Why it Pays to Invest in Animated Videos for the Metaverse

In October last year, Mark Zuckerberg did a keynote speech at Connect 2021, promising to spend billions of dollars on research to build the Metaverse. To prove he was serious, he then renamed his company Meta. 

Now a lot of big companies like Disney, Robolux, and Microsoft are working on plans for growing their businesses in the Metaverse too.

Is it time you started making plans too?  

Building an interactive engagement experience for users in the metaverse is challenging, but it can also be a great opportunity to capture a future-minded marketplace. But where in the heck do you get started?

In this article, we’ll demystify the Metaverse and let you know how you can use virtual reality to build a brand presence inside the Metaverse.

Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Mixed Reality

The Metaverse can be defined as an online place where people can work, socialize or play as avatars (aka a digital representation of their identity). But how do they interact inside these digital spaces?

There are 3 ways to interact within the metaverse. 

1. Virtual Reality:

Virtual Reality is a simulated experience created using headsets, speakers, and multi-projected environments to generate realistic images, sounds, and other sensations that mimic users’ physical presence in the real world. 

Virtual Reality gives businesses tons of opportunities to interact with customers and create sales using interactive virtual interfaces and videos to make the shopping experience feel life-like.

2. Mixed Reality: 

Mixed Reality (also known as Xtended Reality) is the merging of real and virtual worlds, to collectively create an entirely new environment, where the physical world and digital objects coexist for interaction in real-time. Mixed Reality doesn’t exist solely in the physical or virtual world but can be defined as a hybrid of both.

This allows businesses to place digital assets in the real world for your audience to come across. This also gives property owners a chance to rent out ad spaces in Mixed Reality.

3. Augmented Reality:

Augmented Reality is an interactive experience where real-world objects are enhanced using computer-generated perceptual information.

Businesses can leverage AR to create a store without the need for physical stock or expensive infrastructure. Customers can shop from a huge catalogue of products and get them shipped from across the world in an AR store.

Source: ‘AR Mode’ capture from the Game Pokemon Go.

Now that you know what’s possible inside the Metaverse, is investing in building a digital shopping environment a smart strategy for businesses? Keep reading to find out.

Media in the Metaverse 

There are a lot of misconceptions about the complexities of building a brand presence inside the Metaverse.

But is it really that complicated?

If you don’t know much about the world of computers or technology, it might feel too difficult to build an online presence for your business inside the Metaverse right now.

But no matter what resources you have access to right now, there are certain content formats that you can tap into to start building a 3D model of your business.

Those content formats include:

A. Portable Network Graphics (PNG) 

B. Joint Photographic Experts Group standards (JPEG) 

C. High Dynamic Range (HDR) 

D. Filmbox (FBX) 

E. Object File (OBJ) 

F. MPEG Audio Layer 3 (MP3) 

G. Waveform Audio File Format (WAV) 

H. Graphics Language Transmission Format (GLTF) 

I. Universal Scene Description (USDZ) 

You’re probably already familiar with all of these content formats. But where should you invest your time if you want to create content that can be utilised in both the real world and the Meta world?

Animated video content in the Metaverse

Animated video content is one of the most cost-efficient and result-oriented choices when it comes to content creation. Video content can be repurposed on all owned, paid, and third-party distribution channels including the Metaverse.

Animated Explainer Videos are doing wonders when it comes to video marketing in the real world, and by choosing the right animation style you can repurpose them in the metaverse as well.

Let’s check out these amazing animations which can be used in both the real world and the metaverse effectively:

Animation styles in the Metaverse

1.  Head-up Display (HUD) Animation:

Source: Marvel Studios Iron Man Series

A Heads-Up Display (also known as HUD) animation style is typically used by video game creators to display information at the beginning of tutorials.

This type of animation was best portrayed on-screen by MCU as a part of the Iron Man franchise. Videos created using HUD Animation can not only revolutionize the metaverse in AR but also can be a great tool for advertising in VR and MR.    

2. Kinetic typography: 

Source: Image Captured In-House using Microsoft MR Viewer

Kinetic typography (the technical name for moving text) is an animation style where text is mixed with motion animations to express ideas using a video. This text is presented over time in a way that conveys an impeccable message or induces an emotion.

3. UI explainer animations: 

Source: Image Captured In-House using Microsoft MR Viewer

UI explainer animation is the process of using line graphics to create a user interface design to explain the entire customer experience of the product. This is one of the most effective forms of animation when it comes to creating explainer videos for mobile apps, web, and SaaS user interfaces. 

4. Immersive perception animation:

Source: Image Captured In-House using Microsoft MR Viewer

Immersive perception animation is an animation style where 3D objects are designed in 2D using various projections (typically Isometric) and objects are animated in a way that creates the sense of them moving in a 3-dimensional space. 

Since both Virtual and Xtended reality creates a 3D metaverse, having an immersive perception animation video could do wonders for your business.

Interesting fact  Businesses with animated videos on eCommerce platforms are making 46% more sales over those who don’t.

Animated video content is actively helping businesses achieve target goals on social media, landing pages, paid distribution, and content marketing.

But as competition rises, businesses need to rely on advertising as much as they do on marketing. So is there a way we can advertise in the metaverse to rise above the competition?  

Advertising in the Metaverse

Some of the unique ways brands can advertise in the Metaverse include:

• Sponsor a team of the best players in a gaming metaverse.
• Place brand logos or advertising in community spaces or corporate metaverse.
• Create virtual billboards and tv screens to advertise your brand in a public space.
• Sponsor metaverse creators to create objects and products in an alternate reality based on your brand.
• Offer coupons in all metaverses when a user performs a certain action.

All of the above can be created using elements in CSS, SVG, and PNG content formats, which can be repurposed to use in all MR, VR, and AR metaverses. 

Some facts about the Metaverse 1. Metaverse is an open network trying to connect virtual worlds together like the internet. 2. Metaverse is independent of hardware and can be entered into as all mixed, virtual, and augmented realities. 3. Metaverse is for everyone and no single company controls it.

Final comments

The internet is now more video-oriented than ever and platforms like Instagram and Snapchat have revolutionized the way we repurpose or watch videos.

There barely is any video content type where investment might seem like a waste of money or effort. Investing in animation videos seems like a lot of effort to a lot of marketers, however, with the coming age of the metaverse, animated videos are now more of a futuristic investment than anything else.