018: Starting the Year in Build Mode

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TLDR:

1. Visa: Introduces Web3 Loyalty & Engagement Offering for Brands

2. Walmart: Partnering with Unity to Facilitate In-Game Commerce

3. Fox: Creates ‘Verify’ Blockchain Protocol for Media Authentication

4. Sony: Intros ‘Digital Birth Certificates’ for Photo Authentication

5. Warner Brothers: Creating ‘Ready Player One’ Virtual World

6. French Red Cross: Enters The Sandbox to Raise Funds & Recruit

Around the Block…

• Visa: Introduces Web3 Loyalty & Engagement Offering for Brands

  • Visa is partnering with SmartMedia Technologies to offer a simplified onramp for brands to create blockchain-enabled loyalty programs

  • The solution includes a ‘drag & drop platform enabling brands to design, develop, & distribute, tokens, digital collectibles, & campaigns - all with no coding required,’ as well as digital wallet creation, Metaverse & AR tools, data management & reporting

  • SmartMedia Technologies will power the technology stack; the company has already partnered with brands such as American Express, Burberry, Fjallraven, & Axe

  • Sources: Visa / SmartMedia Technologies

• Walmart: Partnering with Unity to Facilitate In-Game Commerce

  • Walmart announced they are partnering with leading game development engine, Unity, to offer the ability to sell Walmart products directly through game environments

  • The retailer will allow their digital commerce API to be used by developers within the Unity platform, giving players the ability to complete Walmart product transactions within games / apps

  • Game developers will also have the opportunity to garner additional revenue by earning an affiliate royalty for purchases made through their experiences

  • Sources: Walmart

• Fox: Creates ‘Verify’ Blockchain Protocol for Media Authentication

  • Fox Corporation created a new blockchain, called Verify, aimed at authenticating content & validating media from reputable sources - also helping distinguish from AI-generated content

  • Verify originally launched as a closed platform in August - since 89K pieces of content have been added from sources across the Fox media portfolio

  • The protocol has now been made open source - allowing media companies beyond Fox to add validated content

  • Verify was built on Polygon (Ethereum Layer 2 Blockchain), enabling an affordable & fast way to validate content

  • Sources: Twitter / Polygon 

• Sony: Intros ‘Digital Birth Certificates’ for Photo Authentication

  • Sony announced that they will be rolling out ‘digital birth certificates’ intended to verify images shot on their devices & protect against digitally created or manipulated images spreading false information

  • The authentification measures will not actually be tethered to a blockchain. However, the intention closely reflects that of NFTs

  • Sources: Tech Crunch

• Warner Brothers: Creating ‘Ready Player One’ Virtual World

  • The book-turned-movie about a fictional virtual reality world will be turned into a metaverse experience in 2024

  • Author Ernest Cline, movie producer Dan Farah, & Warner Brothers are partnering with metaverse company Futureverse to create Readyverse Studios, which will collaboratively launch ‘The Readyverse’ a ‘multi-world, multi-IP interoperable open metaverse’

  • Sources: Twitter / Variety

• French Red Cross: Enters The Sandbox to Raise Funds & Recruit

  • The humanitarian organization’s French branch is leaning into new technologies as a way to fundraise & broaden awareness to garner a new generation of volunteers

  • In partnership with The Sandbox, the French Red Cross has created a space in the metaverse world where players can complete missions & purchase NFTs for a chance to claim part of the 125K $SAND prize pool

  • Players must purchase & collect NFTs along the way - with revenue going towards charitable efforts. The Sandbox team will also be matching donations

  • Sources: The Sandbox / NFT Plazas

Chain Reactions!

• Entering the New Year in Build Mode: In the world of innovative brand activations, we’re used to splashy announcements & visually stunning executions that draw social buzz. This year kicked off with some subjectively less exhilarating announcements, but under the hood, they’re very compelling. It’s evident that brands are starting off the year in build mode - as early news airs more technical vs consumer-facing.

  • New Revenue Streams: I’m amped about the Walmart & Unity announcement. From the outside, this is seemingly a low-lift, high-reward opportunity. By unlocking access to their commerce API, they’ll allow 3rd party creators to distribute the Walmart shopping experience to new audiences in new formats. It’s an easy way for them to integrate into games without the creative effort it takes to build experiences from the ground up. Layering on top of this, the potential for game creators to get a cut of the revenue they drive - seems like a win-win at the onset.

  • Authentication: It seems like the Fox & Sony efforts to validate authentic media & content are the first of many. I expect this trend to continue among other brands in the media space. This could potentially be a path to introducing the masses to the value of digital authentication - which will inevitably reach them in other industries as brand executions continue to roll out (ex: Panerai watches, Adidas x Bugatti football boots)

  • Visa’s Loyalty Platform: Conceptually - great for an established company with clients in all industries & of all sizes to take a step into making blockchain-backed loyalty programs accessible for all. I’m curious to learn more about the platform & how turnkey it truly is. The info they’ve released makes it sound modular & simple to execute, with enough attributes to make it custom & exciting. Very cool if this is actually the case. The information is limited for now, with a callout to contact your Visa Representative to learn more.

• Philanthropy in the Metaverse: I like what the French Red Cross is doing in The Sandbox. Very cool to use emerging technologies to immerse a new audience in their mission while also driving donations. With the goal of driving interest among a younger audience, they’re doing the obvious (which isn’t always easy) - meet them where they are in a format that appeals to them.

DISCLAIMER: This content does not contain investment, tax, legal, financial or other advice & is not intended to be used in this way. It includes the opinions of the author & is strictly for informational purposes. Please do your own research.