Once again, Aarron SpinleySVP of thenewly acquired Thunderhead (by Medallia),provides the kind of thought leadership that has some real meaning. He's a paradigm for executives on how to be an internal thought leader who has an external impact. This piece is particularly germane since we are all at the stage of deciding whether the metaverse is nothing more than a. Facebook trying to save its own butt or b. the latest fast riser in the hype cycle (RememberClubhouse?) or c. has some real substance that has to be accounted for in corporate/business planning in multiple ways? Me? I'm sticking to theDC Comics Multiverse.There, all the alternate universes have been fully resolved into a single universe. There's something to be said for that. 

Take it away, Aarron.

Four Key Principles for Executives and Marketers 

A lot of people who are watching the arrival of new terms like web3 and the metaverse have realised that this suggests yet another shift. Maybe even a big one. 

But like many things in life, it is not the thing itself, but the effects of the thing that we should focus on. That, and the repeatable, and sustainable, management of the thing. Once we understand that, anxiety fades.

So, it is useful to understand that the metaverse is a bit like the second coming of technological capabilities that we have long recognised. In essence, it is the convergence of things like artificial reality and virtual reality to, perhaps finally, realise the intersection of the physical and digital realms that "Industry 4.0" inherently promised.

Why is the metaverse only just now emerging? Because other enabling technologies?-- better cloud computing, broadband access, virtual currencies, collaboration tools et al?-- weren't ready when metaverse-related tech first arrived. 

In short, the Metaverse represents the start of the shift from a 2D internet world, to a 3D one. Or so the marketing slogan goes.

But while it is something old, it is also something new. Underestimate it at your peril. Most are expecting it to spawn whole new industries, to revolutionise commerce, the "creator economy" and, of course, the very nature of communication and collaboration both personally, and professionally.

Ergo: Marketers and other customer professionals will have an opportunity to think differently?-?at least in execution?-?about how to interact with customers in completely new ways. Although, thinking differently, has often proved a stretch too far in an industry that chows down on buzzwords and loves to follow the pack.

Here's an example. Instead of calling a contact centre for a phone conversation, you or your avatar for that matter might be sitting in a booth with the avatar of the service agent talking through your problem. 

What are the ripple effects of that type of interaction? How would we consume that, relate to it, process it emotionally, or react to different stimuli within that context?

There are a million use cases and ideas, but the really big question is this:

How do we establish principles that allow us to harness the opportunities repeatably, and how do we do that safely?

Hopefully, this helps.

The Metaverse is a Service Layer Issue

In my estimation, and depending on the category, the service layer accounts for over 90