Brand Engagement in the Metaverse: January 2024

Published 31 January 2024

Author

Saska Graville

3 min read

January’s most notable metaverse activations reward brand loyalty with real-life perks, entice a new generation of fans with an in-world pop-up, unlock virtual sports experiences and merch shopping and satisfy avatar-styling appetites. Hilton Hotels opens in heiress Paris Hilton’s Slivingland on Roblox, Meta-Stadiums and MeetKai debut virtual Fifa soccer, and Amika brings hair styling and challenges to Roblox.

Hilton Hotels Rewards & Recruits on Roblox: Running until the end of February, American hospitality giant Hilton’s first metaverse activation is seeking to drive loyalty among existing Hilton Honors members and woo younger travellers for whom a Hilton stay might not be an obvious choice. Rather than creating a standalone Hilton metaverse, it has opened a pop-up space within Slivingland, the Roblox experience launched in August 2023 by Paris Hilton.

Visitors enter a Hilton lobby (created by the heiress’s next-gen media company 11:11) where a scavenger hunt involves finding suitcases, sunglasses and slippers. For Hilton Honors members, prizes of more than 12 million Honors Points are up for grabs (worth about $60,000). One hundred and eleven winners will receive 111,111 points each (worth approximately $555.56), unlocking real-world perks, including free hotel stays and Amazon shopping. A further 11 winners will also receive Diamond Tier status for 12 months, making them eligible for benefits like room upgrades, food and beverage credits and executive lounge access. Non-members compete for limited-edition Hilton and Slivingland co-branded digital wearables for Roblox avatars, such as Hilton Honors Harajuku Antlers (holographic antlers with stars, hearts and flowers).

The launch campaign starring Roblox avatars featured a 30-second frame-by-frame recreation of a 2023 real-life Paris Hilton hotel commercial. The heiress promoted it to her 26.3 million Instagram followers with a video splicing the two versions together.

See more hotel metaverse activations in Reality-Hopping in The Metaverse 360°.

Hilton Hotels Rewards & Recruits on Roblox: Running until the end of February, American hospitality giant Hilton’s first metaverse activation is seeking to drive loyalty among existing Hilton Honors members and woo younger travellers for whom a Hilton stay might not be an obvious choice. Rather than creating a standalone Hilton metaverse, it has opened a pop-up space within Slivingland, the Roblox experience launched in August 2023 by Paris Hilton.

Visitors enter a Hilton lobby (created by the heiress’s next-gen media company 11:11) where a scavenger hunt involves finding suitcases, sunglasses and slippers. For Hilton Honors members, prizes of more than 12 million Honors Points are up for grabs (worth about $60,000). One hundred and eleven winners will receive 111,111 points each (worth approximately $555.56), unlocking real-world perks, including free hotel stays and Amazon shopping. A further 11 winners will also receive Diamond Tier status for 12 months, making them eligible for benefits like room upgrades, food and beverage credits and executive lounge access. Non-members compete for limited-edition Hilton and Slivingland co-branded digital wearables for Roblox avatars, such as Hilton Honors Harajuku Antlers (holographic antlers with stars, hearts and flowers).

The launch campaign starring Roblox avatars featured a 30-second frame-by-frame recreation of a 2023 real-life Paris Hilton hotel commercial. The heiress promoted it to her 26.3 million Instagram followers with a video splicing the two versions together.

See more hotel metaverse activations in Reality-Hopping in The Metaverse 360°.

Hilton Hotels

Meta-Stadiums & MeetKai Create Phygital Soccer Thrills: Launched in December 2023, a partnership between entertainment, gaming and non-fungible token (NFT) platform Meta-Stadiums and American conversational artificial intelligence and metaverse platform MeetKai created a virtual stadium for watching live (real-world) sports fixtures and shopping real-life merchandise.

Fans attend stadium matches as avatars (entry and avatar creation is via Meta-Stadiums) to watch avatar-players on mobile and desktop browsers – or virtual reality headsets for a more immersive experience. Working with match agent SLFC (a European football agency that organises real-world Fifa training camps and friendly games), the Meta-Stadium will host 150 virtual live matches, featuring a rotation of 137 of Fifa’s top-rated teams. Fans can also access more than 5,000 archived games, watching from avatar seating that includes press and VIP boxes. (All fixtures and ticket prices TBA.)

Integrating MeetKai’s virtual merchandising technology (first deployed in October 2023 for a virtual NBA merch store), the platform allows fans to browse and buy virtual goods for physical home delivery. There are also plans to launch NFT digital memorabilia, commemorating key match moments (TBA).

Meta-Stadiums & MeetKai Create Phygital Soccer Thrills: Launched in December 2023, a partnership between entertainment, gaming and non-fungible token (NFT) platform Meta-Stadiums and American conversational artificial intelligence and metaverse platform MeetKai created a virtual stadium for watching live (real-world) sports fixtures and shopping real-life merchandise.

Fans attend stadium matches as avatars (entry and avatar creation is via Meta-Stadiums) to watch avatar-players on mobile and desktop browsers – or virtual reality headsets for a more immersive experience. Working with match agent SLFC (a European football agency that organises real-world Fifa training camps and friendly games), the Meta-Stadium will host 150 virtual live matches, featuring a rotation of 137 of Fifa’s top-rated teams. Fans can also access more than 5,000 archived games, watching from avatar seating that includes press and VIP boxes. (All fixtures and ticket prices TBA.)

Integrating MeetKai’s virtual merchandising technology (first deployed in October 2023 for a virtual NBA merch store), the platform allows fans to browse and buy virtual goods for physical home delivery. There are also plans to launch NFT digital memorabilia, commemorating key match moments (TBA).

Meta-Stadiums

Amika’s Roblox Salon Styling & Games: Reflecting Roblox research revealing that avatar hair is the second most important element for 67% of American and British Gen Zers to customise on a daily or weekly basis (clothing comes first at 70%, with accessories third at 52%), fans of US-based haircare brand Amika can buy digital wearables, socialise, create products, practise hair salon skills and take part in challenges in The Amikaverse on Roblox, launched January 2024.

Devised by American virtual world e-commerce developer Obsess, it enables visitors to buy digital wearables using Robux (Roblox’s digital currency), like brightly patterned hair and a hair salon cape, and combine ingredients to create their own digital hair products to gift to friends within the experience. Games include the Salon challenge: solving hair concerns – i.e. “I want to nurse my hair back to health” – by recommending Amika products.

A matching shoppable virtual store with the full Amika range, also developed by Obsess, is planned for later in 2024, accessed via Amika’s existing e-commerce site.

Amika’s Roblox Salon Styling & Games: Reflecting Roblox research revealing that avatar hair is the second most important element for 67% of American and British Gen Zers to customise on a daily or weekly basis (clothing comes first at 70%, with accessories third at 52%), fans of US-based haircare brand Amika can buy digital wearables, socialise, create products, practise hair salon skills and take part in challenges in The Amikaverse on Roblox, launched January 2024.

Devised by American virtual world e-commerce developer Obsess, it enables visitors to buy digital wearables using Robux (Roblox’s digital currency), like brightly patterned hair and a hair salon cape, and combine ingredients to create their own digital hair products to gift to friends within the experience. Games include the Salon challenge: solving hair concerns – i.e. “I want to nurse my hair back to health” – by recommending Amika products.

A matching shoppable virtual store with the full Amika range, also developed by Obsess, is planned for later in 2024, accessed via Amika’s existing e-commerce site.

Amika Haircare