• by Les Luchter , February 10, 2022

Decentraland, a blockchain-based virtual world with a reported 300,000 monthly users, is emerging as a key host for branded metaverse campaigns.

Two examples come courtesy of Miller Lite and Samsung, tied respectively to Super Bowl Sunday and Valentine’s Day.

Miller Lite has launched the Meta Lite Bar, co-created by DDB Chicago and DDB San Francisco, which the Molson Coors brand says will be the only place airing its Super Bowl commercial on Sunday. No teaser or info about the ad’s content has been released.

In addition to accessing a bevy of virtual activities and NFT swag for crypto sale, visitors to the Meta Lite bar can pour themselves a pixelated pilsner from a golden tap to enter a “Virtual Cheers for Real Beers” sweepstakes. Since Monday, and through Super Bowl Sunday, some 10 visitors daily are winning $500 in real cash “to stock IRL game day parties with great-tasting Miller Lite and more.”  

"While many brands are showing up in the metaverse right now, Miller Lite is doing things differently by keeping one foot in the virtual world and another in the real world," explained Sofia Colucci, global vice president, Miller family of brands.

Samsung, meanwhile, has launched a “Turn Red Hearts Green” scavenger hunt in Samsung 837X, its Decentraland space modeled after the company’s flagship New York City store. A joint Publicis team, led by Razorfish, is the agency.

Scavenger hunt players are asked to find 10 recyclable product boxes “that can be upcycled into something magical.” Once that task is accomplished, they'll receive a “seed to plant a tree” in the location’s “Sustainability Forest,” for which they’ll get a special Samsung 837X badge. They can then return on Monday, Valentine’s Day, to finish the quest and get a “unique wearable” for their avatar.

The badges are in-world objects that Decentralized users get by visiting Samsung 837X and completing interactive activities. “Some of the badges from previous quests and events may unlock future prizes, activities, and experiences,” notes a Samsung spokesperson.

The Samsung 837X Decentralized space was launched during last month’s CES, drawing 54,000 unique visitors and giving out 149,000 badges, Samsung said.

On Wednesday, the meta-version of Samsung 837XX simulcast the company’s live unveiling of its new Galaxy S22 series smartphones and Galaxy Tab S8 tablets.