Brand-friendly avatars could play a role in metaverse commerce
Samsung is experimenting with new ways of promoting shopping in the metaverse.
Top Line
The phone company tapped a CGI-created influencer called Zero to unveil its Samsung Galaxy S22 phone at a virtual event co-hosted with TikTok creator Liam Kalev. Zero is one of a growing number of avatar influencers gaining popularity on social media platforms that brands have been using to promote their products.
Zero’s creator, agency Offbeat Media, provided a fictional backstory for the character, describing him as “a fully virtual being who lives in his bunker inside of the Nexus universe.”
“We are proud to be the pioneers bringing live video shopping to the virtual world and to be trailblazing in connecting virtual reality to the selling of physical goods,” said Krister Karjalainen, digital director of Samsung Electronics North America (SENA), in a statement. “Samsung is a company that is driven by innovation, so it’s only natural that we also explore the future of metacommerce.”
Between the Lines
As advances in graphics tech have blurred the line between who’s real and not on social media, virtual influencers like Zero have been gaining large followings on apps like Instagram. That’s attracted the attention of brands, who see such entities as sometimes more brand-safe than working with real talent and a way to position a brand as forward-looking.
As the concept of the metaverse and ways of advertising and conducting commerce within it have captured brands’ collective attention, virtual influencers could have a new medium with which to interact with consumers on behalf of brands.
Meanwhile, live shopping has also become an important trend for retailers as the popularity of the format gradually spreads from Asia to the United States.
Bottom Line
Offbeat Media’s co-founders see events like these as an example of how the metaverse can provide meaningful, real-world business opportunities.
“Zero being invited to the live shopping event with Samsung was quite the opportunity to showcase exactly how the metaverse and the real world connect,” said Offbeat CEO Shep Ogden.
