Search results

Given its growing economic potential and social impact, this study aims to understand the motivations and concerns regarding metaverse usage. It identifies user needs and risks around the metaverse grounded on uses and gratifications theory and perceived risk theory.

The authors analyzed user reviews and rating data from Roblox, a representative modern metaverse platform. They applied BERTopic modeling to extract topics from reviews, identifying key motivations and risk aspects related to metaverse usage. They further constructed an explanatory model to assess how those affect user satisfaction and changes in these effects over time.

This study discovered that gratifications like entertainment, escapism, social interaction and avatar-based self-expression significantly influence user satisfaction in the metaverse. It also highlighted that users find satisfaction in self-expression and self-actualization through creating virtual spaces, items and video content. However, factors such as identity theft, fraud and child safety were identified as potential detriments to satisfaction. These influences fluctuated over time, indicating the dynamic nature of user needs and risk perceptions.

The novelty of this study lies in its dual application of the uses and gratifications theory and perceived risk theory to the metaverse. It provides a novel perspective on user motivations and concerns, shedding light on the distinct elements driving user satisfaction within the metaverse. This study unravels the metaverse’s unique capacity to assimilate features from established digital media while offering a distinctive user-generated experience. This research offers valuable insights for academics and practitioners in digital media and marketing.

This research pioneers the application of both uses and gratifications and perceived risk theories to understand factors influencing metaverse satisfaction. By establishing a comprehensive framework, it explores the metaverse’s unique value as a user-content creation platform, while encompassing existing digital platform characteristics. This study enriches the academic literature on the metaverse and offers invaluable insights for both metaverse platforms and brand marketers.

This study aims to present and explain the concept of Metaverse, which will revolutionize nearly every industry and can be regarded as the 3D version of the internet. Especially, the paper explores the “building blocks” of the Metaverse and how it is functioning in a case study.

The Metaverse concept is explained by the Nike–Roblox case study, where the authors explore the customer benefits, that are provided by the Nikeland project.

The Nike–Roblox case study is showing that virtual platforms, content services, consumer and business behavior are the most important and visible “building blocks” to the Nikeland visitors (customers) in the Nike–Roblox alliance. The Metaverse is gaining popularity among the big global brands. It is expected that the big breakthrough for Metaverse will happen when the next layer of brands, the regional and local brands, will start penetrating the Metaverse.

Metaverse will be the new future marketing platform for presenting and giving life to all kinds of brands in the 3D interactive digital space. Metaverse is a digital copy of how we are working in the physical world. In this 3D digital space, the users can come together via avatars that resemble them. This will have an enormous effect on how companies will use the marketing function and how we will communicate with each other in future.

This study develops a comprehensive research model and investigates the significant factors affecting positive marketing outcomes in the Metaverse through perceived social benefits and trust.

The authors propose a new research model based on social exchange theory (SET) and examine the impact of cost and reward factors. Using 327 survey samples collected from current Metaverse users in South Korea, dual-stage analysis using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and an artificial neural network (ANN) were employed to test the study’s hypotheses.

The results showed that perceived social benefit and trust had significant mediating effects on marketing outcomes, such as loyalty to the seller, product/service attitude, and purchase intention. All antecedents, except perceived performance risk, had a crucial impact on the two mediators. The most interesting finding of this study is the positive influence of knowledge-seeking efforts on perceived social benefits.

This study is the first empirical research to examine the effectiveness of marketing in the Metaverse. It also proposes a new theoretical model based on SET to investigate users’ behavioral intentions regarding marketing in the Metaverse, and confirms its explanatory power. Moreover, the results of this study also offer suggestions to brands on how to market to consumers in the Metaverse.

The purpose of this exploratory study is to identify the antecedents of brand hate in respect to luxury brand gamification marketing activities.

Five gamified product placements characterized by the ad hoc design of luxury co-branded virtual and/or physical products were selected for the research study. Content analysis was used to identify patterns and classify negative comments shared online into categories.

