#44: Cadbury, Mango, & Baggu Leveraging AI for Brand Activations

In This Article

Around the Block…

• Blockchain / NFTs: Adidas, Sony

• AI: Cadbury, Mango, Baggu

• AR: Manchester United / Snapdragon

• Gaming / Metaverse: Versace, ITV Studios

• Roblox: BBC

Chain Reactions!

• New Tech = New Forms of Backlash

• Tech Innovation Driving Global Impact

Around the Block…

Blockchain / NFTs

• Adidas: Releases New NFTs with Coinbase’s ‘Onchain Summer’

  • Adidas joined Coinbase’s ‘Onchain Summer’, the crypto exchange’s second annual celebration centered around building accessible blockchain activations and bringing new people to Web3. Adidas created three open edition NFT designs: Football, Base, and Onchain Summer versions. The NFTs are minted to Coinbase’s Base blockchain and are Adidas’ first NFTs on Base.

  • Source: Coinbase (adidas Onchain) / Coinbase Onchain Summer

• Sony: Plans to Evolve Crypto Exchange Purchased in 2023

  • WhaleFin, the crypto exchange Sony’s Quetta Web Co. acquired from Amber Group, put out a notice mentioning plans to improve the user interface and release apps, as well as plans to collaborate across various Sony Group entities.

  • Source: readwrite / WhaleFin / WhaleFin Notice

AI

• Cadbury: Cheers on Sports Volunteers with AI-Generated Videos

  • The confections company created a platform for Australians to give thanks to sporting volunteers in their lives with the help of AI. Participants share information about the volunteers they’re thanking, with the opportunity to upload a photo. The platform then uses AI to generate a video, including the volunteer’s animated likeness, that can be shared. The experience was developed in partnership with Ogilvy and is part of a larger campaign to drive local sports volunteering.

  • Source: Cadbury (1) / Cadbury (2) / Trend Watching / Ad News

• Mango: Creates AI-Generated Campaign for Teen Line

  • Mango announced that they used generative AI to create visual assets for their ‘Sunset Dream’ youth line. The internal Mango teams shot photos of the real-life garments that were fed to the AI model; the AI model positioned and integrated the garments within generated visuals that were then edited and mastered into their final form.

  • Source: Mango

• Baggu: Releases ‘AI-Conceptualized’ Bags with Collina Strada

  • Baggu partnered with the sustainable fashion brand Collina Strada to release an 18-piece collection of bags with some featuring AI-created designs. Those using AI were developed using Midjourney to ‘remix old Collina prints and drive them further.’ The brands received backlash online for using AI, with some shoppers frustrated on ‘lack of transparency’ or moral and environmental grounds.

  • Source: Baggu / VMagazine / The Verge / Gazetteer

AR

• Manchester Utd.: Kit Sponsor Snapdragon Creates AR Experience

  • Manchester United recently rolled out their latest jersey for the 2024/2025 season, including featured sponsor Snapdragon, which created an interactive AR experience, and developer TriggerXR. Fans can scan the Snapdragon logo with their phone to initiate a web-based AR experience that transports them to Old Trafford for club-related content.

  • Source: Qualcomm (United by Snapdragon) / LinkedIn (Shawn Grover)

Gaming / Metaverse

• Versace: Brings Mercury Sneaker to Fortnite’s Murder Mystery

  • Versace announced an integration with the popular Fortnite experience Murder Mystery featuring their new unisex Mercury sneaker. From July 9th through 12th, Murder Mystery players can compete to find the sneaker and unlock digital rewards.

  • Source: LinkedIn (Versace) / Fortnite (Murder Mystery)

• ITV Studios: Bringing More of Their TV Shows to The Sandbox

  • ITV Studios announced they are expanding their partnership with metaverse The Sandbox and production company Virtual Brand Group. The trio have already created ‘Hell’s Kitchen’ and ‘The Voice’ fan experiences, which live in The Sandbox’s ‘ShowCity’ area, and intend to add ‘Love Island’ and ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’ spaces as well.

  • Source: ITV Studios

Roblox

• BBC: Refreshes Roblox Experience to Support UK General Election

  • BBC, which had previously launched its own Roblox experience, ‘Wonder Chase,’ in April, updated its experience to integrate general election content surrounding July 4th voting. The refresh included Larry the Downing Street cat, BBC News anchors, and a hunt for ballot boxes.

  • Source: Roblox (BBC Wonder Chase) / BBC 

Chain Reactions!

• New Tech = New Forms of Backlash & Protest

  • As mentioned above, Baggu and Collina Strada received some negative social reactions and press coverage around their AI-assisted bag line. Although they did mention on the products’ pages that the prints in question were created with the help of Midjourney, many people felt that it wasn’t overt enough and that the use of AI went against the brands’ sustainable values. The sentiment spread through social conversation on Facebook and Reddit fan pages, then across broader platforms.

  • PETA has devised a new way to protest corporate practices that go against the ethical treatment of animals —they are promoting storming H&M’s Roblox experience across social channels. The messages call on supporters to join in protesting the use of down by crashing H&M’s virtual catwalk stages to protect real-life ducks and geese.

  • As consumers familiarize themselves with and form opinions around new technologies, brands must carefully consider how activations align with their core values to avoid backlash and maintain consumer trust.

• Tech Innovation Driving Global Impact

  • It’s clear that brands worldwide are embracing new tech to expand their marketing efforts and build impactful brand relationships (see brands from the UK, Australia, Japan, etc. above). Exploration and evolution in these areas are largely a global play due to the internet's accessible nature and the industry’s interest in brands driving innovation as customer behaviors evolve in an increasingly digital world.

  • While brands may identify target geographic markets to impact with a given activation, many of these campaigns actually reach a much broader population and become a way to communicate globally (even among brands that don’t have an established global footprint).

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