100 Keyword Predictions for 2023 | Branding and Marketing (31-40): Metaverse, Nature Directors and Agelessness

WPP's brand Wunderman Intelligence released its latest trend report, which has a bright outlook for 2023. They predicted 100 keywords for 2023, and people are determined to fight against the ongoing difficulties with resilience, innovation and joy. This series shares 10 sections. The following is the third article in this series - Brand and Marketing. I hope it will be helpful to everyone.

Continuing from the previous article "2023 Global Top 100 Trends Report" Part 1: Culture, Part 2: Technology and Metaverse, Part 3: Travel and Hotel

Part 3: Brand and Marketing

31. Web3 Brands – Brands are taking advantage of the Web3 trend and competing to gain market share.

French luxury brand YSL Beauté launched its Web3 and NFT initiative in June 2022, aiming to strengthen its customer loyalty with a new experience. YSL NFT holders can access additional content, product release information, and redeem rewards through the brand's token-gated webpage throughout the year.

Prada also launched its first Timecapsule NFT series in June, providing consumers with a variety of exclusive experiences-the brand's monthly Timecapsule new products quickly sold out. The Prada Crypted community created by Prada on Discord was also launched on the same day to expand the brand's community and influence in the virtual world.

Niche is a new type of social media based on Web3 that aims to democratize data and increase growth opportunities for consumers, users, and brands. Zaven Nahapetyan, the company's co-founder, told Wunderman Intelligence that his new platform "offers many opportunities that don't exist with traditional, non-decentralized social media because (by its decentralized nature) it greatly simplifies the process of buying, selling, and trading content."

Brands in the food industry are also not far behind.

• Starbucks has also launched a Web3-based rewards program that allows consumers to use collectible coffee-themed NFTs as tokens to obtain additional rewards, memberships, and participate in various activities. McDonald's has applied for trademarks for its digital delivery and live delivery services for virtual restaurants.
• Both McDonald's and McCafé have applied for related trademarks, and their application documents include details such as "online operation of virtual restaurants that can deliver meals to homes", which indicates that McDonald's fans may have the opportunity to order Big Macs in the digital world in the future.

Why you should pay attention to this trend:

Web3 is an inevitable trend. As we enter the Web3 era, brands should respond to future challenges with a new digital strategy.

Note: Starbucks’ approach is very down-to-earth.

32. Virtual Ambassadors – Brand spokespersons are moving towards digitalization.

Soul Machines, a New Zealand technology company, combines realistic digital humans with artificial intelligence (AI) to provide a more intimate way of virtual interaction. Shantenu Agarwal, vice president of the company, told Wunderman Intelligence: "AI and autonomous animation more broadly can help bring brands closer to their audiences by providing empathy and personalization capabilities at scale." The company is currently working on building personalized customer experiences for clients such as Nestlé, Twitch and the World Health Organization.

“We’re seeing brands rethinking the way they present themselves through this new platform, with some realising the power of digital to easily showcase a range of looks and personalities,” said Agarwal. “This can actually empower a brand’s audience to choose who they communicate with and customize the customer experience in a way that wasn’t possible before.”

The metaverse will enhance people’s social interactions in the three-dimensional virtual world, and various virtual characters are adding value to brands.

• In June 2020, at the VivaTech conference in Paris, luxury group LVMH launched its digital ambassador, Livi, to showcase the brand’s innovative products.
• Qatar Airways recently introduced Sama, a “transhuman” flight attendant who greets passengers on QVerse digital flights.
• American skincare brand Dermalogica also created the trainer character Natalia. Aurelian Lis, global CEO of Dermalogica, said: "We can now use Metaverse technology to provide training on how to take care of skin for millions of consumers and hundreds of thousands of therapists."
• In response to the trend of brands adopting virtual ambassadors, Japanese marketing company Dentsu has set up a department dedicated to creating virtual avatars. Dentsu said: "As the world continues to go digital, brands also need new ways to show their personality."

