Facebook has been struggling with their new metaverse identity. Last year, they announced the changing of their name to Meta. This was the first introduction to the general public about the new world they are stepping into. Excited Facebook executives apparently thought the world would catch on quickly. It didn’t. The marketplace has been struggling to wrap its mind around this new concept. Now Meta has changed its marketing strategy. Will this new strategy work?
First, let’s understand the mistake Facebook made when changing their name to Meta. There are many different versions and definitions of the metaverse. Meta, the company Facebook changed their name to is just one of them. The general marketplace is confused and has no idea what any of this even means.
Marketplace does not understand what metaverse means
So, misunderstanding about the metaverse caused the marketplace to push-back against the idea. Since then, Meta marketing, advertising, public relations and social media has been fighting an uphill battle against news and opinion pieces about what the future will look like.
The metaverse is a strange and new concept. As human beings, we naturally push-back against this kind of massive changes that reshape our world and our thinking.
Based on the feedback, Meta obviously did not do a good job of setting the stage for the metaverse.
Since Facebook didn’t, others have done so and the result has not been pretty.
Meta should have created positive imagery around the metaverse
After all, it feels uncomfortable living in a world where nothing is real. The metaverse has been portrayed by many as a dystopian and chaotic place where we can live inside an unreal universe.
It may make a good Hollywood movie, but in real life, not so much. There have been movies like The Matrix, The Truman Show and countless others, that have done a pretty good job of partially describing the metaverse from one perspective or another.
These movies showed the chaotic life of living inside a software program. This Hollywood portrayal was dark and not appealing to the public, and worse it was dehumanizing.
Facebook Meta should have prepared marketplace for metaverse
The marketing mistake Facebook made with Meta was thinking this would be easy and not changing our perspective on this new world.
They apparently expected the world to get excited like they were, and to welcome this new earthshattering idea and look at is a positive development.
They thought the metaverse would explain itself. It didn’t. And in their absence, others explained it. And that was not beneficial to Meta.
Confused marketplace looks at metaverse like a blank slate
The problem is, when you start out with a new idea, the marketplace looks at it like a blank slate. They needed to have a framework of understanding. And there is no metaverse framework of understanding.
Who creates the framework is key? The answer is either you or someone else. And if someone else does, it is never positive.
So, you must spend time and money and educate the marketplace. Otherwise, you will sink.
Then you must spend time and money digging yourself out of a hole just to get back to the starting line once again.
This was the Facebook Meta story. Because they did a poor job of educating the marketplace on the metaverse, they have been struggling with marketplace adoption.
Now Facebook trying to put positive spin on Meta
Finally, Meta now seems to understand what they must do. Now, marketing messages around Meta are showing the positive side of the metaverse.
This is what they should have done when Meta launched. They should have created the positive framework around the new idea. So, they are late, but at least they are finally getting started.
Suddenly, the new advertising and marketing is starting to show positive messages. Is shows surgeons practicing in the metaverse before they touch the patient. They show going back in time to witness debates from ancient philosophers about important topics.
Positive and negative political side to Meta and metaverse
Suddenly, the metaverse is not just for the people who want escape reality in a gaming world.
Suddenly, it is starting to show the good the metaverse can bring to our lives.
Of course, our understanding of the metaverse is created by an assortment of people. And that means there will always be plenty of arguments and debates around right or left political positioning.
Remember, every technology has both good and bad. At least now Meta is showing the good the metaverse will bring.
That being said, I think this new flavor to the advertising and marketing about Meta is good marketing.
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