More and more brands are looking to get involved in the metaverse, with many taking their own unique approach. While brand alignment is not always seamless, and the connections between consumer, idea, and brand are not exactly perfect, successful brands have often captured some of the underlying appeal within the metaverse. There are plenty of interesting things happening in the space right now, but let’s briefly look at three brands who are approaching the metaverse in an encouraging way, whether that is through world building, approaching things with a bit of humour, or trying to bring people closer together.
The World That Nike Built, Nikeland and Roblox
Roblox, launched in 2006, has built a virtual community to help people, particularly younger people, freely express themselves. With its own internal economy, Roblox allows users to create their own games and virtual clothes which they can sell to other users using digital currency. Nike, seeing this trend continuing to grow, launched ‘Nikeland’ with Roblox, a place where visitors could come and play a variety of virtual games, as well as try on and buy virtual Nike clothing.
Early indications are that this move has been successful for Nike, who recently reported nearly 7 million users visited Nikeland since its launch five months earlier. For a highly competitive product like apparel, this is a huge win as buyer behaviour often comes down to products that people ‘connect’ with.
The long term aspiration of Nikeland is to integrate real world sporting moments, athlete partnerships, and of course product integration into it. Experiments have already begun with this, as LeBron James appeared in Nikeland over the NBA’s All Star Weekend. With a focus on encouraging the community to get involved in some real world physical activity, LeBron gave out coaching, advice, and interacted with users in Nikeland.
No Calories, No Taste, Heineken’s Playful Approach To The Metaverse
Similar to Nikeland in Roblox, Heineken has built a virtual brewery in Decentraland, complete with DJ booth, bar, and dance floor. Now, to make the experience more authentic, Heineken is offering virtual Heineken Silver, the beer with ‘no calories, no hidden ingredients, and no beer’, and of course no taste.
“Our virtual beer is made only from the freshest pixels: no malt, no hops, no yeast, no water and also, no beer. The result? An unusual & inaccessible premium lager with a tech and meta finish that no one can enjoy. Refresh now your virtual taste. Try to try the new virtual Heineken® Silver in Decentraland.”
This idea helps to build on the immersion into the metaverse while not attempting to take itself seriously. This approach actually does fit into the Heineken brand identity, with Heineken often taking opportunities to promote responsible drinking.
Metaverse Of Love, Unilever Bringing Couples Together
Freedom of expression, and a world that allows people to create something that truly embodies who they really are is likely to be one of the keys to the metaverse becoming a new channel for developing connections. This is why Closeup, an oral care brand within Unilever, has recently created NFT marriage certificates, available for all couples within the metaverse. While it may seem like this is a strange move, it actually aligns with their overall brand approach of bringing people together to celebrate all couples.
In the real world, Closeup has partnered with Dhanak of Humanity, which is a not-for-profit organisation that seeks equality for all couples. Dhanak of Humanity helps couples who may face prejudices from societal beliefs, to attempt to help them accept themselves, while also working to overcome issues and challenges.
This is now continuing over to the metaverse, where Closeup have established the ;Closeup City Hall of Love’, where people off all races, faiths, and sexual orientation can get married, within Decentraland, and collect the non-fungible tokens of marriage for themselves.
Gaurav Datta, Global Brand Vice President at Closeup, nicely summed up the purpose of this by saying “we believe that love of all kinds is special and must be championed” before stating “Our foray into the metaverse with Closeup City Hall of Love is another initiative to build safe spaces that celebrate equality and inclusion and inspire people to act on their mutual attraction, free from self-doubt and judgment, so they can experience closeness on their terms.”