#41: Blockchain-Backed Digital Product Passports on the Rise

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In This Article

Around the Block…

• Blockchain / NFT: Bvlgari, Lalique

• AI: Nike, Michael Kors

• AR / VR / Visuals: Amazon

• Gaming / Metaverse: Adidas, Metallica

• Roblox: Sour Patch Kids, McLaren

Chain Reactions!

• The Growing Presence of Digital Product Passports

• Adidas Joins Rocket League for Playful Brand Integration

Around the Block…

Blockchain / NFT

• Bvlgari: Introducing Digital Passports for Product Authenticity

  • Bvlgari, an LVMH brand and founding member of the Aura Blockchain Consortium, is rolling out digital passports to authenticate items and provide detailed product information. Products will include a physical warranty card with a QR code that links to the blockchain-tethered asset.

  • Sources: LinkedIn (Romain Carrere) / Bulgari

• Lalique: Joins Aura Blockchain & Launches Digital Passports

  • The French luxury glassmaker joined the Aura Blockchain Consortium and introduced digital product passports to provide authenticity, trust, and transparency. Their digital passports will include a CGI-animated digital twin NFT of each physical item and access to AR visuals.

  • Source: Aura Blockchain Consortium

AI

• Nike: Hosts AI-Led Breath Experience at Paris House of Innovation

  • Nike partnered with Random Studio to develop an experiential activation called ‘BreathLab,’ in which participants’ breath was captured through an AI-trained model and thermal camera. As visitors inhaled and exhaled, a visual aura transformed to match their activity. Visuals from each individual could be captured and layered to form a ‘collective gradient of breaths’ for a unique shared visual creation.

  • Sources: Random Studio (Nike House of Innovation) / LinkedIn (Nick Vinckier)

• Michael Kors: Teams Up with Mastercard on AI Shopping Assistant

  • The fashion retailer will become the first US retailer to offer Mastercard company Dynamic Yield’s AI retail assistant product, ‘Shopping Muse’, to customers. ‘Shopping Muse’ is integrated into the Michael Kors site and offers shoppers custom interaction and personalized product recommendations.

  • Sources: Mastercard / Dynamic Yield

AR / VR / Visuals

• Amazon: Prime Video Promotes Federer Doc with Projection Scene

  • The Amazon streaming service promoted the release of the ‘FEDERER: Twelve Final Days’ documentary on its platform by creating a video projection on London’s iconic Tower Bridge. In the projection, a younger Federer was playing with an older version of himself - ultimately revealing the movie’s poster.

  • Source: X (PrimeVideo)

Gaming / Metaverse

• Adidas: Teams Up with Rocket League to Celebrate ‘Football’

  • Adidas and Rocket League have partnered to celebrate international soccer/football championships commencing and Rocket League’s 9th birthday. Adidas will be featured in Rocket League for three weeks starting June 19th, where players can participate in ‘Festival of Football’ weekly challenges to earn digital Adidas and national team items.

  • Source: Rocket League

• Metallica: To Be Featured in Fortnite Concert & Game Experience

  • The metal band is coming to Fortnite with a multi-layered experience, including a digital concert on June 22nd and 23rd, music-themed battle quests, and in-game rewards, among other integrations. The Metallica experience will be live between June 13th and August 16th and is part of Fortnite’s ‘Festival Season’, which previously featured The Weeknd, Lady Gaga, and Billie Eilish.

  • Source: Fortnite

Roblox

• Sour Patch Kids: Launches ‘Mischief Tycoon’ Roblox World

  • The sweets brand created a dedicated Roblox experience with the help of the design and creative agency Polycount. The world leans into Sour Patch Kids’ mischievous and sweet personas, rewarding players with points and digital wearable UGC items.

  • Sources: PR Newswire (Mondelez) / Roblox (Sour Patch Kids Mischief Tycoon)

• McLaren: Updates Roblox Racing Experience with 17 New Cars

  • McLaren updated their ‘Driving Empire’ experience with 17 new McLaren cars, their largest car update to date. The experience has reached over 1.3 billion visits since its creation in 2019.

  • Sources: Roblox (McLaren Driving Empire) / LinkedIn (Sophie Taylor)

Chain Reactions!

• The Growing Presence of Digital Product Passports

  • It’s no surprise digital product passports are on the rise - see Bvlgari and Lalique mentioned above.

    • The European Union will be a driving force in adoption, given its legislation around sustainability and manufacturing transparency. The European Commission will require items to have digital product passports (DPPs) that can be scanned to provide detailed information on environmental impact, rolling out by product category from 2026 and 2030.

    • European Luxury companies have been leading the way with adoption so far. Beyond providing transparency, DPPs will help people confirm item authenticity and provide opportunities for brands to deliver enhanced product and service experiences.

• Adidas Joins Rocket League for Playful Brand Activation

  • Adidas continues to build its momentum in the gaming space through its various activations in 2024 (including Roblox and STEP’N). Overall, I really like this Rocket League activation since it seems well-connected and generally makes sense.

    • Rocket League is a soccer game with cars.

    • European Championship and Copa America international soccer tournaments are going on for the next month.

    • Adidas is the major apparel and jersey sponsor for many teams participating in the tournaments.

  • There’s a strong element of fun and cohesiveness. While not participating in professional tournaments themselves, players can feel connected to the events through weekly challenges with others as IRL matches occur.

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