Roblox courts marketers with branded virtual experience

Roblox is taking a page out of its own marketing book by creating a branded world aimed at courting brands. “The Brands Experience,” which was developed with creative studio Sawhorse, allows marketers to explore successful brand implementations on the platform. The world features immersive case studies from Walmart, Universal Pictures and Paris Hilton’s 11:11: Media, as well as a tour of Roblox’s growing menu of ad units. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Marketers have shown an interest in receiving a walk-through from representatives of the platform itself, which is how Roblox came up with the idea for a world for brands, said Stephanie Latham, VP of global brand partnerships and advertising at Roblox. The meta-marketing move comes as Roblox fights for a larger slice of a growing pie of video game advertising. Roughly 40% advertisers said they had plans this year to increase spending in the genre, according to a study conducted by the Interactive Advertising Bureau. Advancements in technology are powering this boost by enabling immersive ad units, including video ads, inside games, which Roblox has promoted since last fall. On mobile games, this type is by far the most dominant ad unit, according to a recent study on media buying from programmatic advertising platform Mintegral. The use of playable ads has more than doubled over the past year. What has made Roblox such a popular destination for marketers is that its branded experiences are effectively giant playable ads, which exist in an ecosystem inhabited by over 70 million daily active users. The problem, according to Catherine D. Henry, a Gen Z brand consultant, is that most branded experiences just aren’t what users are looking for. “They feel like they’re created by a committee, not a community,” Henry said. Roblox’s new world aims to solve this issue by giving marketers the point of view of a user. They’ll be able to enter portal ads that link to connected realms, or view a video ad up close, or interact with the kinds of reward ads that so commonly underpin in-game challenges. Roblox has begun to offer a programmatic buying framework for some of these units in an effort to scale its advertising business. Marketers will also be tested on their knowledge of Roblox’s ad offerings through an in-game challenge, in which they will need to answer questions such as “Where do you go to set up a Roblox ad account?” and “Which ad can you buy today via Roblox Ads Manager?” The case studies show how brands can leverage different ways to integrate real-world aspects into their experiences. Walmart Discovered allows customers to order real items to be shipped to their physical addresses—and receive digital twins of those items inside the platform. Paris Hilton’s Slivingland offers podcast listening parties and opportunities to appear in music videos. Universal Pictures’ “Kung Fu Panda 4 Obby” demonstrates how entertainment companies can launch a temporary world to promote a new release. Warner Bros. recently made a similar activation for “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice” that featured a virtual box office in which users could purchase real movie tickets. Roblox still has room to improve its ad business, however. According to Henry, the platform has yet to establish a way for brands to take full advantage of the many creators that build out its ecosystem. Roblox has been doing more to help this cohort develop large followings, which has made them an enticing partner for brands. And while marketers have proven their ability to catch Roblox users’ attention, retaining this attention through continued incentives remains an obstacle. “Advertisers have to stop thinking about exploiting group interests,” Henry said. “We are no longer advertising 'at' audiences, rather inviting them to play.” Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs

Roblox courts marketers with branded virtual experience

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