Brand Engagement in the Metaverse: March 2024
Published 02 April 2024
Last month saw auto brands Hyundai (South Korea) and Nissan (Japan) both launch activations aiming to halo their heritage via vintage car experiences, with Hyundai keying into the South Korean vogue for nostalgia. Meanwhile, US audio speaker brand JBL partnered with American creator Robuilds on a short film in Roblox – a tactic as yet under-explored by brands.
At A Glance
Innovation Platforms
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Hyundai x Zepeto’s Retro Cityscape
Hyundai’s virtual world Timeless Seoul on avatar-based social platform Zepeto (also Korean) leans into national affection for 7080 – the analogue, more relaxed 1970s and 80s. During that time, South Korea’s nascent industrialisation continued apace and democracy took root, spurring pop culture to greater heights.
The virtual world is centred around the 1975 Hyundai Pony, the first car produced in South Korea. Visitors can race a vintage Pony around a racing-game-style track, attend photo shoots themed around the decades’ nightlife, and explore vintage music and clothing shops. Completing quests – such as upgrading their car at the garage and tracking Hyundai’s history from the Pony to the Ioniq 5 (launched 2021) at the Heritage Hall – earns visitors Zepeto coins to use across the network to purchase items such as skins for avatars.
The activation aims to win over Gen Z consumers: the majority (78%) of South Koreans aged 16-24 don’t yet own a car, compared to 50% of 25- to 34-year-olds, with ownership increasing as consumers age (Statista, 2024).
Nissan’s Virtual Reality Vintage Test Drives
Meanwhile, Nissan built upon its 2022 Nissan Sakura Driving Island world – the launchpad for its all-electric Sakura model – with another brandiverse (an exploratory yet non-communal virtual brand environment) to celebrate its 90th anniversary.
Once again hosted on VRChat, an interactive 3D platform designed to be used with virtual reality headsets, Heritage Cars & Safe Drive Studio saw visitors learn about road safety by test driving three classic Nissan vehicles from the 1960s, 70s and 80s.
See also Advancing Automotive Retail & Marketing.
Nissan's Heritage Cars & Safe Drive Studio, VR Chat
Nissan's Heritage Cars & Safe Drive Studio, VR Chat
 Nissan's Heritage Cars & Safe Drive Studio, VR Chat |  Nissan's Heritage Cars & Safe Drive Studio, VR Chat |
JBL Taps Roblox Creator for In-Game Short Film
Evolving branded Roblox worlds, JBL’s new Roblox campaign comprises a three-part 23-minute-long film, set within its permanent JBL Land (launched in February) and also broadcast on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
Made in partnership with Roblox creator Robuilds – whose most popular Roblox short film, The Silent Screams of Bloxburg, garnered over one million views on YouTube – the movie sees Robuilds fall from the sky into JBL Land, before encountering characters representing different musical genres. Along her journey, she uncovers ‘soundbytes’ which she feeds into the Grand Jukebox (jukeboxes are the name given to JBL’s oversized speakers designed for parties) to broadcast across JBL Land and discover her unique sound.
The film mirrors in-game missions in JBL Land, where soundbytes – which vary from a reggae beat to the trademark sound of a JBL speaker powering up – are mixed by players to create tracks. These are then added to jukeboxes where they can be discovered by others, meaning that the game soundtrack is created by its players.
For more, see Moving the Metaverse On: Future-Proofing Brand Strategies.
JBL x Robuilds, JBL Land
JBL Land, Roblox
 JBL x Robuilds, JBL Land |  JBL Land, Roblox |