Meta's Super Bowl plans include NFL avatars for Facebook

Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, gave the first tease of its Super Bowl commercial plans with a product release Monday that lets fans decorate online avatars with virtual NFL merchandise. The update did not include a look at Meta’s Super Bowl commercial, but it was a clue that the spot would tie into the “metaverse,” a concept that CEO Mark Zuckerberg bet the company on last year in a rebrand. The NFL promotion was part of a broader set of changes to avatars, which have a new 3D look, more options for skin tones and facial features, and options for users to add wheelchairs and hearing aids. Avatars, which are digital representations people create of themselves, will be able to wear a T-shirt representing one of the Super Bowl teams—the Rams or Bengals—or a generic Super Bowl LVI shirt. “We see the metaverse as an interconnected digital world, one that bridges VR and AR, sure, but also more familiar platforms like your phone and computer,” Aigerim Shorman, Meta’s general manager for avatars and identity, said in a blog post on Monday. “Being able to have the same avatar across our platforms is an early step towards making this a reality, and one we’ve been working towards for a long time. We hope your new virtual self enables you to represent yourself online the way you want to be represented.” Get the latest Ad Age Super Bowl 2022 news here. RSVP for Ad Age’s Super Bowl event on Feb. 8 at AdAge.com/InDepthSuperBowl. A spokesperson for Meta said the avatar update was not directly tied to the Super Bowl commercial, but that virtual reality and the metaverse were part of the overall focus of the coming campaign. Starting today the 3D avatars will replace the older models in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. That means original avatars on Facebook, Instagram and Messenger will automatically have the new look. It might seem like a minor update, but avatars are one of the key entry points for people to step into the metaverse. The avatars are how people appear in gaming worlds and virtual reality apps. They also can wear virtual clothing and designer digital goods, which brands have been creating. In October, Facebook changed its name to Meta in a rebrand to focus more on virtual platforms beyond social media. Facebook also changed the name of Oculus Quest virtual reality devices to Meta Quest. In November, Meta released its first brand campaign associated with the metaverse. The rebrand to a “metaverse” company has created some identity confusion for Meta. Not everyone is familiar with the next-generation internet platforms that comprise the so-called metaverse. Meta’s Super Bowl commercial, which it has confirmed will air, could be a chance to introduce more people to its vision. Last year, Meta picked a new agency of record, Publicis’ Spark Foundry, to lead its media planning. Meta not only has to explain the metaverse to consumers, but also to brands. Meta plans to host brands on Feb. 17, less than a week after the Super Bowl, to discuss opportunities in the metaverse, according to advertisers who were invited, and spoke on the condition of anonymity. Last week, Insider described the meeting as Meta’s “first big metaverse pitch.” Meta’s Super Bowl commercial will be its second. In 2020, Facebook promoted Groups in a Super Bowl commercial featuring Sylvester Stallone and Chris Rock. The new Super Bowl campaign is the first under Alex Schultz, who became chief marketing officer in September 2020.

Meta's Super Bowl plans include NFL avatars for Facebook

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