Digital avatars and ‘phygital’ communication are the new drivers
In the wake of technological upgradations, the space of media and communication is getting re-defined. Digital capital, digital representation, leap-frogging, technological determinism and communication revolution are the new buzz words. Narratives of digital marketing communicationsare changing fast.The advent and proliferation of 5G,increasingly adoption of popular culture and technological determinism have become the new landmarks of brand communication. There is no novelty in digitalizing the brand communication. However, socializing the digital platforms is the fad in the world of brand communication. Digital avatars, ‘phygital’ and immersive communication are the new explorations which have started influence the world of brands. Digital humanism is the larger talking point. Keeping Metaverse, social commerce and personalisation in their kitties, brand communicators are going to actualize the alternate digital realities in the dominant ecosystem of digital marketing space.
Metaverse espousing the unique digital articulations and communication will eventually the shape up the influencer marketing. This new shift taking place in the business world must be reckoned with varied yardsticks. Content creators, brands and advertisers have come forward to capitalize on Metaverse. It is going to retell the narratives of advertising through immersive storytelling. Immersive storytelling through immersive communication is amultichannel, multisensory experience - what you can see and hear. It isnon-linear and exploratory in which the audiences are free to interact with whoever they want to interact with or consume content and take full control over it. It is suitable for adding gamification and interaction. The frequency of inventions and upgrades in the technological world for the last few decades enriches the platform of the metaverse and one after one technical organisations eventually incorporate them. It has been observed that metaverse is one of the significant platforms for achieving success in executing the brand strategies.
Brands are now-a-days creating immersive experiences for their consumers. They are hiring metaverse engineering directors and utilising augmented tools to simultaneously collaborate on fashion, entertainment, and gaming innovations. Metaverse also opens up opportunities to involve consumers with the platform. Value creation is one of the key aspects of this platform. Metaverse has attempted to create a new universe of fashion. Fashion is animportant aspect for the human for its self-expression and also beneficial for them to create identity like the way in real life. The new virtual digital platforms open the opportunities to experience a newly three-dimensional experience. However, various studies propose that fashion will top the virtual world than the physical world because of the involvement of metaverse in the daily lives of humans.
Digital avatars are the animated or photographic images, that web surfers use to identify themselves and communicate on the online platforms. Avatars tend to enhance the entertainment and information value and improve the overall satisfaction of web-based activities. Digital representation is getting more apparent. Apart from for content creation, there is also the facility of interacting live with an audience using an avatar. Studies find that in high- involvement situation, the consumers are more likely to contemplate the content of an argument. That’s why, avatar-mediated platform is providing Philip to business, branding and communications. Tellingly, metaverse will influence traditional jobs or activities including business activities. Its impact on human especially human and society in overall will significant. Immersive, interactive, and collaborative form of communication is going to be next level order.
(Chakraborty and Biswal teach at Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow and Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune, respectively. The views expressed are personal.)
