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NFT Marketing

5 examples of brands using NFTs to boost audience engagement and create new experiences

Depositphotos

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September 12, 2022 | 6 min read

From technological shifts to cultural phenomena—the modern world constantly teaches us to broaden our horizons, see things differently and work in new ways

Brands are not standing aside; they’re exploring new opportunities to stay relevant and stand out in the market.

If you keep an eye on trends, you have definitely heard about non-fungible tokens (NFTs) – unique digital assets created using blockchain technology. In this article, we'll look at examples of brands using NFTs for marketing purposes and introduce you to insightful data that can help your brand create unusual campaigns that catch the eye.

Why do brands use NFTs?

NFT art is a new universal language that allows brands to engage with customers and form lasting connections. Virtual tokens are versatile and can be used for representing various digital files, from images and videos to animated GIFs and audio. Some brands also utilize technology to create other forms of art, such as video game collectibles, virtual fashion items, and virtual worlds.

5 ways brands can use NFT art for marketing

Although NTFs are a rather niche field to go into, its popularity grows by the day, and more and more people want to own tokens and gain new experiences. Aside from that, NFT art, like any other art, can serve many purposes for a brand, from both a commercial and non-commercial perspective. As a result, many interesting NFT-based projects have appeared over the past few years. Let’s take a look at some of them below.

NFT art for charity

Depositphotos, an international content marketplace with many Ukrainians on their team, uses NFTs to draw attention to russian war crimes during the war and raise funds for the recovery of cultural sites.

For The Revival Project, they collaborated with seven local, independent artists to create thematic NFT artworks for sale; with all money raised being transferred to the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.

The project presents unique works in which artists reflect on the future of destroyed objects (so far there are over 450 of them) and create illustrations that envision how the country's architectural heritage might look in the future. Artworks are available for multiple purchases on META HISTORY museum.

Source: META HISTORY museum

Charitable NFT art with creative reconstruction concepts helps the company gain more exposure, while also raising awareness for an important cause and contributing to the country's future.

NFT art to build community

TIME, one of the world’s most respected and recognized media outlets, introduced TIMEPieces – an NFT initiative to foster its community by bringing artists, collectors, and fans together. TIMEPieces features unique artworks from over 40 artists from around the world who have contributed to the creation of a magazine.

Source: TIME magazine website

The collection contains over 4,500 original NFTs, both still and animated, ranging from paintings and illustrations to photographs and videos. Collectors could purchase them through a randomized blind drop for 0.1 ETH each. NFT holders will also get unlimited access to TIME.com, exclusive invitations to in-person events, and access to a variety of exclusive digital experiences.

TIME’s community strategy allows them to bring together and showcase a diverse group of artists, as well as interact with NFT communities to grow brand loyalty.

NFT art to provide unique experiences

As a great way to ignite customer interest and create a unique experience for them, Robert Mondavi Winery and renowned French porcelain house Bernardaud have developed a first-of-its-kind NFT wine collection. Together, they produced 1996 collectible porcelain bottles, each attached to an NFT, and a unique piece of generative art made under the direction of generative artist Clay Heaton.

Source: Bloomberg

In addition to the physical item and an NFT, the purchase includes access to exclusive winery experiences, such as wine tasting at the To Kalon vineyard, located in Oakville, California at the Robert Mondavi Winery.

Robert Mondavi Winery and Bernardaud’s luxury and limited edition NFTs and collectible wine bottles have the potential to change the world of wine collecting and put the company ahead of the competition.

NFT art as a customer engagement tool

Balmain, a French luxury fashion house, collaborated with Barbie, an iconic fashion toymaker, to create an exclusive collection that spans the physical and digital worlds. The duo have released a ready-to-wear collection, an accessories line, and a series of thematic NFTs.

Source: Mattel Creations

The entire collection features Barbie’s signature pink color, a Barbie-inspired Balmain logo, and Balmain’s monogram pattern. The digital collaboration includes three unique NFTs, which customers were able to purchase on auction via mintNFT, a marketplace for NFTs and digital collectibles. The highest bid reached nearly 22,000 USD, and, in addition to thematic NFTs, winners received a physical Barbie-sized set of Balmain pieces.

The Balmain Barbie partnership marked a historic moment for fashion, tech, and toys. It aided in both engaging brand customers and redefining the concept of brand ownership for them.

NFT art as virtual merchandise

Fashion companies not only offer thematic NFTs, but also use them to develop digital ownership in gaming. For example, Burberry, a British fashion house, in partnership with Mythical Games, a games tech company, created a branded character and virtual space. They also launched in-game NFT clothing and accessory collections inside the Blankos Block Party NFT-based game.

Source: Burberry

Exclusive branded characters, items, and spaces are bound to promote the sale of brand goods, strengthen brand loyalty, and engage the community. With limited-edition virtual product drops, Burberry demonstrates how brands can interact in a Web3 world, providing unique virtual experiences while also building new revenue streams.

To sum up

In times when new phenomena appear at lighting speed, companies are learning to adapt quickly to keep up with trends and create buzz around their product. And NFTs are a brand-new way to attract and retain customer attention. They open up new marketing opportunities for brands and also pave the way to the metaverse.

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