Christophe Cotin Valois, CEO of Welcome Max
Christophe Cotin Valois, pioneer of UX in France, has always been immersed in design culture. After starting at IBM E-Business Services, where he mainly worked on the first French portals, Christophe became an independent consultant in the 2000s and became involved in several start-ups, large groups and consultancies. Since 2011, Christophe has been CEO of the Welcome Max agency, a new concept consultancy firm dedicated to experience design.
The metaverse has become a real trending topic for several months now. What do you think are the main reasons for the enthusiasm around this universe?
This craze is a certain fashion thing right now, as its uses in the metaverse remain obscure. As with augmented reality, the potential of virtual reality seems huge, but its applications have yet to be discovered. Many will break their teeth and it seems likely that the use will be where it is not expected, as is the case for augmented reality which today is mainly used in education and industry.
In my opinion, we are in the middle of speculation about the continuity of NFTs. Gamers don’t really find their account there. For the general public, the possible applications are still very “geek”… Brands are surfing the buzz to be present in this new paradigm where the second degree seems to dictate the rules.
What drives brands to launch into the metaverse already? What are the main opportunities they see there?
At the moment, brands are trying to get ahead of the subject, to colonize this virgin space: in short, a new Eldorado. It is certain that brands should launch experiments on the subject in order to orient themselves and choose the right topics, the right platform, the right audience. Therefore, they rightly exploit the event dimension, which is conducive to buzz, with throwaway productions. For the brand utility, we’ll see later.
Most of all, the opportunities will be to cross the boundaries of reality, to do in the metaverse what we can’t really offer in reality, like Amazon or Alibaba breaking down the boundaries of time and space and managed to do what until then was not possible.
The innovations that work are surprising because it is often not the visual representation that makes the difference, but the benefit gained by the user or market players. Neither Google, nor Facebook, nor Amazon are examples of visual creativity. Currently, speculators are trying to create the market. But the brands will really have to innovate, because for now they are making their appearance. The virtual museum will probably be the first opportunity for brands like the Virtual Gucci Garden. The virtual museum in VR has already been explored by major brands such as Dior (through the agency Monochrome). But in terms of experience and interactivity, it’s still pretty disappointing from my point of view.
Do you have examples of projects in the metaverse that brands have recently undertaken?
There is the construction of the Manchester City stadium; once the real stadium is equipped with cameras, we will probably be able to follow the game there from all sides, as if we were there. But without the atmosphere of the matches, isn’t the best image of the production team knowing how to switch shots in the heart of the action to let us experience the moment from the best angle, without doing anything? Besides the matches themselves, visiting the stadium is a holy grail for fans, and they can pay multiple times to access it virtually.
The commitment is such that Manchester City is approaching Tezos (blockchain) to launch NFT collection projects that should be a hit in the community and may be inexpensive. This point is important to generate a use that is in continuity with that of the mobile phone in terms of personalization: shells, ringtones, themes and apps are inexpensive and allow these audiences to consume spontaneously and for fun .
As far as the metaverse is concerned, the second degree also seems to be recurring, like the Heineken* campaign and the virtual beer that also exists in reality. So irony or first degree? We also see that stars like Snoop Dogg know how to capitalize on this ambivalence to generate buzz. Is this the pattern that will emerge? Hard to say, at least we’re talking about it.
*Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health, use in moderation.
What are the main obstacles that can prevent brands from embarking on the metaverse?
- display: Currently, if you are not a fan of Minecraft, you will soon find yourself in fairly “cheap” universes, which have nothing to envy to video games. Even if the web offers beautiful 3D renderings, the metaverse will be another budget vertical for the media to fill. And the bill will be “salty” because we combine digital challenges: visibility, creation, technical constraints, UX, e-commerce… In short, a major challenge for organizations.
- Accessibility and interoperability: nowadays surfing the web with our devices is already a world war where Google, Apple, Meta, etc. are trying to keep their users captive with a UX of their own. Logins, currencies, payment platforms, contact lists, avatars, article repositories, and chats hold audiences. Switching from one device to another can be an obstacle course. So wait until you need to connect while wearing a bulky (and uncomfortable?) headset. So this raises the question of interoperability: will the Gucci bag, which is sold more expensive than the real one on Roblox, be compatible with the Meta world? I hope so for the owner.
What are the elements that could hinder the experiences they will provide there?
Will brands that want to provide a strong experience to their customers have the budget to thrive in the metaverse? Will the platforms provide us with tools or templates of 3D modeled places that we can customize, just as Facebook’s chatbots remain very limited in terms of service?
Do the brands want to be back in a standardized world or will the network be open and thus compatible with the technical standards that make it possible to “run” experiences designed elsewhere? It would then become a kind of immersive shopping center. But this is still a technological challenge. Looking ahead, Luc Besson’s film Valerian gives us an idea of what it could look like: It was one of the greatest productions of all time, yet a commercial flop.