Wunderman Thompson Intell Launches Metaverse Study

Ad agency division Wunderman Thompson Intelligence has launched a new report called 'Into the Metaverse', which covers everything brand owners and their agencies need to know about the 'shared online worlds in which physical, augmented, and virtual reality converge'.

Metaverse is a term first coined in Neal Stephenson's 1992 novel Snow Crash, then associated with gaming and now describing a world in which the 'digital and physical are blurred'. Wunderman Thompson Intelligence says that, as Covid-19 lockdown measures forced many people to conduct much of daily life - from work to entertainment to shopping and social interaction - online via screens, all brands had to adapt at speed.

To compile the report, the business, which is the global futures and trend intelligence unit of WPP-owned marcoms group Wunderman Thomson (formerly JWT), conducted quantitative research with more than 3,000 consumers across the US, UK and China, in addition to qualitative analysis to reveal people's understanding of and attitudes to the metaverse and to identify the implications for brands. The team also interviewed fifteen experts about their interpretation of the metaverse and to provide insight into how it will restructure business and industries.

The report identifies global drivers such as 'tech-celeration', the rise of gaming, and the 'battle for power' in the emerging metaverse among companies such as Facebook, Roblox Corporation and Epic Games, and it highlights trends impacting consumers. Emma Chiu (pictured), the unit's Global Director and author of the report, comments: 'We're entering the era of the metaverse, where we replicate our routines, interests and obsessions: from picking outfits for our avatars to wear and cars for them to drive to constructing virtual homes or pursuing a more equitable and inclusive society online. Our report offers a glimpse into how the metaverse is shaping our future'.

The parent firm is online at www.wundermanthomson.com .