GEEIQ

In the first half of 2024, 314 brands invested in gaming. That includes the BBC, Max Mara Fashion Group, and Walmart. The majority are activating on Roblox and Fortnite. Why? Find out in our latest report. You know where to find the link 👇

It’s here. The third issue of The State of Virtual Brand Experiences. Crafted with data from GEEIQ’s platform, this is the only report of its kind to detail which virtual worlds brands are investing right now, how they’re activating, and which industries are set to dominate in this new marketing channel. With insight into the virtual strategies of the leading brands in this space, interviews with the creators of some of the most popular experiences like Voldex, and predictions from the teams behind HUGO BOSS, Walmart and Versace - you won’t get these insights anywhere else. Let’s dive in. Link in comments👇

Versace. L'Oréal. The National Football League (NFL). 865 brands have invested in gaming and virtual worlds as of mid-2024. Tomorrow, we're launching The State of Virtual Brand Experiences III, a deep-dive into the data, brands, and trends in virtual spaces from the first half of 2024. Subscribe to GEEIQ Insights to receive it first. Link below 👇

Sonic and PacMan on Roblox. Tetris on Minecraft. The past few quarters have seen a surge in the number of Video Game IPs creating or integrating into virtual worlds. 2024 so far has seen 22 activations from this sector. Consider that in comparison to 7 from the same period last year. These activations also see high levels of engagement on newer platforms. Funcom’s ‘Conan Horde Slayer’ on Roblox has seen 3 million visits since it launched two months ago. Meanwhile, SEGA’s ‘Sonic Speed Simulator’ has run up 995 million lifetime visits since March 2022. We spoke to Tom von Simson, who works with the likes of Walmart, BBC, and Elton John, to better understand why these classic Video Game franchises are moving into newer worlds like Roblox, Fortnite or Minecraft: "Gaming has finally become a multi-generational activity. UGC platforms such as Roblox and Fortnite are perfect canvases to not only introduce traditional gaming IP to new audiences but to ultimately monetize from intergenerational fandom associated with these IPs. Games like PacMan have simple game mechanics that wouldn’t warrant a AAA release in today’s gaming landscape so the accessibility of platforms like Roblox makes for the perfect territory to keep IP alive and kicking!"

When IKEA entered Roblox, it grabbed headlines in TIME, WIRED, CNN, and more. But did all that press attention translate into player engagement? The short answer is yes. As the first furniture brand to enter Roblox, IKEA's initiative went viral, partly because it paid real people to work in its virtual experience, ‘IKEA: The Co-Worker.’ This unique offering drew players to Roblox. Since its launch in June 2024, the experience has reached 3.7 million visits, averaging 94.6k visits a day. In July alone, IKEA’s visits surged by over 270%. Despite these impressive numbers, the average active players have dropped from 1.9k on launch day to around 130 in August. While the experience maintains a high approval rating of 90%, sustaining engagement will be key. We spoke to Lucas Walker, who has supported Walmart, HUGO BOSS and Versace with their virtual strategies, to unpick what’s behind this drop in players: “IKEA's paid employee program generated significant media attention, but the initiative was only ever intended to be temporary. The brand succeeded in what it wanted - not to build the biggest long-term Roblox experience, but to take headlines and build buzz. In that respect, as the data shows, they wildly succeeded.” Learn more about what gamers want from brands on Roblox in our insights piece. Linked below, of course 👇

Charles Hambro dives into why brands are investing in gaming. Want more? Vote for us to speak at #SXSW 2025! Our talk’s focus? “Social media is dead. Long live gaming.” 🗳 Vote by August 18th! 👉 https://lnkd.in/eQhQQ2jz

Samsung Electronics. Nickelodeon. Wells Enterprises. This quarter, these brands have already integrated into Roblox experiences. But what does that mean? Integrations are when brands activate within already popular virtual experiences, often on a time-limited or per campaign basis. For example, GEEIQ partner Coach created a section in Karlie Kloss’ Fashion Klossette, an existing Roblox experience with more than 32 million visits. Brand integrations are increasingly appealing to brands as they are traditionally more cost-effective and allow brands to tap into existing audiences. Since Q4 2023, the number of new brand integrations on Roblox has started to outweigh new brand experiences. This wasn’t the case for Q1 2024, but it certainly was for Q2. The data suggests Q3 2024 will see this trend continue. Learn more about the rise in integrations in our next report. Coming this week.

The Olympics are over - in the real world and the virtual world. So… how did they perform in the virtual world? The International Olympic Committee – IOC and Visa’s ‘Olympic World’ received: 🥇 Nearly 7 million visits in less than a month. This includes a jump from 2.8 million visits to 4 million in just one day of July - a 43% increase. 🥈 192% visitor growth over a week. Both Olympic World and Team USA Ultimate Obby, another Olympic-themed Roblox experience created by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and NBCUniversal, ranked first and second place for visitor growth from the 22nd to the 28th of July - the week they launched. 🥉 Over 94 thousand organic content views on YouTube alone. This engagement was driven by the launch of free limited UGC, including an Olympic Tennis Racket and Olympic Chest Protector. These results display the level of reach and engagement that Sports Organizations can receive when they translate what they do best in the real-world to an international virtual audience. In an attempt to capture Gen Z attention, the Olympics and other related IP flipped the script in 2024, with the introduction of events such as breakdancing, in addition to embracing virtual worlds like Roblox. And with faces of LA 2028 already active in spaces like Fortnite - including Billie Eilish and Snoop Dogg - what will the virtual world presence of the 34th Olympiad look like?

Brands 📣 Social Media is Dead: Long Live Gaming. 👑 Community voting is now open for #SXSW and GEEIQ needs your vote to feature on stage in Austin next March.🌵 It's Charles Hambro's mission to deliver the data and insights brand marketers need to capitalize on the consumer behavioral shifts taking place among Gen Z and Gen Alpha. After all, Instagram, Facebook and X are some of the most deleted apps of 2024, while new brands entering Roblox grew 90% in the first half of 2024 versus the first half of 2023. 🕹 A session every brand should watch, with data you won't get anywhere else. 🗳 Voting closes August 18th! 👉 https://lnkd.in/eQhQQ2jz

Brands like Walmart, E.L.F. BEAUTY and Hilton Hotels & Resorts are starting to use Roblox for bottom-of-funnel marketing. For the first time, H1 2024 has seen brands using gaming & virtual worlds to hit KPIs at every stage of the marketing funnel - from tracking total visitor growth for brand awareness to tracking on-platform sales for conversion. Learn more in our upcoming report, State of Virtual Experiences III. Coming soon.