Why you should pay attention to this trend:

Brands are leveraging advanced avatars mentioned in the “Top 100 Trends for 2022” to better connect with people.

“Brands will place greater emphasis on connecting with people in the future, and these more immersive, engaging and interactive experiences will help foster genuine relationships,” said Agarwal.

Note: Although there are many virtual spokespersons in China, their recognition is still slightly inferior to these brands.

33. Nature Directors – Our planet is participating in corporate decision-making processes as a stakeholder.

In September 2022, Yvon Chouinard, founder of outdoor sports brand Patagonia, announced that he would transfer the company to a trust fund and non-profit organization, and use all its annual profits to protect the environment.

Chouinard set a new benchmark for environmental corporate leadership by announcing: “At this point, the planet is our only stakeholder. We will donate all our profits to protect our planet.”

Patagonia's high-profile move is in stark contrast to traditional companies that choose to go public as a future development path. Chouinard said: "We chose 'meaningful cause' instead of going public. We will use the wealth created by Patagonia to protect the earth, the source of all things, instead of constantly extracting value from nature and converting it into investor wealth."

The move is both surprising and unsurprising, in stark contrast to billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, who have turned their sights on life in space. The California company has long donated 1% of its sales to environmental groups and has a reputation for treating its employees well, offering perks like daycare and afternoon surfing.

Also in September 2022, Edinburgh-based eco-beauty company Faith In Nature appointed a “Nature Guardian” – a board member representing nature – to its board.

Brontie Ansell, a lecturer at Essex Law School and director of professional environmental group Lawyers for Nature, who is the first person to be appointed to the position, told the Guardian her role was similar to that of a guardian speaking on behalf of a child in court.

Selfridges, the UK high street retailer, is one of the other businesses to have launched major sustainability initiatives, pledging that circular products (through resale, rental, replenishment, repair or recycling) will account for 45% of its transactions by 2030.

Why you should pay attention to this trend:

Despite the challenges of shrinking forests, species extinction, and a harsher climate, most for-profit companies’ sustainability initiatives are lacking in sincerity, thanks to profit-seeking shareholders.

By including the planet as a stakeholder, companies like Patagonia are reshaping the tone of the environmental debate and significantly raising the bar for the industry.

Note: Their company has really become a career. Once again, I salute this great old man.

34. “Meta-inclusivity” — Brands and creators are bringing inclusive values ​​to the Metaverse.

Wunderman Intelligence’s “New Realities: Entering the Metaverse and Beyond” report found that 65% of people who have heard of the Metaverse believe it will be more inclusive than the real world. Now, many brands are developing plans to help deliver on that promise.

• In 2022, the World Economic Forum announced a plan with companies such as Microsoft, Sony, Lego, Meta, etc. to jointly promote the construction of an "ethical and inclusive metaverse."
• Beauty brand Clinique launched Metaverse More Like Us, an NFT beauty campaign that calls for fair representation in the metaverse. The brand partnered with Daz 3D (which created Non-FungiblePeople, one of the most inclusive avatar collections in the world) and commissioned three makeup artists from underrepresented communities to create iconic looks—one virtual and one real—and then released them to the Daz 3D community.

• In 2022, NFTY Collective launched Unhidden, an NFT series that gives voice to the blind and other disabled people. Creator Giselle Mota hopes to provide people with disabilities "with a virtual identity that allows them to present a physically able-bodied self." She told Wunderman Intelligence, "A truly inclusive metaverse looks as diverse as the users it targets."

• MetaKawn is an emerging metaverse platform that caters to the values ​​of the Islamic world, with its Huffaz NFT series highlighting themes of tolerance, multi-ethnicity, and gender equality. Muslim virtual fashion designer Idiat Shiole has designed designs with distinctive Nigerian aesthetics, such as headscarves, tribal markings, and braids, for gaming platforms such as Decentraland.

