Melissa M. Dunn 
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Digital: 5 global trends to watch this year
Posted on April 26, 2022
The last twelve months have been eventful in the world of marketing and social networks: terms like NFT, metaverse and Web3.0 have become more and more familiar to agency actors and the way we work has transformed. So what are the trends that will shape the communication and social media industry?
The metaverse boom
The metaverse is here! Well, the concept at least, after Facebook changed its name to “Meta” and Mark Zuckerberg announced that we would all soon be living in a virtual world. Despite mixed reactions to Meta, the underlying reality is that digital platforms have evolved to the point where they can deliver truly immersive experiences.
As audiences spend more and more time in virtual worlds, there are more eyes and wallets to monetize, so brands are increasingly thinking about how to enter this territory, open a virtual store, etc.
The usual pioneers are already there. Gucci, for example, has already tested several virtual products, digital brand experiences and VR shopping environments. People increasingly want immersive experiences like those offered by best live casino and many entertainment experiences are possible on the metaverse: Disney and Marvel have created their own spaces in Fortnite. Netflix has released a Starcourt virtual mall, from the Stranger Things event series, on Roblox. And ASOS designed a virtual fashion store lens with Snapchat.
Is it time for everyone to reflect on the opportunities offered by virtual worlds?
The irreversible transition to Web3
2022 seems to be the year of Web3. Today, many are caught in doubts or criticisms about this new digital trend but despite this, a significant amount of goods, money and assets are already rushing to the Web3. Individual investors, institutional investors and venture capitalists are entering the space of crypto-assets, NFT and Web3 one after another.
As of December 2021, Ethereum, the Web3 Layer 1 representative, had 180 million unique addresses and is growing by around 135,000 per day. Executives and technical engineers who left Google, Meta, Amazon, etc. are joining one crypto startup after another, claiming that the latter is the biggest opportunity.
From a macro perspective, we can see that this is an unstoppable trend. Web3 is not a “Universe”, but a “Multiverse”. There will be many more “verses” in the digital world over the next few years.
The move to Web3
2022 seems to be the year of Web3. Today, many are caught in doubts or criticisms about this new digital trend but despite this, a significant amount of goods, money and assets are already rushing to the Web3.
As of December 2021, Ethereum, the Web3 Layer 1 representative, had 180 million unique addresses and is growing by around 135,000 per day. Executives and technical engineers who left Google, Meta, Amazon, etc. are joining one crypto startup after another, claiming that the latter is the biggest opportunity.
From a macro perspective, we can see that this is an unstoppable trend.
Virtual influencers are here to stay
The rise of the metaverse offers VIs (virtual influencers) more and more opportunities to play a central role in consumer-brand interactions. Over the past year, big names like ByteDance and Facebook have invested heavily in developing a world that allows users to easily navigate digital spaces and immerse themselves in experiences between physical and digital life. .
It’s not far to imagine a future where brands hire platform-agnostic virtual influencers to become “living” brand personalities that consumers can interact with at every touchpoint. VIs could also be the answer to hyper-personalization, with VIs becoming walking algorithms capable of providing each individual with the most relevant social content based on their digital footprint.
Branded NFT Communities
2021 was the year of NFTs – a third of Gen Zers globally said they would consider buying digital art. From Visa to Adidas, we’ve seen brands experiment, launching NFTs ranging from digital collectibles and in-game assets, to exclusive passes to a brand’s events or experiences. In 2022, as NFTs go mainstream, we’ll see more and more brands adopting social tokens not only as art/digital assets, but also to create and grow vibrant brand communities.
