Top 5 Metaverse Moments May '24
AdAge’s latest roundup of metaverse news and examples features TurboTax in Fortnite, platform news from Snap, Meta and Roblox plus more.
This month, tax filing comes to the metaverse, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg gets a metaverse “glow up” and Roblox revs up its ad program.
No. 5: Snapchat makes augmented reality more accessible to brands
Snap has always had impressive augmented reality filters, which brands have used to create virtual versions of their products or decorate their ads, but the technology has been out of reach for some advertisers. That’s why Snap made AR a focus of its NewFront presentation last week, where the app launched tools that make it easier to play with augmented reality.
No. 4: Roblox rolls out video ads
In May, Roblox launched video ads more widely, extending the program it started last year to introduce digital video billboards into its games. The video autoplays on mute when a player’s avatar looks in its direction. Already brands such as Walmart, Warner Bros. Pictures and e.l.f. have tried the ads.
No.3: Calling Salvador Dalí’s AI doppelganger
In a surreal new exhibit at the Dalí Museum, visitors can talk with the artist, or an AI version of the artist, rather. Goodby Silverstein & Partners created the activation called “Ask Dalí,” Ad Age’s Sabrina Sanchez reported.
No 2.: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg glows up
There have been some big announcements out of Meta Reality Labs since April, and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg even got an upgrade. Zuckerberg fronted two big changes in Meta’s metaverse department: One was the introduction of AI assistants into Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. The AI assistant makes the glasses more functional, initiating phone calls and taking photos. Meta also made a play to grab a larger share of the virtual reality market, opening the Quest operating software, which powers Meta Quest headsets, to third-party manufacturers.
No. 1: Tax season hits the metaverse
You know the metaverse is becoming more lifelike when people start doing taxes there. In time for tax filing season, Intuit TurboTax collaborated with “Millionaire Tycoon,” a game within Fortnite, Ad Age’s Asa Hiken reported. Not to be outdone, H&R Block set up shop in Minecraft.
More detail in the full story at AdAge.