• Meta and Mastercard recently partnered with creators RhondaX and Skitter to launch “True Self World,” a social experience on the Horizon World platform for members to meet and mingle with friends for the LGBTQ+ community.

Digital creator and metaverse designer Yiran Shu summed up the collective motivation for these initiatives, explaining to Wunderman Intelligence: “In the metaverse, it’s about presence. We want people to feel welcome, to feel like they’re not left out, to feel like you’re not just an avatar. We acknowledge your superpowers in this world. I think that’s the difference: it’s a step we take to take action — to show up.”

Why you should pay attention to this trend:

Brands have a responsibility to create an inclusive metaverse where avatars, spaces, and stories are fully representative of all groups.

35. Multiverse Brands – Well-known brands are launching various limited edition products with futuristic technology.

The idea, first explored in the ‘Entering the Multiverse’ trend in Wunderman Intelligence’s ‘100 Trends for 2020’ report, is that modern consumers, tired of the mundane, are seeking escapes and, through adventure, experiences that are more engaging and fascinating.

Now, brands are taking advantage of this psychology to create fun and otherworldly products.

Rather than relying on descriptions of ingredients, origin, aroma and flavor like traditional products, this new generation of experiential products features the futuristic technology and language of the metaverse.

In 2022, Coca-Cola launched its Creations platform, “designed to surprise and engage global audiences through magical and unexpected flavors, moments and collaborations.”

• The first product released on the platform is the outer space-themed drink Starlight, which is described as "reminiscent of a campfire night of stargazing and a chilled journey into space."
• Its subsequent releases include Byte and Dreamworld, which do not use standard flavor descriptions, instead claiming that they taste like pixelated and dreamy, respectively.
• Selman Careaga, president of Coca-Cola trademarks, told The Drum that these Creations products have twice as much consumer loyalty as any other program in 2022.

Unilever's Lynx body spray brand also eschewed the tradition of similar products and launched Lynx AI body spray, which was jointly developed by the company and Swiss fragrance experts Firmenich.

The limited edition product is scent-free but makes a futuristic tech statement, claiming it is “powered by AI” and uses “46 terabytes of data, 6,000 ingredients, 3.5 million possible combinations”. The brand says it aims to “capitalize on Gen Z’s fascination with technology and cryptocurrency” and boost the deodorant category.

Why you should pay attention to this trend:

Brands are constantly transcending reality and blurring the boundaries between reality and unreality. Brands are taking advantage of creative trends that open up their minds to lead consumers into other worlds.

36. VIP NFTS – NFTs (non-fungible tokens) are driving changes in brand loyalty.

Brands are leveraging NFTs to unlock consumer loyalty by providing them with access to exclusive products and services through their interactions with the Metaverse.

• New York City’s first NFT restaurant is in the works. Flyfish Club is a membership-based high-end seafood restaurant, and its physical store will open in 2023, when diners will need to hold NFTs to enter. This membership has the potential to become a real “asset”: buyers will be able to rent, sell, or use their membership on a monthly basis.
• Coachella launched the Coachella Keys Collection, a set of 10 NFTs that serve as a lifetime pass to the festival. People can also buy exclusive perks for the 2022 festival on the NFT marketplace, such as celebrity chef dinners and front-row seats.
• Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher pioneered the sale of exclusive NFT entertainment content, allowing buyers of their NFT tokens to watch their NFT animated web series Stoner Cats.
• Hennessy is offering its NFT consumers physical and digital versions of the first and last limited edition Hennessy 8. Buyers can request to exchange their NFTs for physical assets at will - including a commemorative figurine, engraved Baccarat glass bottle, pipette, cork holder, box and authentication plaque.
• Patrón Tequila also launched its first NFT series: each NFT corresponds to a unique limited edition exclusive Chairman's Reserve physical bottle (a total of 150 bottles), and comes with a physical bottle and a digital bottle. Consumers can purchase NFTs through BlockBar with a digital record of security and ownership, and redeem, trade or gift physical products through the BlockBar.com marketplace.
• “When we look at a virtual shoe, we see more than just a shoe,” said Ron Faris, vice president and general manager of Nike Virtual Studio, which is exploring new web3 loyalty programs through its .Swoosh platform. “That shoe could lead to an order for a physical product in the future, or unlock a private conversation with one of our designers to help the buyer co-create the product with us. We’ve learned that buying a virtual product isn’t the end of the consumer journey, it’s the beginning of the journey.”

