The metaverse is fast-becoming one of the most exciting places for a business to make a splash when it comes to marketing. Here are five major brands that are doing it right.
Coca-Cola and Tafi
3D artists Tafi worked with Coca-Cola in 2021 to put on an online auction, in which participants competed for a loot box of NFTs. It was an enormous success, making over a million dollars in a short space of time. Decentraland, an open-source open-world game engine, provided the host for the NFTs, which took the form of clothes characters could wear, such as a futuristic bubble jacket and other unique in-game items. Players made their bids using an online version of the classic Coke vending machine and winners of the auction also received a prize in real life: a Coca Cola branded fridge.
Louis Vuitton
On Louis Vuitton’s second centenary, the fashion brand decided to create a computer game to honour their founder’s birthday. Played on a mobile, the game involved collecting candles in various different levels which also contained 30 NFTs hidden throughout the game as Easter eggs. Naturally, the player’s character could be dressed in various different Louis Vuitton clothes. This proved to be a clever way to reach Gen Z audiences and subtly teach them about the Louis Vuitton brand.
Gucci and Roblox
Gucci built a Gucci Garden in the immersive online game Roblox back in May 2021. This gave players an opportunity to wander around a version of the famous Gucci Garden of Florence from the comfort of their own homes and built brand awareness on a platform used by many young people. The garden retained themed rooms but played fast and loose with physics to make for a fun, engaging experience, while players could also purchase Gucci clothing for their avatars.
Selfridges and Pokemon
When the Pokemon franchise reached 25 years old, it partnered with Selfridges and Charli Cohen to create Electric/City, a type of online city where users could purchase products. A blend of different real-life cities, Electric/City allowed users to create their own digital personas to walk the streets dressed in virtual clothes. Blurring the lines between digital and real-life, Selfridges even put point of sale displays in stores where customers could get involved with the game and win prizes.
Balenciaga and Fortnite
Like Louis Vuitton, fashion brand Balenciaga stepped into the immersive online world using an existing platform, the computer game Fortnite. They created virtual Balenciaga outfits which players could purchase in-game. There were also some items which were free and could be ‘unlocked’ by in-game achievements. The opportunity was limited to one week, creating an incentive for players to drop in and get their stuff. In the real world, special items of clothing were put on sale and the people who bought them then received extra items in the game. Also, in various capital cities, Balenciaga created a 3D billboard experience in which the advert came to life and people could walk around in it.
These ideas show the scale of what’s possible in the metaverse. But it’s not restricted to major corporations, even smaller brands can make a big impact by taking inspiration and making people sit up and take notice in exciting new ways.