A content analysis of the negative comments (n. 2,321) related to the perception toward gamification of luxury fashion in videogames revealed the following seven domains: monetization of the game; promotion of inappropriate behavior; unethical placement; games commodified by brands; predatory monetization; perceived incongruence; poor product performance.

The exploratory research study revealed how the perception of gamification activities trigger negative emotions toward luxury fashion brands. It was significant that many of these emotions fall within the antecedents of brand hate.

Luxury companies and game developers need to be aware and manage the antecedents of brand hate in respect to luxury brand gamification activities in videogames. Moreover, luxury brands need to consider customers’ influencing behavior via online word-of-mouth and the potential to impact attitudes and behaviors of other consumers toward brands.

The ethics of gamification within a marketing context have largely escaped inquiry. The study provides evidence that luxury brands need to align the fundamentals of luxury brand management in the digital world of gaming.

This paper explores sports consumer interest in virtual environments (VE) and Web3 activations, specifically how the level of psychological involvement, consumers' generational cohorts and previous experience with VE and Web3 activations influence consumer interest in VE and Web3 products and services related to their favorite sports team.

A survey instrument was developed and distributed online resulting in a sample size of n = 526. The survey was designed to measure consumers' psychological involvement with their favorite sports team based on the Psychological Continuum Model, and to determine respondents' interest in potential VE and Web3 activations. Finally, the survey collected demographical information and data regarding respondents' previous experience with VE and Web3 applications. Multiple regression analysis was subsequently conducted to predict the impact of (1) psychological involvement, (2) consumers' generational cohorts and (3) previous experience with VE and Web3 activations on the dependent variable consumer interest in VE and Web3 activations.

The regression model showed a significant impact of the independent variables on consumer interest in VE and Web3 activations with consumer involvement exerting the highest influence. Consumers' previous experience with VE and Web3 applications also seems to trigger interest, in line with the consumption capital theory. This study also suggests that younger generational cohorts are not intrinsically more attracted to VE and Web3 activations but their interest seems to depend on the type of activation.

This study is intended as a first assessment of independent variables that may have an impact on sports consumer interest in VE and Web3 activations. Further research is needed to assess the impact these variables combined with other indicators may have on consumer interest, for instance by employing a Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) approach. This research included selected VE and Web3 applications comprising online games, NFTs and cryptocurrencies, to calculate a VE and Web3 Literacy Score for the purpose of this paper. However, the “umbrella term Web3” (Wang et al., 2022) could indicate a number of additional applications not considered in this research. Future studies could examine sports consumer experience with additional Web3 activations when assessing VE and Web3 Literacy.

The results of this research imply the need for a diversification of the VE and Web3 portfolio offered by sports teams to cater to different consumer segments. Upcoming challenges for sports teams include motivating younger consumers to take an interest in Web3 activations beyond gaming. Additionally, sports teams should encourage loyal supporters in the advanced stages of the PCM who possess limited VE and Web3 experience, to engage in VE and Web3 activations through simplified offers complementing their overall fan experience.

VE and Web3 activations currently offered by sports teams are still in their early stages and data underpinning their success is scarce. This is the first study examining variables that may influence consumer interest in a sports context.

This study aims to examine the effect of actual and persona self-congruence on luxury brand attachment and the effects of luxury brand attachment on attitude toward luxury brands and purchase intentions using empirical data on Metaverse users.

The authors recruited 300 Metaverse users from South Korea to participate in the survey. Participants were asked whether the participants had experienced Metaverse, including Roblox and Zepeto, before participating in the survey. The Gucci Garden was suggested as a luxury brand in the Metaverse for the participants.

The findings clarify the concept of persona self-congruence and support the congruence's effects on luxury brand attachment in the Metaverse context. This study found a positive relationship between persona self-congruence and luxury brand attachment that influences attitude and purchase intentions in the context of Metaverse, contributing to the theoretical and practical implications for luxury brand management.

