This month: Virtual holiday shopping, a goodbye to NFTs from one major brand and a hello from another. 

No. 5: Fortnite hosts mega concert 

Fortnite last month launched one of its biggest concert events yet, featuring performances from Snoop Dogg, Ice Spice, Eminem and the late rapper Juice WRLD (shown in the video below). Dubbed “Remix: The Finale,” the concert drew inspiration from another notable show that took place in the platform: Travis Scott’s performance in 2020. As in Scott’s concert, this one portrayed the musicians as giants performing amidst immersive Fortnite-themed imagery.

While the concert was meant to tee off a new version of Fortnite’s battle royale gameplay, it also showcased the platform’s ability to offer immersive musical experiences. Fortnite has held performances by some of the biggest names in music, and while other virtual platforms have attempted to do the same, the staggering number of attendees that Fortnite draws is a cut above the rest.

No. 4: Amazon’s virtual holiday shopping experience

Amazon launched a 3-D virtual showroom for online customers to do their holiday shopping. The Amazon Virtual Holiday Shop features items from brands including Beats, Kate Spade and Coach, and allows guests to purchase items directly from Amazon by clicking on their virtual representations.

The shop is reminiscent of Walmart Realm (which also got an update for the holidays), although Amazon’s lacks social aspects such as influencers and games. Still, the ease of purchasing and navigating (akin to moving through Google Maps’ Street View) makes Amazon’s showroom accessible to a wide variety of users. Curious guests will also find portals in the shop that will take them to other shoppable showrooms, including a toy store, a Disney-themed store and a Harry Potter-themed store.

No. 3 Roblox’s monetization challenges

Roblox has focused significant attention over the past year on growing its commerce capabilities, from allowing brands to sell real-life products through a Shopify integration to enabling in-game subscriptions to help build loyalty. But its goal of becoming a purchasing hub is bringing a host of challenges, experts told Ad Age.

Roblox could be a prisoner of its own strategy, which has thus far entailed the targeting of young users for its social games. These players, however, do not have much spending power of their own—a fact that could hamper Roblox’s abilities to monetize experiences throughout the platform. Others posited a different view, saying that a growing number of users ages 17 and older will help Roblox find opportunities to sell brand products.

Still, there is concern that Roblox is not as safe as previously thought, fears that were reinforced via a report published in the fall by Hindenburg Research. One former Roblox executive, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Ad Age that some brands have lost comfort in the platform as a result of the report.

No. 2: Nike ditches NFTs, again

Nike is officially out on NFTs. The shoe brand announced this week it will be shutting down RTFKT, the NFT startup it acquired in late 2021. RTFKT played a role in the sale of virtual sneakers that Nike had been exploring for the past few years, and it had a devoted following of token holders for its own collection, Clone X, which it dropped before being acquired.

Nike was already one foot out the door on NFTs, announcing in September that it would no longer be releasing the tokens through its dotSwoosh loyalty program, which is pivoting to gaming. But the closure of RTFKT feels like a nail in the coffin, notably by a brand that had held onto NFTs far longer than most traditional marketers. 

No. 1 McDonald’s-Doodles tie-up

While Nike is stepping out of the NFT game, McDonald’s is stepping back in. No, the world’s largest restaurant chain didn’t drop a collection as it did in 2021, but it partnered with NFT-native brand Doodles for a campaign centered on new holiday cups. The cups feature Doodles’ recognizable imagery—cartoonish characters in pastel blues and pinks. The campaign’s title, “GM Spread Joy,” is also a nod to NFTs—“gm” is a shorthand for “good morning” that is popular amongst the NFT community.

Moreover, customers who purchase the cups at participating restaurants will unlock digital collectibles through the McDonald’s app. These feature Doodles wearables themed to the chain, such as a Grimace bucket hat and a McDonald’s T-shirt.

Notably, Doodles does not see itself as an NFT project anymore but rather a “media franchise,” according to one of the brand’s co-founders. Still, it remains heavily tied to the NFT ecosystem and is fueled by the holders of its initial NFT collection.

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