#38: Puma, PSG, & LVMH Lean into AI for Brand Innovation

📢 Introducing the BLOCK BY BLOCK series, educational content focused on demystifying emerging technologies to create impactful marketing campaigns.

Check out [101] A Beginner's Guide to Emerging Technologies for Marketers to learn the basics of the technologies we cover weekly.

TL;DR

Around the Block…

• Blockchain / Web3: Macy’s, Nike / RTFKT

• AI: Puma, Paris Saint-Germain, LVMH

• AR / VR: Singapore Tourism Board, Versace

• Gaming: Disney / Pixar

• Roblox: Adidas, e.l.f Cosmetics, UEFA / Adidas, Dreamworks 

Chain Reactions!

• Brands Integrating within Popular Game Experiences

• Tourism Leaning into Location-Tethered AR Activations

Around the Block…

Blockchain / Web3

• Macy’s: Hosts Tech-Led ‘Color Me Cool’ Community Art Project

  • The department store has been partnering with NFT project and storytelling brand Cool Cats since its appearance as a balloon in the 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The duo gave away physical figurine replicas of the balloon that were able to be designed by owners - artwork creations could be submitted via NFC chip and were digitized into 3D NFT replicas of individual creations.

  • Sources: Macy’s mstylelab

• Nike / RTFKT: Physical Dunk Genesis Sneakers Go Mainstream

  • Nike and RTFKT are making 1,000 Dunk Genesis sneakers in the' VOID' colorway available to the public on the SNKRS platform for $222 per pair. The shoes were originally available for purchase by select RTFKT and CloneX NFT holders last October.

  • Sources: X (RTFKT)

AI - Artificial Intelligence

• Puma: Leans into AI for Campaign Creative & ‘Complex’ Collab

  • Puma has two AI-featured initiatives live:

    1) A partnership with Complex to generate AI trading cards featuring users themselves.

    2) A series of AI-enhanced social videos unveiling Olympians donning their Puma-sponsored national uniforms in advance of the Summer Olympics.

  • Sources: Complex Puma AI Trading Cards / Jing Daily / Instagram (Puma)

• Paris Saint-Germain: Creates AI-Generated Campaign for New Kit

  • Partnered with Benjamin Benichou of Drop to create an AI-generated campaign featuring club players to unveil their new 2024-2025 team uniform.

  • Sources: LinkedIn (Benjamin Benichou) / Trendwatching

• LVMH: Showcases Innovative Ambitions at VivaTech Conference

  • LVMH showcased 13 brands at the annual innovation technology conference held between May 22 and 26 in Paris. Among their showcases was Dior, which highlighted how AI elevates their products, marketing, logistics, and item searches. They also presented ‘Astra,’ an AI platform that aggregates customer comments and feedback given across platforms in real-time.

  • Sources: LVMH

AR / VR - Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality

• Singapore Tourism Board: Brings AR Experiences to Google Maps

  • Google and the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) revealed they will be expanding their partnership at the recent Google I/O developer conference. The pair, who already has a tourist-focused geo-tethered AR experience live, will be rolling out additional AR experience available directly through Google Maps this summer (a first for Google Maps).

  • Sources: Singapore Tourism Board

• Versace: Launching IRL Sneaker & Supporting AR/Digital Apparel

  • Versace is launching a new unisex sneaker line called ‘Mercury’ on June 4th. The company teased that the launch would be accompanied by a Snapchat augmented reality experience and digital items for Bitmoji avatars.

  • Sources: Versace Mercury / Yahoo 

Gaming

• Disney / Pixar: Brings Inside Out 2 to Fortnite for Limited Time

  • Inside Out 2 is coming to the popular Fortnite map ‘Obby But You’re on a Bike HD’ from May 25th - June 3rd. During that time, players can interact with the movie’s emotion-based characters, navigate through the movie’s themed course, and collect rewards such as a branded virtual hat.

  • Sources: LinkedIn (WildBrain Media Solutions)

Roblox

• Adidas: Sells Most Expensive UGC Wearable Item in Roblox History

  • A diamond chain by Adidas x WhoseTrade sold for 2 million Robux (~$25K) and comes with physical customized shoes.

  • Source: LinkedIn (Dubit)

• e.l.f Cosmetics: Refreshes Experience with New Indy 500 Game

  • e.l.f continues using their Roblox environment for brand integrations - this time with Indy 500. The brand announced last month that it would be the first beauty brand to be a primary sponsor; now, they have rolled out a dedicated racing game where you can create a car & compete in time trials.

  • Sources: Roblox (e.l.f UP!) / e.l.f

• UEFA / Adidas: Hosts Euro 2024 Take-over in ‘Piñata Smashlings’

  • The soccer tournament will be featured in the popular Roblox experience from May 15 to July 14. Players can participate in soccer-themed games, join community fan zones, and keep up with live match scores.

  • Sources: Roblox (Piñata Smashlings) / UEFA

• Dreamworks: Brings Shrek to Roblox with ‘Swamp Tycoon’ Beta

  • The popular animated franchise is now in Roblox in a closed beta where users must pay 50 Robux (~$0.63) to play.

  • Sources: Roblox (Shrek Swamp Tycoon) 

Chain Reactions!

• Brands Integrating within Popular Game Experiences

  • Both the Disney / Pixar Inside Out 2 and UEFA / Adidas integrations above are taking the approach of introducing brand IP and dedicated content into existing games that have proven audiences. We’ve seen this approach many times, including with Garfield & Manchester City just last week.

  • This can be a solid way to ensure brand exposure and high engagement without the burdens of producing a dedicated experience.

    • This approach avoids:

      • Heavy production and sound strategy needed to build an experience from the ground up.

      • Needing to make a long-term platform commitment and have a roadmap for future initiatives/content refreshes.

      • The need for significant marketing efforts to drive traffic and uncertainty around expected engagement.

• Tourism Leaning into Location-Tethered AR Activations

  • This is the second week in a row that we have seen a tourism organization use AR to provide a fun location-specific experience.

    • This Week: Singapore Tourism Board

    • Last Week: Tokyo Metropolitan Government

  • Seems like a solid fit. Tourism is an industry that has an audience of people who are exploring, looking to take pictures and learn about locations; The audience is also willing to play leisurely with new technology given they’re in vacation mode!

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.