By Bianca Mirisola
Before they were seen as mere mascots, avatars have being evolved into a more complex concept and, today, they are “beings” that inhabit the virtual environment and play a vital role in the commerce of major brands.
Imagine getting in touch with a store to ask for help buying a product: your customer service is the same person who stamps the ads at all points of sale. That’s what happens when we get in touch with the MagaLu app, even though it’s no longer a human being interacting on the other side from the first moment.Lu from Magazine Luiza, as well as CB “Bahianinho” from Casas Bahia and Pin from the Ponto that used to be called as Ponto Frio, were born in the form of a mascot and turned into avatars. Nat from Natura was already introduced in the market in this new format.
Charged with visually representing their organizations, they have the difficult task to interact and connect with consumers by passing on the brand values they represent and establish bonds.
Much of the public image of brands depends on their avatars.
We also have Ellen, which was created in 2020 by Elle Magazine. The avatar travels both over the internet and through Metaverse, and was created by Pavileon, the result of a partnership between Mktmix (a large 360° fashion and lifestyle communication agency in the country, with 25 years of experience in the market led by Tânia Otranto, Balia Lebeis and Roberto Ethel) and i.Produce.
Avatar aims to merge the physical and the digital, a movement that is being called phygital, so that it can personify everything the brand represents and, at the same time, demonstrate its own personality. A little over a year old, Ellen attended the first Metaverse Fashion Week. The event took place at the beginning of the year and had Ellen as a commentator and fashion influencer.
Image Credits: Pavilleon
This avatar guarantees to be a big name for the next trends in phygital fashion, as her looks will also be present on the physical catwalks.
How to create the relationship between avatar and audience
As we are able to “enter” in the Metaverse, these avatars are present in our world mainly through social networks, where some of then already have a fan club, such as Ponto’s Pin and its fans are known as “Pinautas”. In some cases, we also see them through apps or even advertisements on our TVs.
Avatars primarily communicates through Metaverse platforms. “But they also have the possibility of making posts on social networks and interacting with consumers”, says Maurício Borges, publicist at Pavileon.
A personalized and immersive interaction
Rebranding is one of the most used marketing strategies, characterized mainly by the visual remodeling of a brand or product. This process takes advantage of current trends to update the brand image and maintain the connection with consumer desires.
It is at this moment of rebranding that avatars enter and take over the scene. The use of these avatars says a lot about the companies intentions and the path they want to follow with their image.
“It depends on the intent of the company and the purpose of this avatar, as an available option for a personalized and immersive service, bringing the consumer closer to the brand, because the human being needs to be in contact with another ‘human being’ to be able to create empathy and affinity”, explains Borges.
