Proctor & Gamble, a consumer product company, and Carrefour held an unusual experiment in the metaverse one week ago: a test session inviting consumers to participate in a series of tasks while learning about cleaning products.
The three-day session was unusual compared to many companies’ attempts to employ the metaverse. Instead of placing users in a virtual world to “learn more” about the company, the P&G and Carrefour session involved giving users a task, deadline, and reward.
There was also a low barrier to entry, with users solely needing to create an account and select an avatar to start the task. No VR headset was needed, which can run into the hundreds of dollars to purchase.
The P&G metaverse activation used a well-known mascot — Mr. Clean. The tasks in the experiment took place in Mr. Clean’s kitchen, where users spent an average of 13 minutes. According to Meta News, which detailed the activation, P&G and Carrefour put an emphasis on learning and customer feedback rather than framing the experiment as a sales drive.
Carrefour is no stranger to the metaverse. Earlier in 2022, the company bought land in The Sandbox, a popular metaverse platform. Elodie Perthuisot of Carrefour said at the time that the move was in line with its digital transformation strategy. The land purchased in The Sandbox would be at the heart of the company’s metaverse activities.
The Metaverse Has Been in the News in 2022
When Mark Zuckerberg changed Facebook’s name to Meta and revealed his metaverse ambitions, interest in virtual worlds skyrocketed. In 2022, months after that name change, the momentum of the metaverse has not abated, and news about this nascent technology comes out seemingly by the day. Here are three stories Rarity Sniper has covered surrounding the metaverse this year.
Just days ago, the Wharton School of Business announced that it was launching a 6-week metaverse education course. The course titled “Business in the Metaverse Economy” will take place in partnership with Prysm Group, an economic consulting firm that focuses on rising technologies.
Also just days ago, MTV Video Music Awards shared that it was adding a “Best Metaverse Performance Category” to its slate of awards. The music giant said it decided to create the category after noticing many performers were creating shows in virtual worlds like Decentraland and The Sandbox.
Then there is Shibu Inu. A week ago, virtual reality company The Third Floor announced it was partnering with the creators of the meme coin to create a virtual world for SHIB members. The realm, built on 100,000 land parcels, will be used to create rewards and facilitate the purchasing of in-game items.
P&G and Carrefour’s metaverse experiment is interesting news, if only because it shows the metaverse technology being used in a different, lightweight fashion. Here at Rarity Sniper, we’ll be watching closely for further developments with this technology.