is ripe with the promise of interoperability,but in fact what we see happening today among the big technology players that enable most of our online experiences goes in the opposite direction.In the MarTech and AdTech ind

87、ustry,we are using the expression“walled gardens”to describe the closed ecosystems controlled by tech giants like Google,Apple,or Facebook/Meta.These companies are leveraging their vast collections of consumer data and act as centralized operators for digital advertising on their platforms.However,t

88、he size of these ecosystems and what is happening within them suggests that“continent”would be a better definition:rather than fencing gardens,these players are contributing to a digital rift that is silo-ing the open web into ecosystems that play by their own rules of data handling and measurement,

89、so that they can best monetize their infrastructure.23Very much like its happening with digital continents today,will the entry points we use to access the metaverse have a repercussion on the identity that we will carry out across our hybrid experience within it,even when we migrate to different sy

90、stems?For brands,will middle-man companies that provide metaverse entry points be the primary counterparts they need to engage with to activate advertising?The other aspect that will have a major implication for brands is the governance of entry points and translation points.A good way to think abou

91、t this is to take the number of subscription services for audio-visual content we have today and how the content offer in each of them changes according to the VPN in use and multiply that level of complexity exponentially.Will there be a business for companies helping users manage,retain,and export

92、 aspects of their avatars across different environments?When different forms of entertainment we experience will be connected within the metaverse and therefore become more interactive,the behaviors that occur within it will have even bigger repercussions in our offline lives:how will governments fi

93、ght misinformation,predatory behaviors,and hate speech with their specific legislation if our experiences depend on entry points and transcend the country where our physical selves connect?Today,different legislations are having an impact on how brands treat audience data.Will this tension grow or w

94、ane in Web 3.0?The literature around the rise of the metaverse is ripe with the promise of interoperability,but in fact what we see happening today among the big technology players that enable most of our online experiences goes in the opposite direction.Governance and monetization of entry points a

95、nd translation points14Refracted Customer IdentitiesPART 2If zero-party data,meaning the data that consumers intentionally and proactively share with brands,is a coveted currency now,this will be the case,even more,when peoples presence in the metaverse is refracted across multiple avatars.Brands th

96、at garner the information necessary to market to the skeleton key that will persist along with a user while they cross-over between different environments will have a significant advantage against their competitors,as they will be able to have more complete insights on their audiences behaviors and

97、will deliver contextual experiences that are more accurate and not duplicative.Theres an expectation that when the paradigm shift to Web 3.0-enabled experiences is completed,users will be able to exercise ownership over their virtual self through blockchain and decentralization in ways that,so far,a

98、re precluded from them.When this occurs,the continuous identity or skeleton key that persists across environment-specific avatars will become not only a more rounded online self,but it will also become a wallet in the sense that consumers will be empowered to network the information contained within

99、 it with brands and advertisers in exchange for perks or straight up currency.In addition to this,a self-wallet could increment or decrease in value based on the number and quality of NFT artifacts and experiences that become tied with it throughout its existence in the metaverse.Brands will not onl

100、y need to explore new forms of value exchange to get better insights into consumers identity;they will also need to invest in defrauding to make sure they are not giving rewards away for free.The new generation of consumers born in the age of the metaverse will be comprised of users accustomed to co

101、ding their own experiences.As we are already seeing within open-world gaming communities and the burgeoning creator economy,audiences will expect to be able to architect and take over environments as opposed to experience them just how publishers are being presenting them.Inevitably,brands and publi

102、shers will need to protect themselves from scammers and piracy,so they dont offer access,perks,or artefacts in exchange for non-human interactions.In addition to this,theyll need to understand how they can intersect with,or even monetize the reseller market for their branded artefacts.Building curre

103、ncy and security for the self-wallet,a new paradigm of user identityAnyoneOnly FriendsYou ChooseFriendsOnlyYou15Refracted Customer IdentitiesPART 2We dont know how hard it will be to market to the persistent self,as opposed to marketing to the avatar,and we dont know what products and services will