Why you should pay attention to this trend:

NFTs are changing the future of consumer loyalty by giving consumers exclusive opportunities to curate brand experiences.

37. Support diverse creators

The growing demand for authentic imagery in advertising has fueled a wave of brands working with marginalized creatives.

According to data from Wunderman Intelligence's 2022 report, Inclusion's Next Wave, 86% of respondents worldwide believe that if brands want to support vulnerable groups, they should first work with these groups rather than just speak for them.

Companies are stepping up their collaborations with creators, artists, and influencers from marginalized backgrounds in an effort to create more inclusive and authentic brand communications.

• Diversity in Design is an alliance founded in 2021 by well-known brands such as Herman Miller Group, Gap and Airbnb to help young black creatives enter the design and creative industries. The organization won the General Excellence Award in the 2022 Innovation by Design Award selected by Fast Company, focusing on identifying creative talents in high school, college and early career, and helping them realize their dreams.
• Snap is also very focused on early career development and launched a creative support program for black creatives in June 2022. The program provides mentorship and financial support to emerging black creators to help them gain a foothold on the Snap platform.

Brands looking for potential collaborators can turn to the growing number of talent groups dedicated to supporting those marginalized in the creative industries.

• TripleC, a UK-based organisation that helps deaf, disabled and brain-disabled people enter the arts and media industries, is launching a talent discovery programme to connect disabled artists and creatives with potential employers.
• Anak’s Asian Creators Index initiative, launched in May 2022, also adopts a similar concept to discover more Asian creative talents and artists. The initiative highlights multidisciplinary talents in a visual and searchable format so that brands can find a variety of collaborators.

Why you should pay attention to this trend:

Consumers will support brands that are truly inclusive, with 66% of respondents intending to purchase products and services from brands that advocate equality and inclusion.

Brands can demonstrate authenticity by giving voice to and engaging with marginalized groups, while also increasing representation, empowering and creating equal opportunities for these groups.

38. Brand protection in the Metaverse - How can brands protect their assets in the Metaverse?

Gartner predicts that by 2026, one in four people will spend at least one hour a day in the Metaverse, so it is imperative that brands embrace the Metaverse. For law firms and corporate legal departments, as more brands launch new digital strategies, it is increasingly necessary for companies to navigate the evolving Metaverse landscape.

Many brands have filed trademark applications to protect their assets in the Metaverse. Companies such as Hermès, CVS, Coca-Cola, Nike, and Mastercard have registered trademarks for their brand names, logos, virtual goods, and digital assets in the Metaverse. Rolex has filed trademark applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for “online auction services for virtual items” and “online space for buyers and sellers of virtual goods such as watches and watch parts.”

In addition to applying for patents, Gareth Burkhill-Howarth, WPP's global data protection officer, also shared other suggestions with Wunderman Intelligence for protecting brands. These include taking advantage of technologies that come with the Metaverse, such as "smart contracts" for transactions, ownership and access rights in virtual worlds; observing what other brands are doing, learning from their successes and failures; and not forgetting to implement existing brand safety measures.

“The metaverse may seem like a whole new space, but it may still apply Web 2.0 and real-world experiences,” Burkhill-Howarth said.

Burkhill-Howarth believes that the Metaverse is the future. He also pointed out: "But don't expect users to interact in the same way in the future as they do now." The Metaverse will be largely defined by users, who will shape the experience of virtual worlds, digital assets and ownership. As the digital space develops, it is crucial for brands to track behavior in the Metaverse because it will affect their future development strategies.