This study contributes to luxury brand marketing in the Metaverse context by clarifying the concept of persona self-congruence and articulating the congruence's effects on luxury brand attachment in the context of the Metaverse.

In the post-pandemic world, this study offers luxury brand practitioners new insights to help the practitioners develop and manage luxury brand strategies by understanding the influence of persona self-congruence and luxury brand attachment on luxury brand evaluation in the Metaverse context.

This study addresses an innovative and practical issue related to the impact of persona self-congruence on luxury brand attachment in the Metaverse, offering new insights for luxury brand management in the post-pandemic world.

This paper aims to highlight the reputation risks of doing business in the metaverse.

The viewpoint is a subjective review of the technical, economic and cultural underpinnings of the metaverse from a corporate perspective.

While still in its infancy, the metaverse poses some reputation risks inherited from the internet and social media as well as new risks of its own.

While there have been numerous examinations of the potential perils of the metaverse, to the best of the author’s knowledge, this viewpoint is one of the first to suggest an approach to dealing systematically with its reputation risks.

This study explores the key platform affordances that online social platform providers need to offer digital creators to strengthen the creator ecosystem, one of the leading accelerators for platform growth. Specifically, it aims to investigate how these affordances make the dynamic combinations for high platform quality across diverse platform types and demographic characteristics of digital creators.

This study adopts a multi-method approach. Drawing upon the affordance theory, Study 1 aims to identify the key affordances of online social platforms based on relevant literature and the qualitative interview data collected from 22 digital creators, thereby constructing a conceptual framework of key platform affordances for digital creators. Building on the findings of Study 1, Study 2 explores the dynamic combinations of these platform affordances that contribute to platform quality using a configurational approach. Data from online surveys of 185 digital creators were analyzed using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA).

The results of Study 1 identified key online social platform affordances for digital creators, including Storytelling, Socialization, Design, Development, Promotion, and Protection affordance. Study 2 showed that the combinations of these platform affordances for digital creators are diverse according to the types of platforms, creators’ gender, and their professionality.

Like many studies, this research also has several limitations. One limitation of the research is the potential constraint of the extent of how well the data samples represent the group of creators who are actively producing digital content. Despite the addition of screening questions and meticulous data filtering, it is possible that we did not secure sufficient data from creators who are actively engaged in creative activities. In future research, it is worth contemplating the acquisition of data from actual groups of creators, such as creator communities. Future researchers anticipate obtaining more in-depth and accurate data by directly involving and collaborating with creators.

This study highlights the need for online social platforms to enhance features for storytelling, socializing, design, development, promotion, and protection, fostering a robust digital creator ecosystem. It emphasizes clear communication of these affordances, ensuring creators can effectively utilize them. Importantly, platforms should adapt these features to accommodate diverse creator profiles, considering differences in gender and expertise levels, especially in emerging spaces like the Metaverse. This approach ensures an equitable and enriching experience for all users and creators, underlining the importance of dynamic interaction and inclusivity in platform development and creator support strategies.

This study underscores the social implications of evolving digital creator ecosystems on online platforms. Identifying six key affordances essential for digital creators highlights the need for platforms to enhance storytelling, socializing, design, development, promotion, and product protection. Crucially, it emphasizes inclusivity, urging platforms to consider diverse creator profiles, including gender and expertise differences, particularly in transitioning from traditional social media to the Metaverse. This approach nurtures a more robust creator ecosystem and fosters an equitable and enriching experience for all users. It signals a shift towards more dynamic, adaptive online environments catering to diverse creators and audiences.

For academics, this study builds the conceptual framework of online social platform affordances for digital creators. Using the configurational approach, this study identified various interdependent relationships among the affordances, which are nuanced by specific contexts, and suggested novel insights for future studies. For practices, the findings specified by creators and platform types are expected to guide platform providers in developing strategies to support digital creators and contribute to platform growth.