104、be valued more in the future,but we know,very much as it occurs in gaming today,users tolerance for interruptive advertising will be extremely low.Brand messages need to be highly contextual,starting with virtual and gaming activations planned for today,and they will need to be even more contextual

105、to the environment they are integrated with if identity fragmentation into multiple avatars will leave businesses in the dark and unable to make assumptions about the audience populating it.Whether we will have a single,unified metaverse,or several Web 3.0-enabled environments where consumers come t

106、ogether,its safe to say that to meet the expectations that are already being informed by available metaverse-like experiences in gaming and other environments like Decentraland,the advertising model needs to be flipped,from a quantity play that values impressions to a quality play that is focused on

107、 creating value and buzz through exclusivity and meaningful interactions.In an ecosystem where everyone can seamlessly migrate across an endless number of experiences,scarcity will progressively become more attractive and newsworthy.Brands should test the waters within the gaming space now,with more

108、 limited-edition ad drops,and start building a value proposition based on contextual interactions in exchange for permissions and insights.In order to do so,they need to start investing in a safe and compliant zero-data infrastructure as the backbone of their next generation of hybrid customer exper

109、iences./WATCH THE EPISODEHow brands should start preparing for audience interactions in the age of the metaverseQuality ofActivationsQuantity ofInteractionsBrand-CustomerRelationship16Pervasive Value ExchangePART 1When we are on the verge of a new paradigm of interaction enabled by technology,we oft

110、en wonder whether it will unlock new possibilities for progress and good.This has happened in the recent past for innovations like social media which is somewhat ironic to recall today as we often associate these platforms with incidents in which misinformation and political polarization have spread

111、.24 True progress is achieved when technology and creativity are democratized and open up tangible opportunities for the greater good of everyone.Much speculation is bubbling up as to whether,once it comes to full fruition,the metaverse will be able to live up to its promise and enrich consumers liv

112、es with serendipitous,inclusive connections.However,potential isnt always reflected in reality:both media and industry insiders are starting to wonder how tech companies will be able to keep misinformation and toxic behaviors at bay in the much more complex metaverse,when they struggled to do so on

113、simpler platforms and experiences.25What seems to have changed,in comparison to when earlier innovations got traction and started to become part of our daily habits,is consumers attitude towards brands and their ethos.Research from dentsus Recovery Navigator series shows that as many as 65%consumers

114、 regularly stop purchasing brands based on their perception of a business behavior and values.This trend is especially evident in the younger consumers of today(74%among Millennials and Gen Z)and is therefore likely to inform expectations for the still somewhat distant emergence of the metaverse.26A

115、s businesses either build the technology that enables this new layer of experiences or develop branded experiences that will coalesce into it,the hope is that their desire to meet this consumer expectation with authenticity and commitment to social purpose will inform their behavior.PART 3BUILDING A

116、 BETTER WORLDOpportunities for equality and inclusion in the metaverseA new hope?16Building a Better WorldPART 317Building a better worldPART 3What are the ways in which the metaverse could become a force for good?The closest we have to it today are open world videogames and certainly the gaming wor

117、ld has been at the epicenter of the controversy around negative online behaviors,especially with the#GamerGate online harassment campaign that started in 2014.While some maintain that sexism and misogyny are intrinsic to gaming culture 27 in recent years the major console brands have agreed to work

118、together to address the issue by creating safer spaces for their customers.28Virtual worlds present a great opportunity for inclusivity and representation.For instance,Electronic Arts The Sims 3,released in 2009,allowed full,equal same-sex marriages,while the United States only granted same-sex marr

119、iage rights six years later.29 The Sims has now fully embraced gender fluidity,lifting all gender restrictions to allow for more representative,inclusive and realistic gameplay.30We dont know if in the metaverse cartoony avatars will keep being predominant as they are in open-world gaming today,or w

120、hether there will be an explosion of realistic avatars generated by virtual engines.Regardless of which standard will become commonplace,both the virtualization of identities and the freedom of expression enabled by the underlying tooling that the metaverse will leverage hold the potential for peopl

