Research on Metahuman in Brand Non-Fiction Communication

After decades of Internet development, the boundary between virtual and reality is becoming blurred, and the sense of immersion in user experience is becoming more and more emphasized. When the sense of immersion and participation reaches its peak, Metaverse will become the “ultimate form” of Internet development. Following the “Metaverse”, the concept of “Metahuman” quickly heated up, and brands are warming to new digital marketing methods. They realize that traditional marketing tactics fail to attract the attention of the younger public, who are more likely to appear in virtual worlds and social networks. Therefore, it is crucial to adapt and deliver more innovative experiences to reach the young generation. However, related academic literature is fragmented and limited, among which there are few studies on Metahuman in brand communication. Lacking conceptual clarity, almost no research has pointed out the opportunities and dilemmas faced by Metahuman in brand communication. This article makes three contributions to the study of Metahuman in brand communication. First, to solve the ambiguity of its classification and ensure the consistency of the objects, this study systematically sorts out the brands that have held hands with Metahumans in the past two years. Furthermore, it provides Metahuman’s typology according to their scenes, functions, purposes, social attributes, and other dimensions. Secondly, a case study of AYAYI, a typical Metahuman with multiple identities and functions, analyzes the Metahuman’s opportunities and challenges in brand communication. Finally, the concept of Non-Fiction Marketing is proposed. Brands can convey scattered and fictitious aggregate cognition, including value propositions, temperament, and personality, to the audience figuratively in this Metaverse era.