Explaining the metaverse: Meta, Snap, Twitter and Web3 startups will break it all down

The metaverse is still a mystery to most brands, but not for much longer: Ad Age is bringing together some of the most innovative companies tinkering in Web3 to explain it all, from NFTs to virtual luxuries, at Unlocking the Metaverse on March 10. Ad Age’s metaverse event will explore some of the most pressing topics related to the metaverse and Web3. Discussions will revolve around battling visions for the metaverse; the usefulness of NFTs in building communities; next-level commerce; and ever-important brand safety considerations, for marketers that are taking their first steps into new platforms. RSVP for March 10 livestream at AdAge.com/InDepthMetaverse. Nicola Mendelson, Meta’s head of global business solutions, is scheduled to discuss how the social media company, comprised of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Quest devices, underwent a total rebrand for the metaverse. Mendelson will guide Ad Age through the virtual world. David Roter, Snap’s VP of global agency partnerships, will discuss the evolution of commerce in augmented and virtual reality. Snap is known for its crisp AR Lenses that are transforming how brands render products in digital settings. On Wednesday, Gartner, the research firm, issued a new report that said 35% of consumers had never even heard of the metaverse. The findings had implications for how marketers should view the new technology, according to Kyle Rees, senior director analyst at Gartner Marketing practice. “There are complex, innovative new opportunities and business models, that the average consumer needs to be able to grasp easily, or companies risk losing their interest,” Rees said in the report. The metaverse and Web3 are a hodgepodge of high-tech concepts, without one defining trait. Web3 is characterized by user-controlled, and user-generated, worlds, which could lead to a more decentralized internet. Or Web3 could be just as dominated from the top-down, like much of the internet today. There also is a lot of dreaming about a future where the real and virtual worlds are interchangeable. But with all the hype around the possibilities, there is uncertainty about what’s available today. Ad Age has invited some of the most cutting-edge Web3 companies to explain the trends, including Dapper Labs, The Sandbox and Bitski. Dapper Labs is the team behind NBA Top Shot and UFC Strike collectible NFT projects. Bitski has worked with clothing brands American Eagles, Levi’s and Pleasures on non-fungible fashion. The Sandbox is an actual metaverse, where players create and conduct commerce in the virtual world. Esther Crawford, senior product manager at Twitter, will discuss how communities are forming around NFT ownership. The messaging service has been encouraging users to embrace the NFT fads, and people can link their NFT collections to their Twitter profiles. Chipotle, Valdé Beauty, Digitas, VMLY&R and VaynerNFT are also among the brands and agencies represented in the lineup. Get more details and sign up for the livestream event at AdAge.com/InDepthMetaverse.

Explaining the metaverse: Meta, Snap, Twitter and Web3 startups will break it all down

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