023: Netflix Takes 'Black Mirror' IRL with Blockchain Experience

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TL;DR

1. Netflix: Blockchain Experience Brings ‘Black Mirror’ to Life

2. Japan Airlines: Expiraments with NFT Unlocked Experiences

3. Sephora: Beta Launches Platform & Digital Experience in Europe

4. Empire State Building: Intros NFT Infused Loyalty Program

5. Louis Vuitton: Blockchain Authenticated Diamond Collection

6. Mercedes-Benz: Releases 1,000 New ‘Superdackel’ NFTs

7. Lamborghini: Releasing ‘Countach’ NFT Collection with VeVe

8. Microsoft: First Blockchain-Backed Game Comes to XBOX

Around the Block…

1. Netflix: Blockchain Experience Brings ‘Black Mirror’ to Life

• Originally announced in November, Netflix show Black Mirror launched a digital experience called ‘Smile Club’ as an extension of the sci-fi show

• Participants can go to their site, which requests access to their device camera - where they must hold a smile to earn points

• Points are connected to a profile on the site & a tethered web3 digital wallet address via blockchain Base - additional points can be collected by referring others to the experience & completing daily smile check-ins

• The program touts a series of activations & ability to earn exclusive prizes and experiences based on points collected

• Sources: Black Mirror Experience / Decrypt

2. Japan Airlines: Expiraments with NFT Unlocked Experiences

• The airline has partnered with Hakuhodo Inc. to sell NFTs that unlock a variety of IRL experiences

• Beyond the tech, the experiences align with the social cause of bringing people to areas facing rapid population declines. Their goal is to use NFTs to build long-term relationships between visitors & the regions before, during, & after their trips

• Two new NFTs & experiences that will be offered are (1) Toba - ‘Pearl Wedding Ceremony’ celebrating 30th wedding anniversaries (2) Anami - co-ownership to a shochu hard liquor barrel & on-site distillery experience

• Upon purchasing the NFT, owners can sell them on the secondary market or plan their trip, where they will be invited to a private Discord server with information & support to coordinate their experience

• Sources: KOKYO NFT / Japan Airlines 

3. Sephora: Beta Launches Digital Experience in Europe

• The beauty brand beta launched a platform & immersive experience named ‘Sephora Universe’ in Europe. The experience is currently accessible via invite only & unavailable for those located in other countries

• Within the experience, users can create a personalized avatar, explore the virtual world & discover products

• Engagers will also be able to collect digital items & redeem rewards through their Sephora Universe account - which will be linked to a blockchain digital wallet address upon setup

• Sources: Sephora Universe / LinkedIn (Nick Vinckier)

4. Empire State Building: Intros NFT Infused Loyalty Program

• The New York City landmark introduced its new ambassador program, where participants can earn points for visiting & purchases

• Points are non-transferable & tethered to membership status tiers, which unlock free digital collectible NFTs

• Accumulating points & unlocking status tiers come with rewards, including complimentary tickets to observation decks, newsletter access, & more

• Each profile is paired with a digital wallet address, enabling status tier linking via collectibles validated on a blockchain

• Sources: The Empire State Building 

5. Louis Vuitton: Blockchain Authenticated Diamond Collection

• Louis Vuitton has launched new products under their ‘LV Diamonds Collection’ including custom-cut gems

• Originally launched in 2022, the ‘LV Diamonds Collection’ was the ‘first-ever blockchain-based fully digital diamond certificate’ - which is tethered to the Aura blockchain

• The certificate includes product details for each stone, including ‘unique characteristics, provenance, and journey’ - measures for communicating each diamond’s sustainability practices

• Sources: Louis Vuitton / Vogue

6. Mercedes-Benz: Releases 1,000 New ‘Superdackel’ NFTs

• As a satellite project of their ‘NXT’ web3 platform, Mercedes-Benz announced their latest digital collectible release - running from February 12th through 15th

• The project consists of 1,000 NFTs that are released in phases (1) for collectors of their NXT Icons NFTs (2) members of select web3 communities including Degenz Code, Denizens of ZenAcademy, Now Pass, Rug Radio, Station3 Patron, & SUPERPLASTIC (3) a public mint

• The NFTs are free, except claimers must pay for gas (blockchain transaction fees)

• There has been no promise of utility for the collection

• Sources: Mercedes-Benz NXT / X (Mercedes-Benz NXT)

7. Lamborghini: Releasing ‘Countach’ NFT Collection with VeVe

• The luxury car company is partnering with digital collectible marketplace VeVe, on another NFT collection dropping February 18th

• The collection, called ‘Lamborghini Countach LP 400’ features three rarity types that will be distributed to buyers at random with a list price of $70

• Sources: VeVe 

8. Microsoft: First Blockchain-Backed Game Comes to XBOX

• ‘Off The Grid’ by Gunzilla Games is the first web3 game to make it to XBOX (with their sights on becoming available on PlayStation & PC in early 2024 as well)

• The game is linked to the Gunz network, a subnet of the Avalanche blockchain, where activities can be linked to the player’s in-game digital wallet

• Sources: Off The Grid / Microsoft / PlayStation / Milk Road

Chain Reactions!

• Black Mirror IRL: The Black Mirror Experience is a brand activation well aligned with the show's core (LOL). Although you must turn on your camera to participate, their Discord assures they are not able to store personal image data. There is strong engagement so far with nearly 34K sessions at the time of posting. The simplicity of participation is an easy way to draw repeat visitors for those interested in earning rewards. One critique is that I wish there was more info on the leaderboard & rewards on their site - I guess the unknown is part of the allure!

• NFTs as Experiential Passes: I love the Japan Airlines activation. There is a strong values-oriented reason to use NFTs for sustained engagement with a community vs a typical one-and-done visit. I’d be interested to see if the digital novice could interact with this experience successfully - it’s an interesting approach to use Discord for trip information & coordination, but not the most user-friendly for a newbie.

• Sephora Flying Under The Radar: I haven’t seen much talk about the Sephora Universe experience, probably since it is currently only accessible in Europe. They look to be gearing up with a big splash since creating a Web3 loyalty platform & metaverse is no simple feat. I think we will hear of their expansion into other markets soon.

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.