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PR in the metaverse
February 1, 2022
The metaverse. It’s been building momentum for a while now, but as the new year dawned, it started to grab multiple headlines across sectors. You may not necessarily know or understand the complexities of it right now, but undoubtedly it will seep into every industry at some point going forward.
From universities offering their first lectures in the metaverse, to fashion houses creating their own worlds, this digital universe is rapidly expanding. So, what does this mean for PR? Where does the comms industry fit into this world? And should PRs start communicating to their clients why they need to get to grips with the metaverse?
For the PR and marketing communities, the metaverse may impact how we interact with journalists. Just as the internet brought with it a whole new way of pitching via email, the metaverse may introduce a plethora of ways to engage with journalists.
In the near future, PRs may be taking journalists for futuristic lunches in the metaverse. At online events, our avatars – with a digital glass in hand – could be approaching editors to talk about upcoming issues. Who’s to say – the metaverse is very much in its infancy although I suspect many of us PRs will agree nothing quite beats an IRL lunch meeting.
However, when it comes to advising clients, we need to be helping them stay ahead of the game. Whether you’re in B2B or B2C comms, ensuring your clients at least have an opinion on the metaverse is going to be important – commentary on this topic will be a requisite in 2022.
Whether it’s virtual product placement for B2C clients, corporate representation of a B2B service, or gamifying solutions – brands across the spectrum will increasingly be testing the metaverse waters for their products and services. PRs will need to work with clients to help prompt their thinking, consider any new activity from a comms angle and help develop some interesting – and often – complex conversations.
This is a new territory and with it comes risk. It is also not immune to real world impact – as we saw with Fortnite removing the Travis Scott skin from its platform in the wake of the tragic events at his Astroworld festival last year. We need to go into it with our eyes open, ready to experiment but manage the risk. This, and more, make it a particularly interesting place to watch over the next few years.
By Katie McIlvenny