Why you should pay attention to this trend:

Brands that are not ready to adapt to the Metaverse risk falling behind their competitors. “I would advise brands to integrate their legal, finance, finance, compliance and cybersecurity teams with their brand and marketing teams to ensure that they all understand the opportunities, risks and challenges and are ready to execute their Metaverse activities, rather than playing catch-up,” Burkhill-Howarth said.

39. Mass Inclusive Brands – Companies are launching inclusive products into the mainstream market

According to Kat Holmes, author of Mismatch: How Inclusion Shapes Design, “If we design around accessibility, it can benefit a wider range of people.” Consumers also hold brands accountable.

According to the data from Wunderman Intelligence's "Inclusion Wave" report, 72% of global respondents believe that we do not need to solve the problem of disability, but should solve the shortcomings of the world for people with disabilities. More and more brands are aware of the potential business opportunities in this field and are starting to launch more accessible products for the public.

In July 2022, American furniture retailer Pottery Barn launched a new adaptive furniture series based on its 150 best-selling furniture. These furniture were designed with the support of the Disability Education and Advocacy Network to reduce barriers to use for people with limited mobility. The series of products are sold both online and in physical stores, and the price is the same as the original design.

US clothing retailer Koh's is also expanding its adult offerings with adjustable clothing options. In September 2022, the brand announced that it would add adaptive products to its own brands Sonoma Goods for Life and TekGear, and introduce adaptive products from other brands to its online store.

Similar changes are underway in packaged goods. Strauss, one of Israel’s largest food manufacturers, announced in February 2022 that it would adjust the packaging of its snack products to make them easier for people with disabilities to open.

In Europe, Kellogg's has added NaviLens codes to all of its cereal boxes so that visually impaired people can scan the packages with their phones to get nutritional information and other information about the products.

Why you should pay attention to this trend:

According to the Global Economics of Disability 2020 report released by Return on Disability, people with disabilities and their families have an estimated purchasing power of $13 trillion. Brands can consider the various needs of a wider group and tap into business opportunities through inclusive design to create more accessible products for everyone.

40. Fun without age restrictions – Brands are launching games for consumers of all ages.

McDonald's wants to help people relive the fun of their childhood.

• The "Happy Meal" for adults was launched in October 2022, with a toy paired with its popular menu item. The company said: "Everyone remembers the first time they had a Happy Meal as a child - and the feeling of not being able to wait to see what surprise was inside."
• This little red box can turn a regular Tuesday into the best day of your life. Now, we’re reimagining that experience in an all-new way—this time for adults.”

Moxy Hotels is offering travelers “fun accommodations.”

• Moxy describes its new hotel, opening in November 2022 on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, as a “playful playground” inspired by “the circuses and old-school zoos that once lined the Bowery.”
• The hotel offers "endless entertainment and a spirit of eccentricity" and invites guests to "Play On #atthemoxy".
• The hotel brand is also furthering its playful ethos with an augmented reality marketing campaign in Asia Pacific, “Moxy Universe, Play Beyond.”

Canadian cannabis brand Houseplant is injecting a playful element into its products. The brand launched new packaging in April 2022 that was inspired by Lego bricks. "We wanted to use the playful element of Houseplant and design something that could be recycled and reused," Javier Arizu, co-founder of design studio Pràctica and collaborator on the design, told architecture and interior design website Dezeen.

Why you should pay attention to this trend:

In the past few years, faced with an unpredictable future, people have begun to seek emotional release.

Brands are rediscovering a culture of playfulness and optimism by redesigning their products and services to encourage play and fun.

This article is from the official website of Wunderman Thompson: https://www.wundermanthompson.com/

Author: Brand Yuan, WeChat public account: Brand Yuan (ID: brand-yuan)