121、e to start seeing otherness in a less divisive way than they do today,as a result of interactions and cross-cultural exchanges with others that are not present or expressed in ones physical local area.Similarly,virtual identities as a performance could prove to be a source of equality and inclusion,

122、by offering safe spaces for gender exploration or opening new forms of accessibility and learning for people with disabilities.31Virtual identities as a propellor for inclusion18Building a better worldPART 3Economic empowerment is a second area in which the emergence of the metaverse could open up n

123、ew opportunities for the greater good.We are only in the early days of decentralized technology,yet we are seeing a burgeoning creator economy fundamentally redefining the notions of ownership,financial value and exclusivity,especially with the booming of NFT collectability which has transformed a n

124、ew art scene into something similar to a crypto-goldrush.32Play-to-earn models are also a new trend that is challenging the traditional economic construct,capturing the attention of both the investment market start-up Yield Guild Games(YGG)completed a$4 million Series A round of funding-as well as t

125、he attention of brands:in June 2021,for example,Burberry announced a partnership with Mythical Games,a play-to-earn developer.33While both the creator economy and play-to-earn games open up new,exciting ways to thrive financially,they also could contribute to a future where opportunities are not equ

126、ally available to all.Equality in a tech-pervasive future will largely be dependent on the fair distribution of connectivity,tooling,and specialized education.Still,today circa 15%of homes with school-age children in the U.S.lack internet access and UNESCO reports that as many as 14%of the household

127、s in Europe are not connected,while in sub-Saharan Africa nearly 82%of students have no way to get online.34Another aspect to consider when we think about the potential impact caused by the wave of innovation that is expected to result in the rise of the metaverse is the production of new devices:wh

128、en a technology standard becomes widespread,the entry price point for the tools that enable it tends to lower to meet market demand.This,historically,often goes hand in hand with unfair working conditions exploited by manufacturers,and an impact on the environment due to widespread abandonment of ea

129、rlier models.In addition to this,we are starting to realize the massive toll that NFT production currently takes on the environment.35 For the metaverse to be an agent of progress,the brands that contribute to building it will need to make sure innovation is met by responsible and sustainable busine

130、ss behaviors.A new economy requires new forms of economic empowerment19Building a better worldPART 3To have different perspectives and true intersectionality inform the world in the age of the metaverse,brands need to em-brace diversity in leadership.The current makeup of most enterprise tech compan

131、ies is still predominantly male and white as a result of systemic issues that businesses have only recently started to address.The metaverse will be a truly inclusive succes-sor of the internet if and only if the brands that build it make sure that intersection-ality is understood in the rooms where

132、 the decisions are made.Another crucial step for brands is address-ing the digital divide,so that the economic opportunities created by the emergence of the metaverse become equally available.Companies like Dell Technology,Intel,Mi-crosoft,Comcast and P&G recently joined forces to address the digita

133、l divide in ed-ucation with a$25M investment but more needs to be done and on a global scale.36Lastly and most importantly,brands should ensure their integration within gaming communities,the forefathers of the metaverse communities of the future,is authentic and transparent:dont exploit consumer at

134、tention within virtual worlds to push a one-sided advertising agenda at all costs,but rather build enriching experienc-es and stand up as an ally against misinfor-mation and hateful behaviors./WATCH THE EPISODEHow brands can help pave the way for good in the metaverse20The Coming to Life of BrandsPA

135、RT 4Looking back,brands seem to have been on an evolutionary journey to better relate with consumers by becoming increasingly more human by acting and feeling less like a faceless company,and more like a relatable person.In this section,we want to explore where we are on this journey and what unexpl

136、ored paths may be opened by the emergence of the metaverse.The notion of brand has expanded from simple corporate artifacts to a complex set of characteristics and associations that add up to the unique meaning a brand has in peoples minds.It has become pervasive in our day-to-day experiences as con

137、sumers,not only while we are shopping,but also as we interact with popular culture.Yet,we may be on the verge of another leap in how we think about what a brand is and quite close to the full realization of brands human potential.In this piece we will discuss:How businesses have developed broader br

