Pontac takes a step further into metaverse

Being awarded Best of Show – Agency at MARKETING-INTERACTIVE’s DigiZ Awards 2022 is a shot in the arm for the team. Last year we took our first step into the metaverse, while continuing our great effort in CRM development and online-plus-offline (O+O) campaigns for our clients. The awards show us that what we do are on the right track and people are agreeing on the direction we are heading, this strengthens our dedication in go further.

Metaverse is definitely our go-to place. It is a very broad concept with high scalability that grants us the flexibility to try different things. It could be a simple augmented reality (AR) visualisation to have products built in 3D and exist in the metaverse, just as how IKEA and Apple enable their customers to preview real products sizes using AR; or if there is enough budget (and dedication) to go for the sophisticated, we could develop a sociable virtual space, where audience could interact with the space itself or even with other people, or participate in live events, for example the famous Fortnite in-game concert, or the YSL Beauty Zone campaign we did for the brand. The point is there is no boundary, we believe anything that we could imagine, big or small, is achievable.

Metaverse may still seems futuristic and far from reach, but it’s not. It is already shaping not only the marketing landscape, but also talent development. Teenagers are now learning metaverse-related skillset at high school, they are learning to build 3D models using free software like Blender, even HKUST is collaborating with HK Tramways to push similar courses to local schools. 

At an earlier age, children are designing game worlds in Minecraft and Roblox, of course it is a different level of execution of metaverse, but the concept is the same. You could see the metaverse is indeed more accessible than we think, even teenagers are teaching themselves. You may think of it as Photoshop skills, at some point it will become a natural part of a media person’s toolkit.

For brands, I think it’s time to start getting ready, if you have not already started yet. As a marketer, you could begin with stocktaking assets of your brand to see what would fit the metaverse: is there any iconic location that is suitable for a virtual tour? Is there any hero product for virtual try on? Start curating high-resolution media assets that can be used in metaverse, start converting them into digital, or better yet 3D assets, sooner or later you are going to use them.

This article is sponsored by Pontac.