Companies are experimenting with the virtual economy as Facebook reemerges as Meta
In the last week of October 2021, Facebook unveiled its ambitions about Metaverse. And right after that, many big companies started making the move towards metaverse.
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Nike filed seven trademark applications to sell its products virtually
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Hyundai dipped its toe in the metaverse trend in its Sonata promotional campaign
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Microsoft decided to give the ‘metaverse’ touch to Teams by adding virtual workplaces and 3D avatars
Nike filed seven new trademarks in the last week of October. It shows the company's interest in virtual business. According to the information from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Nike filed several applications for ‘virtual goods’ trademarks on 27th Oct and filed two more applications for ‘Jumpman’ and ‘Air Jordan’ on 28th Oct. The total number of trademark applications was seven.
“They’re filing new applications for the company’s main trademarks, saying that they’re going to launch and start selling virtual clothing, headwear, and shoes, in online and virtual worlds.”
Josh Gerben, Trademark Attorney
The next on this list is Hyundai. The carmaker joined hands with Zepeto, a metaverse service handled by Naver Z and an affiliate of Naver. In this campaign, Zepeto users can now test drive the new Sonata N Line virtually.
“Hyundai Motor is the first automotive company to showcase vehicles on the Zepeto metaverse platform. The attempt is to provide interactive experiences to customers as we allow users to test drive the Sonata N Line at downtown and driving zones, which are popular maps on the platform.”
Official Statement by Hyundai
Microsoft is coming up with a more fun working environment with its 3D Avatar and immersive meeting settings. According to a Verge reporter, Microsoft will animate avatars with the help of AI and the creator’s voice commands.
“It’s not binary, so I can choose how I want to show up, whether it’s video or an avatar, and there’s a variety of customized options to choose how you want to be present in a meeting.”
Katie Kelly, Principal Product Manager for Microsoft Mesh