138、and traits,beyond design,to connect with consumers on a deeper level.How digital technologies and social media have allowed those connections to become interactive.How despite the current popularity of virtual environments most brands are still missing out on the opportunities presented by moving fr

139、om social interaction to shared social experiences.How AI and the Metaverse may enable brands to unlock a new level of humanity.Originally,brands were used to signal ownership:they were a mark applied on objects or livestock to claim their origin and belonging.In the early days of mass marketing,bra

140、nds evolved into a design element and eventually a design system(comprising logos,fonts,color palettes and other recurring aesthetics elements)that businesses used to highlight differentiation between their products and services and those taken to market by their competitors.Yet,consumers still look

141、ed at brands primarily as the representation of a commercial proposition,rather than a broader set of attributes.The notion of brand personality as“the set of human characteristics associated with a brand”37 was formalized by Jennifer Aaker in 1997 to address broader and more abstract values that bu

142、sinesses had started to manifest through their brands to connect with consumers in the previous two decades.However,whether it was through advertising or service experiences delivered at the retail level,brands were showcasing their“personalities”in a one-directional fashion,simply projecting human

143、traits through mass communications rather than fully expressing them through brand behaviors in dynamic interactions with consumers.PART 4THE COMING TO LIFE OF BRANDSWhere weve been and where we might go in the age of the metaverseThe beginnings of ACTING more human:brands evolving from symbolic des

144、igns to echoing personalities21The Coming to Life of BrandsPART 4The emergence of digital technologies and social media allowed for brand personalities to emerge in a greater number of environments and to manifest in more interactive ways.Modern manufacturing techniques,and technology shortened the

145、distance between an idea and a product on shelf,lowering barriers to enter markets.At the same time,the digital revolution empowered consumers with unprecedented access to information about competitive products and services and,at times,endless options to choose from when making purchasing decisions

146、.With price and function becoming more of a commodity,spoiled for choice consumers eventually ended up placing a greater premium on the customer experiences surrounding the product or service-delivered to them through an expanding variety of touchpoints.38 The rise of big data and tech-enabled CRM a

147、llowed brands to develop a memory of interactions that enabled ever more personal ways for brands to connect and bond with consumers to respond as if they recognize and know them.Social media,on the other hand,allowed brand personalities to further evolve and manifest in new,more sophisticated ways

148、through two-way conversational engagements and real-time interactions with consumers and other brands.Wendys sarcastic commentary and provocations on Twitter to both consumers and competitors are a great example of how conversational engagement through social media allowed the brand to differentiate

149、 itself via the personality expressed not only through its actions,but also in its ability to react to situations and commentary with humor;manifesting its personality in ways that were not practical,or even possible in the pre-digital landscape.39The start of REACTING more human-like:brands develop

150、 a memory and leap into interactivity through digital and social technologies22The Coming to Life of BrandsPART 4As the building blocks of the metaverse start to take shape in the form of open,interactive worlds where consumers meet up,socialize,and share immersive experiences,brands are looking to

151、extend their relationships with consumers by integrating into these environments.This means marketers are faced with the question:“how should our brand show up?”There is potential here for brands to go beyond the current level of interaction enabled by digital and social media and actually actively

152、participate in social experiences with consumers,furthering the human character of brands by mimicking the patterns of human socialization.Yet,rather than rethinking their approaches,most brands for now seem to be dipping their toes into virtual realities by copying existing ways of connecting with

153、consumers on analog and digital platforms and replicating those approaches in virtual environments:be that advertising on virtual displays available in videogames,like Mastercard did within Riot Games League of Legends,40 or opening branded digital retail environments mirroring those that exist in o

154、ur cities,like Balenciagas previously mentioned hub in Epic Games Fortnite.41 Some brands lean towards doubling down the experiential path digital had elevated by providing consumers with a more fun and immersive exposure to the brand:Vans World,the branded virtual playground in Roblox where players

