No doubt by now you’ve at least heard of the term metaverse. In case you haven’t, it’s a virtual environment in which users take control of an avatar and experience things like games and music events.

What does this have to do with digital signs and digital advertising screens? Well for starters it’s an entirely digital space, not to mention, it’s part of the future of advertising.

Okay great, digital & smart signage in digital environments, so what’s the gap, and why do we need to bridge it?

Continue reading our blog as we outline what gap exists in this industry, and how digital signage content management systems are one of the solutions.

How Do Digital Signs Fit In The Metaverse?

Digital signs fit in the metaverse the same way that they do in real life, they’re unintrusive, one-to-many, mostly unblockable, and great ways to promote brands to contextually relevant audiences.

Smart digital signage solutions include those that are used in the metaverse and in-game environments. There are millions of players viewing scenery, making it the perfect place to include ads.

Developers of these games/environments can implement digital advertising screens as if they were deciding where to install digital billboards in real life.

Roadside billboards, public transport shelters, in-store, and many other locations already have digital signs, why not emulate it in-game?

You might be asking why developers would want to include ads in their games. The answer to this question is a little complex, as all developers will have slightly different answers.

Primarily, these developers want to provide games and experiences that are free, and by having advertisements this remains possible. Advertisements cover development costs and provide additional revenue.

By becoming network operators alongside game developers these monetary goals can be achieved.

The key to implementing digital signage in the metaverse is to ensure that immersion isn’t broken and that it fits within the theme of the environment.

The Current Gap In Metaverse Advertising

Metaverse/In-game advertising has been around for a while now, but there is a clear gap in the current market.

There is a range of companies that offer smart digital signage solutions in metaverse environments but we at Doohly have noticed a trend. They all have a focus similar to online advertising platforms (Facebook ads, Google ads, etc).

Whilst having this focus isn’t necessarily bad, it does create a gap in knowledge and services that can be provided.

Digital signage content management systems differ from online marketing tools as they support features such as loop policies, scheduled content, separation, and other unique features.

Offering these features to advertisers looking to expand their marketing channels allows them to access tools they’re used to and that is more relevant to these marketing activities.

Without access to the key DOOH features and knowledge that advertisers are used to, they are less likely to make use of this emerging and evolving technology.

One joint venture that is attempting to bridge this gap is Ocean Outdoor media and Admix.

To summarise, they are providing digital advertising screens as NFTs in a particular metaverse known as Somnium Space.

Of course, this project isn’t perfect, but it is a step towards a more appropriate approach.

Another company that is building tools focused around DOOH & in-game/metaverse advertising is Bloxbiz.

Bloxbiz is implementing in-game advertising that reflects DOOH advertising in the game/metaverse environment Roblox.

Closing The Gap

One way to help close the gap is to educate advertisers and in-game advertising companies on the out-of-home industry, and how digital signage software can help their business & clients.

As we said earlier in this blog post, we noticed that the existing players come from an online marketing tool approach.

This approach could continue to work, but will become a limitation as the industry continues to grow, especially at the rate it has been.

By all three parties (in-game, advertisers & DOOH) working together and educating from their experience, better tools, with more features will become available.

This is still a fledgling industry and will continue to grow and expand in unpredictable ways.

We at Doohly are happy to help you start your in-game or real-life OOH advertising, so feel free to reach out today!