Redefining the Metaverse. OMG’s Phil Rowley Reminds Marketers that the Metaverse Should Not Be the “Regretaverse.”

Phil Rowley, Head of Futures for Omnicom Media Group UK, admits that the metaverse is both overhyped and underappreciated.  While a lot of marketer attention is now on the “shiny objects” of AI with products like ChatGPT, he has recently focused on “Avoiding the regretaverse” or, perhaps better said, “how not to mess up in the metaverse.”

He admits that “some brands are already knocking it out of the park” with their metaverse efforts.  However, he adds, “But many are not.”  As a result, Phil Rowley offers a realistic view of the opportunities the metaverse presents.  Beginning with definitions, he explains how brands can win easily and win big, while encouraging the initiated to “seize the opportunity.”

To learn more from Phil Rowley about how brands can best take advantage of the biggest change to the media landscape in decades, watch the video interview on Internationalist Marketing TV (IMTV) on YouTube by CLICKING HERE.

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In our conversation, we discuss the following:

• You refer to the Metaverse as a “three-dimensional internet, swallowing all other advertising formats inside it, accessed across desktop, console, mobile and AR/VR.”  Does that make it a virtual form of media?
• You see the Metaverse as a colossal opportunity rather than a fad. Why should marketing budgets be allocated there?
• Your advice is that brands should be definitive, discerning, and durable when approaching the Metaverse.  Talk about each… 
• Is the Metaverse an opportunity for EVERY brand?  Or do some brands lend themselves more to AR/VR?
• Does it start with gaming?  Should every brand have a gaming idea?
• Will there be a need for a Chief Metaverse Officer?  Who would be the best candidate for that job?  Someone from media, tech, advertising, or marketing?  
• Will economic uncertainty push the Metaverse forward if it is cheaper to experiment there?
• As Head of Futures, what’s the next subject or subjects on your mind? 

Or tune in to our Trendsetters podcast, HERE

Phil Rowley is Head of Futures at OMG UK, the media division of Omnicom Group Inc. He has the specific remit of ‘future-proofing’ clients via big picture thinking, macro-insight and innovation inspiration, whilst also making media innovation more actionable in the ‘now’.

He has authored OMG’s flagship thought leadership pieces: Beyond 2021 – The Next Decade; Level Up – The Future of Gaming; Audio Futures – The Sound Of The Future; Retail 2.0 – The Future of Shopping; Hit The Switch – The Future of Sustainable Business, but converts them into executional roadmaps for global clients who want to get to the future faster.

 He has also delivered keynotes on the future of media and marketing in London, New York, Moscow, Berlin, Frankfurt, Dublin, Rome and Copenhagen, and is a tech advisory board member, a columnist and a guest lecturer. He has more than 22 years’ experience, from working in tech, marketing and advertising in London, Dublin and Auckland.

To download OMG’s Metaverse Report, click here.

Phil was also named an Internationalist Agency Innovator.