155、 can dress up their avatars,customize their skateboards and practice their virtual skating tricks is a prime example of this.42 Still,it feels that most are simply transferring existing modes of connecting with consumers to new channels rather than exploring the new possibilities on the horizon.Wend

156、ys 2018 Fortnite activation is a significant exception to this trend.Back then,the game publisher had launched a new event called Food Fight,with players competing on behalf of their favorite fictional digital restaurant in a Team Burger vs.Team Pizza contest.When it discovered that Team Burger was

157、storing its meat in the freezer,Wendys joined the contest to advertise its fresh,never frozen beef policy,creating a character that resembled their mascot and inviting hundreds of thousands of players to join them on a quest to destroy virtual freezers.43 It was a true moment of socialization betwee

158、n a brand and consumers,as they interjected in each others social spaces,competing and colluding together.Following old scripts:the underused potential of shared social experiences in how most brands are showing up in virtual environments todayRather than rethinking their approaches,most brands for

159、now seem to be dipping their toes into virtual realities by copying existing ways of connecting with consumers.23The Coming to Life of BrandsPART 4Wendys Fortnite activation is an example of only one way that brands may show up in the metaverse:being personified into avatars.In recent years,several

160、brands have leveraged virtual influencers,like Lu Do Mugalu and Lil Miquela,who can count on millions of followers on platforms like Instagram,for activations on social media.44 Most virtual influencers are essentially CGI-designed avatars operated by creators and marketers:there is limited use of A

161、I in the initial manufacturing of the personalities and behaviors of some of them,but control over their values and messaging is one of the key reasons why brands use them on social media.However,its important to keep in mind that more than half consumers say theyd want to know who is behind a virtu

162、al influencer they are interacting with.45Beyond social media,the concept of brand personification in virtual environments is gaining traction,with Dentsu Creative announcing the launch of a new solution(Dentsu VI):a virtual identity service that provides brands with a virtual face and personality t

163、o represent it across digital platforms.This enables brands to experiment with their future metaverse state.46But the real evolutions are coming with how brands personalities are able to engage with communities in the metaverse.Social interactions between brands and consumers in interactive environm

164、ents are becoming both more commonplace and more critical in creating brand buzz and consumer bonds.Its those brand representatives leading community engagements(even if virtual)that are increasingly shaping how brands are perceived and how trust in them is built.In fact,John Cantarella,VP,Community

165、&Scaled Creator Partnerships at Meta suggested that they will increasingly be seen as the true“keepers of the brand trust.”47 The metaverse is expected to be a highly participatory layer of social experiences,where the need for brands to directly engage with community members on a one-to-one basis w

166、ill escalate.However,looking at the advancements in AI we can speculate that in the not-so-distant future brands representations and manifestations in the metaverse will evolve from running on pre-determined tracks laid down by community engagement managers and instead evolve into entities with agen

167、cy.Virtual personification supercharged by next-gen AI in the metaverse may lead to a breakthrough in brands reaching a new level of humanity,becoming more than just scripted avatars,but rather close-to-self-aware(or perhaps actually self-aware)entities grounded in values,motivated by purpose and ca

168、pable of independent social interactions.Think brands with a capital B and the ability to relate to consumers all on their own.Leaving scripts behind:the full realization of brands human potential with the rise of sentient brands in the metaverse24The Coming to Life of BrandsPART 4Today,most AI-base

169、d marketing solutions are addressing logistical use-cases like the optimization of media messages,event-based consumer targeting,and the acceleration of creative development via the use of automated,intelligent workflows.An intermediate step towards the development of sentient brands would be coupli

170、ng virtual brand personifications with Turing Test-level AI that can act independently of any community managers-meaning that humans socializing with such a brand manifestation wouldnt be able to detect that its actions are being informed by a machine,rather than another human being.48 This would al

171、low for real-time,one-on-one responses to consumer prompts,moments of socialization,and a level of consistency in interactions and behaviors that goes beyond what businesses can deliver in terms of customer experiences today.(For now,were skipping past the fact that becoming increasingly human might

