• by Colin Kirkland , September 6, 2024

In an effort to help onboard new brands and businesses interested in advertising on Roblox, the virtual gaming platform has launched its own world showcasing immersive case studies from major brands that have previously launched their own Roblox experiences, as well as a virtual tour of the platform’s evolving ad offerings and gamified marketing challenges.

“The Brands Experience,” developed with creative studio Sawhorse, features case studies based on immersive Roblox campaigns from Walmart, Adidas, Universal Pictures and Paris Hilton's 11:11 Media, which launched a virtual city in the platform that has become home to fans of both Paris and the entrepreneur's family's Hilton Hotel empire.

“Brands are increasingly asking us to show them around Roblox,” wrote Stephanie Latham, vice president of global brand partnerships and advertising at Roblox, on LinkedIn, which ultimately led to the activation of The Brands Experience.

As the platform continues to grow, Roblox is more focused than ever on developing its advertising business.

Over the past year, the company has tried to diversify its revenue by introducing video ads displaying content from major brands and agencies, while also offering a programmatic buying framework for some of its ad units, powered by supply-side platform Pubmatic.

In May, Roblox's Vice President of Economy Enrico D’Angelo said Roblox is trying to “become a platform where brands can run their core business,” adding that “if you sell shoes or movie tickets or food, we want you to be able to sell them on Roblox.”

Roblox is working to expand its in-platform ecommerce capabilities, most recently working with Walmart to launch an in-game virtual kiosk where U.S. users can purchase a physical hoodie highlighting e.l.f. Beauty's cruelty-free products.

In addition, last month Roblox teamed up with Warner Bros. to launch an immersive digital experience for the sequel of the 1998 cult classic “Beetlejuice,” which features a virtual Fandango box office where visitors can purchase movie tickets.

As Roblox “tests and invests in commerce,” these launches are likely the beginning of more brands beginning to sell real-world products within the Roblox platform.

However, to persuade more brands to the platform, which remains an emerging environment for advertisers, Roblox is mostly using The Brands Experience to deliver brands a user-focused perspective around the platform's ad offerings.

As temporary users, brands will be able to enter portal ads that link them to connected worlds, view video ads up close, and interact with reward ads that often lead to gamified challenges. Marketers will also have the opportunity to test their understanding of Roblox's ad offerings via an in-game quiz.

Overall, the case studies included in The Brands Experience highlight various integrations possible to brands interested in launching immersive Roblox worlds. For example, Walmart Discovered invites visitors to buy real-life products while receiving a virtual copy in the game; Hilton’s “Slivingland” city offers podcast listening parties; and Universal’s “Kung Fu Panda 4 Obby,” like Warner Bros’ “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” world demonstrates how a studio can promote an upcoming movie release.>