An examination on influencer marketing in the metaverse

"Metaverse", which is built on Web 3.0 infrastructure; is described as a decentralized, online fictional virtual universes community that provides integrated and interoperable user experiences, supported by virtual reality applications, where technologies such as blockchain, NFT and cryptocurrencies are frequently used. This new universe, which is representative of the physical world, provides a suitable environment for many online activities such as work, games, education and shopping. At the same time, it creates a more interactive and unlimited market area for global brands with technological innovations, opportunities, and current applications. In this context, it is seen that brands which carry their social media influencer marketing applications to this virtual world develop new marketing activities in terms of influencers which they cooperate with and follower interaction. In this study, the collaborations between the brands that stepped into the Metaverse world and the influencer/meta influencer were examined by making the case study and using Barthes' semiotic analysis method. As a result of the research, it is stated that; in influencer marketing activities on metaverse, posts that visually match the image and the lifestyle of the collaborating influencer have been created, gamification is used in marketing, real-time interaction with followers is enabled in online areas, followers of influencers on their social media accounts were invited to their events on Metaverse, influencer marketing varied experiences are offered by gamification, brands execute strategies in parallel with physical world practices, NFT and Web 3.0 technologies are used, digital products can be marketed and experience marketing has come to the fore in the Metaverse as the current medium of brand and follower interaction. Key Words: Metaverse, Influencer Marketing, Influencer, Meta Influencer