172、 actually mean that Brands-with-a-capital-B might also be more temperamental just like humans).Beyond independent social interactions,the final step towards brands humanity will be injecting sentient,self-aware AI into virtual brand personifications that have their own sense of agency.This may feel

173、like something confined to the distant future,but a Google engineer recently reported that LaMDA,the companys AI,claims to be self-aware.49 We may not have long to wait before self-aware brands begin acting like sci-fi depictions of AI in popular culture,like Isaac Asimovs 1950 short-story collectio

174、n I,Robot,Steven Spielbergs 2001 movie A.I.Artificial Intelligence,Spike Jonzes Her in 2013,or Ex Machina,Alex Garlands 2014 directorial debut.Brands evolutionary journey has ultimately been informed by the notion of a business creating a better interface to connect with humans in more human ways.Th

175、erefore,perhaps the ultimate marketing superpower provided by AI and the metaverse will become the ability to cross the final threshold and bring brands alive and natively capable of socializing with consumers in this new reality.Preparing for the emergence of the metaverse,marketers should not limi

176、t themselves to simply applying new paint to previously paved roads.In this new world,brands need to ask:how can we go past existing modes of engagement in the future?Aside from the technology itself,what unprecedented opportunities to connect with consumers are emerging in this new environment?In a

177、ddition to showing up differently,what fundamentally different things should our brands do?/LEARN MORE25Pervasive Value ExchangePART 1Popular open-world gaming platforms such as Fortnite,Roblox,Minecraft and Animal Crossing already present several of the characteristics that will shape the evolution

178、 of customer experiences in the metaverse,to the extent that Ryan Gill,Crucible CEO and Co-Founder,stated that“if web developers are the architects of the internet as we know it(Web 2.0),then game developers are the architects of the metaverse(Web 3.0).”50While there is still a lot of work underway

179、to allow users to transfer a digital asset from one system to another leveraging NFTs and a blockchain technology backbone,gaming is already giving us an example of the creative,cultural,and community-building potential the metaverses interoperability will hold:games like Nintendos Super Smash Broth

180、ers now allow players to mix characters from titles owned by different publishers.While Axie Infinity,built on the Ethereum blockchain,is allowing people worldwide to get paid in cryptocurrencies to complete quests and battles and then cash out in real-world currencies.Gaming provides a place to exp

181、eriment and learn how your brand could show up in a future metaverse state.In fact,one may argue that today gaming is the highway to the metaverse that fast-tracks the various ways in weve discussed so far(commerce,customer identity,social responsibility,brand potentially sentient personification).H

182、owever,gamers are quick to reject insincere interactions and brands that interrupt the gaming experience instead of integrating with it authentically.Gaming is now such a prevalent behavior that is not sufficient to simply have a presence in this ecosystem;brands rather need to have an understanding

183、 of their target audience and what motivations leads that audience to gaming,playing specifically certain games,on certain devices and at certain times.At dentsu,we not only have the expertise required to design and execute gaming integrations across a broad spectrum of capabilities,but we can also

184、leverage in-depth gamer audience insights through priority data and tools.Our CCS data platform is supercharged through data fusions of proprietary bespoke gaming surveys,as well as fusion of the GWI Gaming survey,giving us advanced gaming audience data across 24 markets.Whether your brand is at the

185、 beginning of its gaming journey,has already met some success,or is now well versed and wants to go above and beyond,the actionable insights provided by this audience-based approach help brands develop a presence that truly resonates with gaming audiences and communities.CONCLUSIONGETTING STARTED/LE

186、ARN MOREGaming and other test bedsCONCLUSIONGetting Started2626While gaming is the metaverse-like experience with greater traction among users,there are other test beds for brands to experiment with what their future metaverse state may be.For instance,some enterprises have built up branded experien

187、ces in immersive non-gaming environments like Decentraland to enable consumers to explore their new products and come together in communities revolving around their brands,like the virtual brewery that opened for the Heineken Silver launch.51Dentsu,Microsoft and LinkedIn recently announced the launc

