The marketing industry’s overall enthusiasm surrounding the metaverse has waned as the economy experiences a downturn, shifting the industry’s focus towards more impactful innovations, particularly in AI, which has practical implications.
However, there are still brands tapping into the metaverse to connect with their target demographic and create immersive experiences.
One of the ways they are doing this is through Roblox, a gaming platform known for its young user base. Brands like Gap, American Eagle, Forever 21, Nike, Ralph Lauren, Givenchy, Tommy Hilfiger, Gucci, and even Walmart have recently launched unique experiences within Roblox.
David Webster, co-founder and chief executive of The Carrot Collective understands this growing trend, and shares the analogy of simultaneously throwing a party in several places to explain the shift. The former managing director for Asia Pacific at BBH explains to Campaign brands that the increase of usage in tools such as Roblox signal a growing desire to create a unanimous brand experience for consumers, regardless of platform or place.
“With the new possibilities offered by blockchain technology and Web3 use cases, brands have a unique opportunity to test real-world behaviours in virtual environments, and vice versa. A living skunk-works of sorts.”
A brand that has created a focused metaverse strategy on Roblox is the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), the economic development agency for Singapore’s tourism sector, which sees value in the platform’s marketing potential.
With a study by Expedia finding that 43% of children influence family travel decisions, and 40% of Roblox users are under the age of 13, Roblox gave STB a new perspective on how tap into families and travellers. As such, STB tasked [email protected], its bespoke agency within Publicis Media, Publicis Play and Wonder Works Studio, to create ‘Singapore Wanderland’ and target Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
The experience crafted