• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, June 28, 2023

Dentsu this morning announced it has become the first agency holding company to join online game platform Roblox's new partner program -- a move the agency touts as being part of a first-mover advantage giving it and its clients early access to developing advertising and marketing models that many see as a precursor to a more developed metaverse, as well as other Web3 applications.

The deal follows an earlier relationship developed between Dentsu Japan and Roblox, which have been working with the platform's creator communities to "bring unique IPs onto the platform," and is seen as an expansion of that.

"Dentsu can offer its clients a more in-depth education and access to this fast-growing global platform, along with the unparalleled opportunity to scale brand innovation and drive growth," an agency spokesperson said.

“Dentsu, one of the world's largest advertising networks, has immersive content development in their DNA, and the ability to infuse Japanese pop-culture strategy in everything they do,” Roblox Vice President-Global Partnerships Christina Wootton said in a statement included with Dentsu's announcement. “As a global partner in our new Roblox Partner Program, their dedicated gaming and experience teams will enable the brand and advertising community to bridge the gap and scale brand innovation on Roblox globally.”

While the big media futures themes in the ad industry have shifted from Web3 -- and the metaverse, specifically -- to AI in recent months, Dentsu has been sending strong signals of commitment to it. Late last year, Dentsu quietly disclosed it has joined the "Web3 Club," and its early development relationship with Roblox is further evidence that it sees Web3 as fertile advertising ground.

That said, it's noteworthy that Dentsu media chief Doug Rozen pointed out the irony of the ad industry's shift away from the metaverse during an interview at the IAB NewFronts, noting, "It's interesting what we're not talking about this year -- which is, we're not seeing a lot of metaverse.

"If you go back a year, that was probably a prevalent thing," Rozen noted, adding: "I think what we are seeing in a lot of presentations -- because it's thrown in at the last moment -- is AI and ChatGPT type stuff."

That theme carried through to the recent Cannes Lions festival, where the metaverse took a backseat to a litany of AI-related discussions and initiatives.