Brands have been warned not to “jump” into the metaverse because of the risk of falling foul of data regulations.
Leila Seith Hassan, head of data science and analytics at Digitas, told an event that clients were asking about the metaverse but for most “it’s just not relevant.”
Speaking at the Data and Marketing Association’s Data 2023 conference in London, she said: “We work with lots of different brands. A lot of clients are asking about the metaverse and what it means to them. We are trying to determine how their brands could exist in the metaverse.
“The reality is we are years away. Lots of brands are talking about it but as it stands it’s quite limited in what it can do,” she said. “For their target market, it’s just not relevant. If you are jumping somewhere that’s not relevant, it raises questions about how you are using data. You expose your brand to quite a lot of risk.”
Hassan said issues around data ownership would grow as immersive worlds such as the metaverse evolve and expand, creating further risks around hacking and unlawful use by brands.
“Whatever the future holds, it’s on us to really ask questions about how we want to use this information and what kind of information is relevant and who owns it,” she said.
The conference was told immersive worlds would evolve to include elements of gaming.
Professor Andy Miah, futurologist and chair of science communication and future media at the University of Salford, described the multiverse as “the latest iteration” of the human expression of imagination and role-play.
He said there would be a “transformation from user to player.”
“When you are in a game, it’s very hard to do anything else,” he said. “This transformation is underpinned by that playability.”
He went on: “What we are seeing through the multiverse is a recognition of experience by a new generation.
“It’s not about, ‘What is the marketing opportunity?’, it’s about this fusion of physical and digital.”
Perla Bloom, manager (strategy lead), global marketing strategy at Electronic Arts, said gaming environments could be “toxic” but the company had worked to increase representation, including player councils that provide feedback on games and marketing.
“It has to be a world that suits everybody,” she said.
Richard Norton, cofounder of The Peeps, said: “Do something that enriches humanity, not just for the sake of it. A better-verse not a metaverse.”
This story first appeared on campaignlive.co.uk.