020: Hilton & MANGO in Roblox, Musée d'Orsay Leans In

🚨 We’re making it easy to look back at innovative brand activations!

Check out the Brands on the Block: Brand Activation Database. New info added weekly. Sort by industry, technology, partners, etc.

TLDR:

1. Hilton: Partners with Paris Hilton for Roblox Loyalty Play

2. MANGO: Spanish Fashion Retailer Enters Roblox with Virtual Store

3. SEGA: Exploring Web3 Gaming through Blockchain Partnership

4. Manchester City: Gave Away Free NFTs to Celebrate Championship

5. Musée d’Orsay: Showcasing First NFT Art Experience in February

Around the Block…

• Hilton: Partners with Paris Hilton for Roblox Loyalty Play

  • The hotel company partnered with Paris Hilton & her media company, 11:11 Media, to create a dedicated experience in her Roblox world ‘Slivingland’, which opened August 2023

  • Within the experience, players can visit a Hilton Hotel to claim a free UGC item (Harajuku Antlers) & take part in a hotel scavenger hunt - participants have a chance at claiming IRL loyalty perks like Hilton Honors points & an upgraded reward status

  • In support of the activation, Hilton recreated a commercial from 2023 spotlighting the star - including Roblox avatars

  • Sources: Hilton / Roblox / Marketing Dive

• MANGO: Spanish Fashion Retailer Enters Roblox with Virtual Store

  • The fashion brand is partnering with Roblox’s Outfit Shopping Mall space to host a store in their virtual shopping center

  • The experience will be open this month, allowing players to purchase MANGO Teen garments for their avatars

  • This is MANGO’s first venture into Roblox; the company stated this move ‘will strengthen its commitment to digital innovation and the construction of an ecosystem able to offer differentiated experiences’

  • Sources: Just Style

• SEGA: Exploring Web3 Gaming through Blockchain Partnership

  • SEGA Singapore - responsible for SEGA Group’s Web3 business globally - entered a partnership with blockchain Finschia

  • The announcement by Finschia shared that the SEGA branch is a new member of the blockchain’s governance and will help ‘verify the stable operation of the blockchain mainnet and the security of the network’

  • Also announced was the intent for SEGA Singapore to ‘collaborate in the development of Web3 games’ using SEGA game IP

  • Sources: Finschia / NFT News Today

• Manchester City: Gave Away Free NFTs to Celebrate Championship

  • In celebration of their recent championship, the soccer club gave away nearly 60K free collectibles during a 96-hour period starting January 16th through the OKX platform

  • The NFTs seem to be a pure collectible play without a promise for additional utility like access or rewards

  • Sources: OKX / NFT Plazas

• Musée d’Orsay: Showcasing First NFT Art Experience in February

  • The famous Parisian art museum will be hosting its first blockchain-backed experience called ‘Le Code d’Orsay’ from February 13th - March 10th

  • Created by Sébastian Devaud, aka Agoria, & Johan Lescure, the artwork is in the form of a steel sculpture - a QR code will appear when lighting hits the piece at a specific angle, unlocking the digital experience

  • Those who scan the QR code will be taken to a digital experience where they will be urged to blow on their mobile devices to create an NFT inspired by impressionist artists that will be minted to the Tezos blockchain

  • Sources: Decrypt

Chain Reactions!

• Hilton in Roblox: Smart move by Hilton to integrate into Paris’ established Roblox space, which has driven over 2M visits while also building on an existing brand campaign. I love the integration with their loyalty program; by offering chances at points or level upgrades for participating in mini-game activities, they connect the experience to broader functionalities & promote IRL commitment from a new audience.

• Soccer Clubs Leaning into Web3: While there have been quite a few sports franchises & leagues leaning into Web3 activations - there has been notable activity from European Football clubs - including AC Milan, PSG, & Manchester City.

• d’Orsay NFT Experience: I loved the article on Decrypt about the upcoming experience - specifically the artist’s take on how to appear in a historied museum: ‘I don’t think it would be very relevant if I put 30 screens in a museum like this’, ‘my question for the whole year I was working on this was: How can we make the digital sensible? How can we make the digital not opposed to the physical?’. The creativity in their activation will pique curiosity & participation with a QR code appearing. The end result seems like a great onboard experience for non-web3 natives - help create your own memorable keepsake from your museum visit.

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.