Top 5 metaverse marketing moments you need to know right now

This month, tax filing comes to the metaverse, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg gets a metaverse “glow up” and Roblox revs up its ad program. No. 5: Snapchat makes augmented reality more accessible to brands Snap has always had impressive augmented reality filters, which brands have used to create virtual versions of their products or decorate their ads, but the technology has been out of reach for some advertisers. That’s why Snap made AR a focus of its NewFront presentation last week, where the app launched tools that make it easier to play with augmented reality. “Advertisers will be able to showcase their products, their IP, and share their branded world with Snapchatters through augmented reality directly through their ads,” Snap said in its NewFront announcement, referring to a product it called AR Extensions. Brands will be able to embed AR Lenses, the animated filters, into all ad formats—video, product ads, Spotlight vertical video ads and others. Snap also announced that machine learning tools will power AR creation, allowing brands to turn products into virtual assets that users could try on through the app. The machine learning makes a brand’s product catalog ready for consumers to try on in augmented reality. No. 4: Roblox rolls out video ads In May, Roblox launched video ads more widely, extending the program it started last year to introduce digital video billboards into its games. The video autoplays on mute when a player’s avatar looks in its direction. Already brands such as Walmart, Warner Bros. Pictures and e.l.f. have tried the ads. Roblox’s moves are part of a broader push into video game advertising, and ad dollars are starting to flow to the industry. Last month, Roblox even launched programmatic ad services, meaning advertisers can buy video ads the same way they do through real-time deals on the rest of the internet. Roblox also plans to partner with PubMatic, the supply-side platform, for its first programmatic deal, Ad Age’s Asa Hiken reported. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs No.3: Calling Salvador Dalí’s AI doppelganger In a surreal new exhibit at the Dalí Museum, visitors can talk with the artist, or an AI version of the artist, rather. Goodby Silverstein & Partners created the activation called “Ask Dalí,” Ad Age’s Sabrina Sanchez reported. Museum goers can pick up a phone—shaped like a lobster—to ask questions of an AI-generated Dalí, which was built with ChatGPT, for text generation, and Eleven Labs’ voice technology. It was trained on Dalí’s work and audio recording, Sanchez writes. A video of the exhibit shows people asking the famously eccentric artist about his process, and his fascination with melting clocks. “Think not of the clocks as merely melting, picture them as a vast dream,” AI Dalí says. No 2.: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg glows up There have been some big announcements out of Meta Reality Labs since April, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg even got an upgrade. Zuckerberg fronted two big changes in Meta’s metaverse department: One was the introduction of AI assistants into Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. The AI assistant makes the glasses more functional, initiating phone calls and taking photos. Meta also made a play to grab a larger share of the virtual reality market, opening the Quest operating software, which powers Meta Quest headsets, to third-party manufacturers. Meta is hoping its operating software will power the mixed-reality ecosystem similar to how Google Android runs on third-party mobile phones. Manufacturers such as Lenovo and Asus will now be able to make VR devices based on Quest OS. The famous CEO made the latest announcements in two online videos, which led to a flurry of memes about how he seems to have had a makeover. The TikTok-style explainer videos also led viewers to notice a more natural demeanor from Zuckerberg. One photoshopped, bearded image of him circulated online, too. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mark Zuckerberg (@zuck) View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mark Zuckerberg (@zuck) Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs No. 1: Tax season hits the metaverse You know the metaverse is becoming more lifelike when people start doing taxes there. In time for tax filing season, Intuit TurboTax collaborated with “Millionaire Tycoon,” a game within Fortnite, Ad Age’s Asa Hiken reported. Not to be outdone, H&R Block set up shop in Minecraft. “’Millionaire Tycoon’ allows players to build their own empires, including through the acquisition of mansions, cars and other symbols of wealth,” Hiken writes. “But in order to level up in the game they have to pay the taxman, typically by entering a TurboTax office inside the world.” For its part, H&R Block sponsored a tournament in the blocky Minecraft game.

Top 5 metaverse marketing moments you need to know right now

Featured Stories