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Digital: 5 global trends to watch this year

The last twelve months have been eventful in the world of marketing and social media: terms like NFT, metaverse and Web3.0 have become increasingly familiar to those working in agencies and the way we work has been 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 will 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 offer 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 want more and more immersive experiences like those offered as best casino live and many entertainment experiences are possible on the metaverse: both Disney and Marvel have created their own spaces in Fortnite. Netflix has come up with a Starcourt virtual mall, from the event series Stranger Things, on Roblox. And ASOS has designed a virtual fashion store lens with Snapchat. 

Is it time for everyone to think about the opportunities offered by virtual worlds? 

The irreversible shift to Web3

2022 seems to be the year of Web3. Today, many are caught up in doubts or criticisms about this new digital trend but despite this, a significant amount of property, money and assets are already rushing into Web3. Individual investors, institutional investors, and venture capitalists are entering the crypto-asset, NFT, and Web3 space one after another.

As of December 2021, Ethereum, the Web3 Layer 1 representative, had 180 million unique addresses and is growing at about 135,000 per day. Executives and technical engineers who left Google, Meta, Amazon, etc. are joining crypto startups one 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 shift to Web3

2022 seems to be the year of Web3. Today, many are caught up in doubts or criticisms about this new digital trend but despite this, a significant amount of property, money and assets are already rushing into Web3.

As of December 2021, Ethereum, the Web3 Layer 1 representative, had 180 million unique addresses and is growing at about 135,000 per day. Executives and technical engineers who left Google, Meta, Amazon, etc. are joining crypto startups one 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. In the past year, big names like ByteDance and Facebook have invested heavily in developing a world that allows users to easily traverse digital spaces and immerse themselves in experiences between physical and digital life. 

It’s not a far-off stretch to imagine a future where brands hire platform-independent virtual influencers to become “living” brand personas that consumers can interact with at every touchpoint. VIs could also be the answer to hyper-personalization, with VIs becoming walking algorithms that can provide each individual with the most relevant social content based on their digital footprint. 

Branded NFT communities

2021 was the year of the NFTs – with one-third of Gen Zers worldwide saying 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 embrace social tokens not only as digital art/assets, but also to create and grow vibrant brand communities. 

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