188、h of dentsu NXT Space a unique collaboration space in the metaverse,designed to excite and inspire brands to innovate and experiment with Web 3.0 technologies,while also leveraging existing Web 2.0 applications like the full suite of Microsoft 365 products,Microsoft AI-powered Text to speech and for

189、thcoming Microsoft Designer capabilities,as well as the ability for visitors to grow their networks through LinkedIn.In this space,a range of real-world use cases have been re-imagined in a virtual setting to drive greater engagement,productivity,and accessibility for business,showcasing what can be

190、 achieved in critical business areas such as customer service,retail,and learning and development.The newly built dentsu and Microsoft spaces are located on the dentsu campus,in Moon Valley,a digital twin of the moon created by HeadOffice.Space,the metaverse for productivity.The space was designed s

191、pecifically to be more accessible by more people and through any web-enabled device,as well as VR and mobile.Ripe with educational environments that can help businesses learn how some of todays business problems can be solved in the metaverse tomorrow and with opportunities to experiment use-cases p

192、owered by best-in-breed Web 3.0 tech and experience providers,this space is designed to be the quintessential metaverse test bed./LEARN MORENow is the time to experiment with your brands future metaverse state,to gain first-mover advantage.CONCLUSIONGetting Started2727In each section we provided som

193、e suggestions on how brands should start preparing for the emergence of the metaverse in each of the areas discussed,whether its commerce,customer identity,social responsibility,or their own evolution.More broadly,brands should consider this three-pronged approach for their journey towards the metav

194、erse:/EXPLORE MIXED WORLDS.Evaluate the customer experience you offer.What are the pain points online,in-store,at home,and upon arrival and how can Web 3.0 innovation remove them or mitigate them?/COLLABORATE TO ACCELERATE.Work with partners to develop a mutually productive test-and-learn plan to ex

195、periment with new technologies while sharing into the needed investment./PLAY TO WIN.Work with experts to determine what success looks like and make incremental investment in those areas to create customer joy and ultimately drive growth.WHAT SHOULD BRANDS DO?CONCLUSIONGetting Started2828Sources1.Me

196、taverse and Marketing(dentsuX).2.Introducing Meta:A Social Technology Company(Meta).3.All Roads Lead to the Metaverse(dentsu).4.The Pandemic Canceled Their Wedding.So They Held It in Animal Crossing(Washington Post).5.Epic Games Raises$1B for Long-Term Metaverse Plans,with$200M from Sony(GamesBeat).

197、6.Framework for the Metaverse(MatthewBall.vc).7.Under Armour Steps Into the Metaverse With Wearable Steph Curry Sneakers(CoinDesk).8.Fortnites Ariana Grande Concert Offers a Taste of Music in the Metaverse(TechCrunch).9.Introduction to Web3(Ethereum.org).10.Virtual Real Estate Plot Sells for Record$

198、2.4 Million(Reuters).11.Digital Ownership and the Metaverse:Consumer Sentiment Study(dentsu Consumer Navigator).12.Digital Ownership and the Metaverse:Consumer Sentiment Study(dentsu Consumer Navigator).13.Digital Ownership and the Metaverse:Consumer Sentiment Study(dentsu Consumer Navigator).14.Den

199、tsu CMO Navigator Wave 1:Transforming the Business for a New Consumer Mandate(dentsu).15.Dentsu CMO Navigator Wave 2:The Persistent Pursuit of Whats Next(dentsu).16.Nike is Taking on the Metaverse With Their Acquisition of RTFKT(Utah Business).17.2021 CX Survey:The Rise of Connected Experiences(Isob

200、ar).18.Gucci Closes First NFT Sale Via Christies Auction(Gotham).19.Nike is Building its Metaverse Inside of Roblox(Engadget).20.Fortnite x Balenciaga Has Arrived&Its Selling Fast(HighSnobiety).21.Chipotle To Open Virtual Restaurant On Roblox With$1 Million In Free Burritos And Serve Up$5 Digital En

