The metaverse is unsurprisingly a major topic at the annual CES, but its presence this year is less about puffery and more about pragmatism.

Brands from IBM to L’Oréal to numerous automakers are showcasing how metaverse technology can be used for applications that are subtle, even mundane, yet enhance user experience in meaningful ways. IBM, for example, is using extended reality (XR) in a tool that will allow consumers of its weather apps to better understand the fluctuations of their local climate.

This effort is nothing of the Ready Player One-sort that Meta is promising. But maybe that’s the point.

Hype for the metaverse reached a climax last year as brands jumped into virtual spaces on gaming platforms like Roblox, Decentraland and The Sandbox. Many proclaimed that the future was here, and digital engagement would never be the same. 

Consumers, however, felt otherwise. Usage on Decentraland and The Sandbox never soared, and demand for tools that will play a role in the metaverse, such as NFTs and cryptocurrencies, continued to dry up. Moreover, consumers have shown significant hesitation toward fully immersive metaverse experiences because they fear losing touch with reality. 

Perhaps aware of apprehension in their own communities, brands at CES are demonstrating more practical—and less terrifying—ways to activate the metaverse and its potential.

XR weather and AR makeup

IBM’s weather tool, built using its AI-powered Watson program, enables users to attain a better grasp on incoming climate patterns in their area. Starting with in-app rollouts in the second quarter of 2023, users will be able to hold up their phones to the sky and experience XR simulations of the movement of the sun and its UV intensity, or the progress of a developing storm. The tool is meant to better prepare consumers for weather events by avoiding confusing models like radars. 

There will also be a place for brand partners to advertise relevant products within the simulations. CVS, for example, has been working with IBM to integrate sunscreen ads around the UV simulation, and Campbell’s has been doing the same for soup ads around the storm simulation.

IBM is intentionally branding the tool as using XR tech because it wants to convey a connection to reality, not a divergence from it, said Randi Stipes, chief marketer of IBM Watson Advertising. Calling it a metaverse tool, for example, might be accurate, but doing so could also have an unwanted effect on how consumers perceive the tool. The same goes for using related but distinct terms like VR, AR or MR (mixed reality).

Meanwhile, L’Oréal unveiled a makeup tool that hinges on AR technology. Called Brow Magic, the gadget works by prompting the user to first scan their face inside a mobile app. AR simulations of various brow looks, varying by shape and thickness, are then presented to the user, who makes a selection, holds the Brow Magic to their brow and the gizmo prints it like a temporary tattoo.

AR makeup simulation has long been a popular tool offered by cosmetics brands, but L’Oréal’s gadget takes it a step further by pairing the simulation with a machine that can accurately print it on a face. Like IBM’s weather tool, Brow Magic connects metaverse technology to real world applications.

Auto takes to the metaverse

At CES, no industry is more keenly demonstrating the practical side of the metaverse than automotive. 

Stellantis, which owns brands such as Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep, teamed with Microsoft to create a showroom in the metaverse at the Fiat booth. Guests can enter the showroom to engage with, configure and even purchase a Fiat 500 model. And the best part is that no headset is required.

Also exhibiting at CES is Cy Vision, a tech company using AR to reassure drivers that assisted and autonomous driving is safe. Cy Vision essentially turns a car’s windshield into a screen, showing drivers what the car is seeing and evaluating, and thus building trust with its autonomous capabilities.

Then there’s Mercedes, which announced a collaboration with digital collectible company Superplastic to recreate Wackeldackel, the nodding dashboard dog, into a branded character. Superplastic specializes in creating characters for Web3 purposes, and has previously teamed with Gucci for NFTs paired to limited-edition ceramic collectibles.

Only just announced, Mercedes’ new character, called Superdackel, doesn’t yet have a metaverse plan, but relevant Web3 activations will be explored in 2023, a Mercedes spokesperson said. Previously, Mercedes dropped NFTs around its G-Class model, and at the end of 2022, it applied for a series of metaverse trademarks, conferring rights for NFT collections, marketplaces and cryptocurrency trading.

The collaboration resembles last year’s buzzy takes on the metaverse, but there is a practical angle, too. Superdackel will be Mercedes’ vehicle to explore culture and entertainment, something that the luxury brand has yet to accomplish. In order to court new audiences and enter the brand into cultural moments, a silly animated dog with knuckle tattoos just might do the trick.