017: Tommy Unveils AI Mobile Game, Roblox Momentum

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TLDR:

1. Tommy Hilfiger: To Launch AI-Enabled Mobile Fashion Game

2. Starbucks: Rewarding NFTs for Eco-Friendly Actions in S. Korea

3. Red Bull Racing: Gives Away New ‘Champions’ NFTs for Free

4. Lamborghini: Enters Roblox with Game to Engage Young Fanbase

5. Givenchy: Refreshes Roblox Experience for Holidays

6. NBC: Introduces ‘The Voice’ Winter Fashion Line in Roblox

7. e.l.f.: Partners with Snapchat on Bitmoji Virtual Make-Up Drop

8. L’Oreal: Brings Parisian Visual Experience to London for Holidays

Around the Block…

• Tommy Hilfiger: To Launch AI-Enabled Mobile Fashion Game

  • FashionVerse will be a new mobile app that will be available in 2024 (release date yet to be announced) that will allow users to participate in challenges by creating realistic avatars using AI to generate imagery, including backdrops & props

  • The game will include social elements such as sharing imagery & community voting to win rewards

  • The experience is said to be the brand namesake & founder Tommy Hilfiger’s idea & was built in partnership with gaming company Tilting Point & designed by Brandible

  • Sources: HypeBeast / Apple App Store

• Starbucks: Rewarding NFTs for Eco-Friendly Actions in S. Korea

  • Launching in January 2024, Starbucks locations in South Korea will be offering customers NFTs as a means of promoting environmentally beneficial actions

  • Shoppers who bring in their own reusable cups will be rewarded with ‘eco-stamps’ that can be collected & changed for a limited-edition Polygon NFT, with artwork created by DADAZ & art platform Print Bakery

  • The experience will be supported with a launch activation in one of the Seoul locations

  • Sources: Rarity Sniper

• Red Bull Racing: Gives Away New ‘Champions’ NFTs for Free

  • In celebration of the completion of the 2023 season, Red Bull Racing gave away free collectibles from December 15-19th

  • The collectibles were randomly distributed in three rarity variations - promising to unlock future rewards & benefits

  • The activation was in partnership with NFT marketplace provider Bybit, including easy sign-in with Google or Twitch accounts to receive NFTs minted to the Sui blockchain

  • Sources: Red Bull Racing / PR Newswire

• Lamborghini: Enters Roblox with Game to Engage Young Fanbase

  • The luxury car company launched the Lamborghini Lanzador Lab on Roblox, where participants can customize their own Lanzador car & race their creation in time trials

  • For participating, players will be able to unlock digital items such as racing helmets, backpacks, & hats to dress their avatar

  • Lamborghini mentioned the goal of the experience was to ‘engage a new generation of fans & demonstrate its commitment to digital innovation’ - the electric Lanzador car model was unveiled in August & is planned for release in 2028

  • Sources: Lamborghini / Roblox 

• Givenchy: Refreshes Roblox Experience for Holidays

  • The new space, called ‘Festive Winter Escape,’ lives in the existing ‘Givenchy Beauty House’ experience on Roblox

  • The brand first entered Roblox in June 2022 & had garnered nearly 11 million visitors prior to the holiday refresh

  • The new experience included updated avatar looks from Givenchy’s Christmas line, virtual make-up try-on, & a holiday-themed obstacle course

  • Players could unlock different virtual products - also available for purchase IRL over the holidays

  • Sources: Cosmetics Business / Givenchy / Roblox 

• NBC: Introduces ‘The Voice’ Winter Fashion Line in Roblox

  • The singing show launched a range of virtual apparel reflecting the music genres of their four judges - Country, Pop, Rock, & Soul - available for dressing Roblox avatars

  • The launch coincided with the Season 24 finale on December 18th, where the product was available at a virtual pop-up store

  • Sources: NBC 

• e.l.f.: Partners with Snapchat on Bitmoji Virtual Make-Up Drop

  • Launching in early December, Snapchat users were able to apply eleven shades of the company’s ‘O FACE Satin Lipstick’ on their Bitmoji avatar & on themselves through Snapchat lenses

  • This was the first Bitmoji virtual product drop for make-up. Snapchat had previously partnered with apparel brands

  • Sources: Social Media Today

• L’Oreal: Brings Parisian Visual Experience to London for Holidays

  • L’Oreal partnered with outdoor attraction Outernet in London to bring holiday shoppers a one-of-a-kind immersive experience

  • The Outernet space is a cubed ‘room’ accessible from the sidewalk that includes screens for floor-to-ceiling video visuals accompanied by audio

  • The experience was used to showcase Parisian architecture in celebration of their ‘Infallible Matte Resistance Lipstick’

  • Sources: Outernet

Chain Reactions!

• Tommy’s Mobile Game: Very cool to hear that the AI-infused mobile game was Tommy Hilfiger’s idea himself. It is great to see an established brand & known founder who is versed traditional mediums lean into new digital technologies. Building a mobile game is no small endeavor - I am excited to try it out once it launches!

• Asian Countries the Leading Way: We’ve followed a handful of global brands activating exclusively in Asian markets since mid-2023 - Starbucks in South Korea, Dairy Queen in China, L’oreal in Taiwan, & McDonald’s in Singapore.

• Holiday Roblox Push: Brands continued to pour into Roblox in advance of Christmas. It is interesting to see the varying business models in operation: (1) brands creating their own exclusive space, (2) brands developing pop-up stores that live in already established spaces to sell digital goods.

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