Chobani Races Into Metaverse Experiment With Roblox Event
It’s time for another metaverse experiment. The industry already experienced a virtual marathon in recent months, now Chobani is launching into the space with a group racing and discoverability experience.
This is the company’s first trial in a virtual reality space. Chobani is inviting participants (the event is open to the Roblox community) to race through a virtual galaxy that includes Chobani Oatmilk spaceships making deliveries to planets. Winners get leaderboard rankings and rewards such as custom merchandise.
There’s a charity component to the event as well. Competing racers accrue points which are displayed in a charity chart. Once the target goal is reached, Chobani will be donating $75,000 to Hunger Free America.
The experience was designed and developed in partnership with Thinkingbox.
"Making accessible, high-quality, nutritious products, including oatmilk, is important to us and with this game, we're taking a fun and creative approach to how oatmilk could be seen and used by everyone," said Meredith Madden, chief marketing and category officer, Chobani. "Bringing whimsical moments to life, especially in a virtual environment, is a great way to test new ideas and to attract new fans to our brand in a playful and engaging way."
The company is expanding its oat milk campaign outside the virtual space as well, introducing real-life experiences like a custom nail art event in Chillhouse’s flagship store in New York City, accompanied by a custom song available for streaming and a national advertising spot.
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Roblox Experiences Gaining Ground
Chobani is not the first brand to have embraced the Roblox community. Companies like Nike and Forever 21, for example, launched respective experiences within the Roblox environment.
Last year, Nike launched Nikeland, modeling it after its real-life headquarters. In this space, Roblox players can play several mini games, such as tag, dodgeball, and the floor is lava. Players are also able to use accelerometers in their mobile devices for access more game interactivity, such as running or jumping, and pick up Nike-branded items for their avatar in the digital showroom.
At the end of 2021, Forever 21 also created a virtual space modeled after an existing environment. Forever 21 Shop City is designed like a store and allows Roblox users, fashion influencers, and creative world builders to own and manage their personal store. Here they can buy and sell Forever 21 merchandise, including accessories and clothing, hire non-player characters (NPCs) as employees, and customize every aspect of their own store as they try to become a “top shop.”
Other companies have launched experiences within the Decentraland metaverse. Heineken opened a virtual brewery with a completely virtual beer, Heineken Silver. PacSun also has a presence in Decentraland, and has jumped into the NFT space as well.
