Brand Engagement in the Metaverse: October 2023
Published 31 October 2023
Author
Brynn Valentine
4 min read
October’s metaverse activations span virtual thrills for music fans, make-up playtime and a luxury fashion proto-metaverse for older shoppers. Jack Daniel’s enters Spatial with an Afrofuturism-inspired music and art event (with shoppable bar), Maybelline’s avatar make-up comes to Roblox, while Macy’s courts midlife women in its proto-metaverse on Journee.
- Jack Daniel’s Enhances Fandom Experiences on Spatial: The American whisky brand’s first immersive virtual reality (VR) experience is a metaverse debut, The Verse, for Jack Honey Art, Beats & Lyrics, its travelling urban art and music exhibition. The initiative celebrates Black culture and honours Jack Daniel’s heritage: its first master distiller in the 19th century was a formerly enslaved Black man, Nathan Green, who taught founder Jack Daniel his craft.
Hosted on the arts and culture metaverse platform Spatial, The Verse aligns with 2023’s 50th anniversary of hip-hop (see more on The Brief) and the cultural ascendancy of Afrofuturism, a reframing and exploration of African culture, incorporating science fiction and hyperrealism. (Stylus’ content director Katie Baron unpacks its relevancy here.) An intergalactic showcase of more than 30 Black and diverse artists, accessible via mobile, desktop or VR headset, The Verse’s virtual art gallery links to creators’ social media profiles.
Reflecting the rise of supercharged virtual fan experiences (explored in Evolving Entertainment, Music & Broadcasting in Moving the Metaverse On), The Verse hosted a live virtual performance on September 28 by Brooklyn fusion band Phony Ppl. Video footage of the musicians performing was fed into AI-powered motion capture technology which then created the group’s avatars, mirroring the human movements in real time. Attendees could interact through a chatbot and also sign up for a virtual meet-and-greet with the band.
Audience avatars also had the option to visit a virtual bar for some world-weaving shopping, clicking on a virtual bartender to access the Jack Daniel’s e-commerce site for home delivery.
Jack Daniel's, The Verse
Jack Daniel's, The Verse
 Jack Daniel's, The Verse |  Jack Daniel's, The Verse |
Jack Daniel's, The Verse
Jack Daniel's, The Verse
 Jack Daniel's, The Verse |  Jack Daniel's, The Verse |
- Maybelline’s Digital Make-Up & DIY Music Moments on Roblox: American make-up brand Maybelline partnered with existing Roblox DJ music game Splash for a new make-up and music experience, Makeup Your Mix. Nearly two-fifths (38%) of metaverse users have bought avatar make-up in the past year, and 48% express interest in doing so.
Splash players’ avatars could visit the Maybelline New York Lounge and Graffiti Room to play with products – painting graffiti with the new Falsies Surreal Mascara – and try six avatar looks inspired by SuperStay Vinyl Ink and Matte Ink lipsticks. These could be purchased with Robux (Roblox’s in-game currency). Currently, there’s no direct link for buying physical products through these virtual renderings, although Roblox’s CEO recently hinted that in-game shopping for real-world items is coming, further detailed in Frictionless Finance in Moving the Metaverse On.
The experience also featured a virtual concert on September 28, with Splash character DJ Kai playing their debut track, Fantasy. As with Jack Daniel’s, the experience was expanded for music fans, who had the chance to visit the DJ booth to remix the song. (It can’t be saved or shared).
Maybelline, Makeup Your Mix
Maybelline, Makeup Your Mix
Maybelline, Makeup Your Mix
 Maybelline, Makeup Your Mix |  Maybelline, Makeup Your Mix |
- Macy’s Metaverse Move for Older Shoppers: Recognising millennials’ and Gen Xers’ respective $2.5tn and $2.4tn global spending power, American department store Macy’s has partnered with German immersive platform Journee on a proto-metaverse showcase for On 34th, the retailer’s real-life womenswear line for 30- to 50-year-olds. Mstylelab, launched October 18, is a virtual, interactive world set in a digital recreation of New York City (where Macy’s first store opened in 1858). A “digital queue” and limited spots to enter the space create a sense of exclusivity. Once inside, visitors can view virtual renderings of clothes drifting down New York streets (the movement highlights different fabrics). Clicking on an image adds the item to a shopping cart, and the checkout process is completed on Macy’s official site.
Macy's Mystyle Lab
Macy's Mystyle Lab
 Macy's Mystyle Lab |  Macy's Mystyle Lab |
Macy's Mystyle Lab
Macy's Mystyle Lab
 Macy's Mystyle Lab |  Macy's Mystyle Lab |