METAVERSE BEAUTY WEEK
To me the Metaverse is a perfect dance of my two favourite things: gaming and brand communications. We have learned now that well-tailored Metaverse experiences generate more meaningful interactions between brands and their customers than Google or social media ads. Now that the dust has settled and the honeymoon period has ended, it is my job and aspiration to make sure brands deliver valuable opportunities for customers to interact with their content.
Inspired by the Metaverse Fashion Week together with CULT we decided to host the first ever Metaverse Beauty Week to explore the place of beauty brands in the Metaverse space.
Scroll down for a closer look into some of the brand activations and my role in them.
But first…
Some data
846M
Global press reach from coverage of MBW by 1st day of the festival
#1
Trending Spatial experience worldwide within an hour of going live
150 %
Higher dwell time in the MBW main Plaza in Decentraland than the average dwell time on beauty brands’ websites
I tailored the MBW experience to fit each platform’s unique capabilities and demographics picking the best options for brands based on their asks and ambitions. I also was responsible for the built oversight and art direction.
Spatial
Decentraland
Roblox
Ask & execution
Based on Neutrogena’s Skin’s Vitals campaign we created 5 mini-games in Decentraland to educate players on the 5 different skin aggressors and how Neutrogena’s products can help fight them to improve your skin. We also incorporated Kerry Washington, the brand ambassador in form of her avatar that took you through the experience.
The choice of platform was dictated by high reach, fitting purchaser demographics and technical capabilities.
My role
Creative ideation: working together with the creative team on possible ways of incorporating the product into the Metaverse experience based on the platform and its users.
Gameplay: ideation and execution of the gameplay based on the brands goals, platform capabilities and the fun factor. We wanted to produce a gamer experience not yet seen on the platform.
Wearables design: two unique wearable collectibles to reward users for interacting with the experience.
Build oversight & testing: overseeing level design and gameplay and optimising based on platforms capabilities & restrictions.
29h 25m
Collective time spent by MBW attendees playing Neutrogena’s games on press day
Ask & execution
LUSH has a strong presence in the Metaverse and in Decentraland specifically, so the ask was to amplify it while also giving players a chance to experience their favourite LUSH products on a new level. With this in mind we created two separate yet cohesive experiences in both Decentraland and Spatial while utilising the best features of each platform.
Decentraland
We created an immersive event launch with animated “biggest bath bomb in the Metaverse”: it fizzed and dissolved live opening a sensorial experience inside the bath bomb based on three iconic LUSH products.
Spatial
Because Spatial offers elevated visuals but a bit less gameplay flexibility we went with a similar Intergalactic bath bomb space that would teleport you to the LUSH Intergalactic Island. There you could vibe to the Intergalactic playlist and claim a unique one of its kind Ready Player Me wearable - the LUSH Intergalactic Spacesuit.
My role
Creative ideation: working together with the creative team on delivering an immersive and platform-tailored experience.
Overseeing the builds & building assets myself: designing 3D and curating the visuals of the experience; optimising files to fit both platforms’ capabilities; working together with developer partners and overseeing the build process in Unity (Spatial) and Decentraland Builder.
Utility: for a more connected experience we placed LUSH portals to both Spatial and Decentraland experiences to quickly commute between the two.
37%
Uplift in visits to LUSH’s MBW zone for the live bath bomb melt and wearable unlock
A smaller activation for Valdé Beauty included a brand-inspired scene build and a custom Valdé Armour wearable inspired by brand’s iconic lipstick.
Mechanics: step through the Valdé Lipstick Vessel to unlock your wearable.
My role: full visual assets and scene development (except for coding and platform deployment).
A Spatial-only activation taking Flannels Beauty bar into the Metaverse. We created three non-playable characters wearing Flannels summer makeup looks existing within a central piece activation.
Mechanics: get acquainted with the NPCs to learn about their looks and explore the Beauty Bar and beyond to unlock 3 Ready Player Me makeup wearables.
My role: creative ideation; NPCs character design; build art direction and oversight.
