• Tech futurist and Web 3.0 expert Cathy Hackl explains the metaverse, the new virtual trend of the moment, on the next episode of ‘The Impulse’ podcast
  
• For Hackl, the metaverse can revolutionise the way brands engage with users, and strengthen their communities, something CUPRA is already doing with its Metahype space
• The episode is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Ivoox

What if we could create a new universe and blur the boundaries with the physical world? What if the virtual could be experienced with real emotions? These are the premises of the metaverse, the digital trend shaping up to be the next version of the Internet. CUPRA has already announced the launch of its own space in the metaverse, Metahype, a collaborative virtual environment for creating and sharing experiences. Known as the “Godmother of the Metaverse”, Cathy Hackl is an expert in Web 3.0 strategy and future technologies. She chats with CUPRA’s Global Director of Communications, Cécilia Taieb about these topics on the newest episode of The Impulse, the CUPRA Tribe podcast.

Two worlds blended into one. The metaverse “is about virtual shared experiences that happen both in spaces but also in the physical world” Cathy explains. Essential technologies like smartphones, computers, augmented reality, virtual reality, 5G, 6G and the blockchain are already laying a foundation for the development of this space. Hackl says that’s why brands’ commitments to the metaverse will play a crucial role in their success: “What you have already done with Metahype I think it’s a great place to start, to engage community, to allow community to be in these virtual spaces.”

Real emotions. “Nowadays, if you want to find out about a brand, you go to its website or its social media; the next stage will be to go to its virtual world” Cathy predicts. This is the natural evolution of how consumers interact with brands. “The metaverse is going to change the way people engage with brands, and if it’s a brand that they love, it’s going to make them even bigger fans” she adds. In this sense, the important thing is to transfer the emotion of the physical world to the virtual one: “At the end of the day, we are human, and we want to connect, and it’s necessary to understand that just because it happens in a virtual space doesn’t make it less real.”

A collaborating Tribe. In the metaverse, “The days of communication from the top down... those are gone; we are communicating now as an equal part of the community” says Cathy. In this sense, Metahype is a space where members of the CUPRA Tribe can connect with the brand and with each other and can collaborate to create and share culture. According to the expert, this opens the door to “new horizons of creativity for both brands and creators, to co-create and showcase their work.” It’s a way of “building the future.” And with an encouraging “I’ll see everyone in the metaverse!”, Cathy bids farewell at the end of the episode.

The new episode of The Impulse, The metaverse: emotions in a virtual world, is now available on CUPRA’s Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Ivoox channels.

CUPRA HQ Communications

Elisabet Anglada
Head of Content Activation
M/ +34 689 282 093
elisabet.anglada@seat.es

Rocío Soria
Content Generation
M/ +34 689 28 14 32
rocio.soria@seat.es

Gemma Solà
TV and Media Activations
M/ +34 639 944 087
gemma.sola@seat.es