201、tre Offer For Boorito(Chipotle Newsroom).22.Unlocking the Currency of Attention(dentsu).23.The Emergence of Digital Continents is Driving a Paradigm Shift in Measurement(Cardinal Path).24.6 Ways Social Media Made the World a Better Place(Readers Digest).25.Misinformation Has Already Made Its Way to

202、the Metaverse(Bloomberg).26.Like It or Not,Your Future as an Activist Brand Has Already Begun(dentsu).27.Sexism and Misogyny Are Gamings Status Quo(VentureBeat).28.Microsoft,Nintendo,and Sony Unite to Create Safer Online Spaces(Game Developer).29.How The Sims Helped a Generation of LGBT+Gamers(SBS).

203、30.The Sims is Now Totally Gender Fluid(Dazed Digital).31.What the Future of Virtual Reality CONCLUSIONGetting Started2929Means for Accessibility(Bureau of Internet Accessibility).32.The Untold Story of the NFT Boom(NY Times).33.Burberry Announces Partnership withMythical Games(Fashion United).34.Le

204、arning Curve(Kiwanis).35.NFTs Are Hot.So is Their Effect onthe Earths Climate(Wired).36.Companies Unite to AddressEducations Digital Divide With$25Million Investment(BusinessWire).37.Dimensions of Brand Personality(Stanford University).38.Consumers Are Hungry for anExperience-Based Connection withYo

205、ur Brand(Forbes).39.50 Times Companies PostedSuch Witty Comebacks On SocialMedia,People Just Had To Share It(BoredPanda).40.Mastercard Will Be Advertising inLeague of Legends Pro Games(TheGamer).41.High Digital Fashion Drops intoFortnite with Balenciaga(EpicGames).42.Roblox Partners With Vans To Lau

206、nchInteractive Skatepark(Forbes).43.Cannes Lions Winner:Wendys WinsSocial Top Prize for Keeping Fortnite Fresh Campaign(Digital Training Academy).44.The Rise of Virtual Influencers AndWhat It Means For Brands(Forbes).45.CGI Betrayal:New Study Reveals42%of People Dont Know TheyreFollowing a Bot(Adota

207、s).46.Dentsu Designs Virtual BrandCharacters for Metaverse andBeyond(MarketingDive).47.Advertising Week 2021 Rewind(dentsu).48.The Turing Test:What Is It,WhatCan Pass It,and Limitations(Investopedia).49.The Google Engineer Who SeesCompanys AI as Sentient Thinks aChatbot Has a Soul(Georgia PublicBroa

208、dcasting).50.Building the Open Metaverse withRyan Gill,Founder of Crucible(The Look Up!Podcast with MarcWeinstein).51.2 Billion Metaverse Impressions:HowHeineken Brought Its Virtual Beer toLife(ClickZ).Roads to the Metaverse30Contributors:Jack Boitani Director,Content DevelopmentDirk Herbert Chief S

209、trategy Officer,AmericasDan Holland EVP,Solutions DevelopmentTommy HuthanselVP Director Partnerships and dentsu gamingAlex May Managing Partner,StrategyChristena Pyle Chief Equity Officer,AmericasSarah Stringer EVP,Head of US Media PartnershipsKrystle Tabujara Culture Director,dentsu goodVal Vacante

210、 VP Solutions InnovationKevin Villatoro Director,Global PartnershipsAbout dentsu:Dentsu is the network designed for whats next,helping clients predict and plan for disruptive future opportunities and create new paths to growth in the sustainable economy.Taking a people-centered approach to business

211、transformation,we use insights to connect brand,content,commerce and experience,underpinned by modern creativity.As part of Dentsu Group Inc.(Tokyo:4324;ISIN:JP3551520004),we are headquartered in in Tokyo,Japan and our 65,000-strong employee-base of dedicated professionals work across four regions(Japan,Americas,EMEA and APAC).Dentsu combines Japanese innovation with a diverse,global perspective to drive client growth and to shape society.Dentsu Group Inc.websites: and