#32: UFC Announces NFC Chipped Fight Gloves

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TL;DR

1. UFC: New Fight Gloves to Include NFC & Blockchain Authentication

2. Adidas: Releases Sneaker NFTs with Move-to-Earn Game STEP’N

3. Wow Bao: Enters Roblox with Loyalty-Connected Experience

4. Sony: Banking Arm Testing Stablecoin Pegged to Japanese Yen

5. Nike: Launches Refreshed Fortnite Portal to Celebrate Air Max Day

Around the Block…

1. UFC: New Fight Gloves to Include NFC & Blockchain Authentication

• Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced the redesign of their official MMA fighting gloves that will debut in competition this June

• Among protection & fit upgrades, NFC announced that all gloves will be embedded with NFC chips that will be linked to the VeChainThor blockchain

• NFC chips & blockchain tokenization will prove the authenticity of the gloves & provide details of their history including which athlete wore them & fights they were worn in

• UFC has already established itself in the web3 space, rolling out their NFT marketplace NFC Strike with Dapper Labs in January of 2022

• Sources: UFC / UFC Strike

2. Adidas: Releases Sneaker NFTs with Move-to-Earn Game STEP’N

• Adidas continues to make moves in the blockchain space; Their latest activation is a collaboration with move-to-earn crypto game STEP’N

• Adidas & STEP’N have announced a one-year partnership that includes NFT drops, as well as physical items in the future

• The duo’s first activation is a 1,000-piece NFT collection of co-branded genesis sneakers usable in the STEP’N app; The NFTs come in four digital shoe designs & have rarity based on a limited quantity of exclusive colorways

  • The NFTs will be available for 10,000 GMT (~$2,400) via raffle with priority access to ALTS by adidas & STEP’N NFT holders

  • STEP’N promises NFT owners exclusive perks in the future, but remains elusive on details for now

• STEP’N is a mobile app that links to the Solana blockchain & rewards users for walking or running IRL. Users purchase, rent, or borrow STEP’N sneaker NFTs & earn tokens for movement. Learn more here.

• Sources: Mooar (STEP’N x Adidas) / X (Stepnofficial) / Retail Dive

3. Wow Bao: Enters Roblox with Loyalty-Connected Experience

• Fast-casual Asian restaurant, Wow Bao, has entered Roblox with an activation aimed at garnering Loyalty members & driving ROI

• They have partnered with Flaunt, which specializes in connecting Roblox to loyalty & commerce, as well as Sawhorse Productions to build the experience

• To get the full experience, users must first visit the Wow Bao website to sign up for its Hot Buns loyalty program

  • Once signed up, members can head to their Roblox experience, where they will be able to claim a free UGC Bao Head item & are also eligible for an offer coupon & a chance to win free Wow Bao for a year

• As of the time of publishing the Wow Bao Roblox experience has nearly 7K visits

• Sources: Wow Bao / Roblox (Wow Bao Dim Sum Palace) / Business Wire (Flaunt)

4. Sony: Banking Arm Testing Stablecoin Pegged to Japanese Yen

• Sony Bank, the financial arm of the Sony Group, is testing a stablecoin that is pegged to fiat currencies including the Japanese Yen

• A report by Nikkei, a Japanese media outlet, stated that the trial is expected to take place over the next few months on the Polygon blockchain in partnership with infrastructure company SettleMint

• Sony has recently made other moves in the blockchain space, including filing a patent for bundling NFTs in video games & unveiling plans to launch Sony Bank CONNECT in Summer 2024 - an app that will reward NFTs & entertainment perks based on financial service offerings. Sony also invested in Startale Labs, a Japanese blockchain company, in 2023 with the goal of building Sony’s own private blockchain; They also announced the use of ‘digital birth certificates’ for photo authentication earlier this year

• Sources: CoinTelegraph / Ledger Insights / Ledger Insights (2)

5. Nike: Launches Refreshed Fortnite Portal to Celebrate Air Max Day

• Nike launched a new experience on Fortnite called Airphoria Vol. 2 that was up from March 26th - April 2nd surrounding their ‘Air Max Day’ events

• The experience included a new mission with a story & visuals centered on the technology used in their new Air Max Dn shoe

• Nike also unveiled new skins that featured the Air Max Dn shoe & custom emotes available for purchase

• The brand originally entered Fortnite in June 2023 with their first Airphoria weeklong experience

• Sources: Footwear News / X (Nike)

Chain Reactions!

• Connecting Roblox to Loyalty Programs

  • Flaunt, who powered the loyalty integration to Wow Bao’s Roblox experience, has been supporting notable activations that tether actionability to Roblox visits over the past six months, including these:

    • Pepsico’s bubly Avatar Adventure Sweepstakes

    • Hilton Honor’s x Paris Hilton’s Slivingland Integration

    • Lamborghini’s Lanzador Labs 

  • With many Roblox activations garnering millions of visits, it is important to think through a strategy of how to re-engage the audience

  • Flaunt’s offering, when tied with proper incentives - such as sweepstakes - creates a path for driving greater return on investment by gating Roblox access & content

  • It will be interesting to see if Roblox adapts towards offering similar loyalty-driving functionalities as their monetization efforts continue to expand

• Sony Quietly (or Not So Quietly) Laying Infrastructure Foundations

  • I was surprised to learn about all of Sony’s efforts to trial & grow blockchain-powered functionalities across their enterprise. Based on the breadth of their recent activities, they seem to be serious about the potential blockchain has to disrupt multiple industries & add valuable functionalities to their offerings

  • I’ll be keeping my eyes on their moves as they continue to build behind the scenes in a less splashy way than the majority of the brand stunt activations we see

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.