Issue #120

Welcome to your weekly dose of TooXToo, this week featuring Sims x Depop, Cadbury’s glitchy campaign, Nissan’s electrified art, and Spotify’s ‘greasy café’…

Depop x Sims

Depop is bringing thrifting to the realm of gaming in partnership with Sims – enabling players to select their own clothing, and merchandise it to earn their own virtual currency.

Here’s the twist – this clothing that will be available for users to shop and wear will all be thrifted. Users will be able to re-sell their clothes in the game through a Sims app dubbed ‘Trendi’, replicating the same experience physical users have through Depop.

Depop are cleverly targeting teens – the most frequent users of this game with their new partnership. By selling second-hand in the virtual world, Depop hope they can encourage these users to shop second hand in the real world too.

Steve Dool, Depop’s brand director commented: “If getting a Sim to shop secondhand from the in-game thrift shop encourages someone to do that for themselves IRL, that’s an amazing, full-circle moment.”

What Depop is actioning seems paradoxical given the fast-paced, constantly evolving nature of gaming in contrast to the slow, and more considered ethos that defines their brand. This is precisely why Depop are entering this virtual world – to appeal, and remain relevant to the increasingly digital world we live, work, and operate in. Looking outward, the brand hopes they can promote more ethical behaviour on, and offline.

Cadbury’s glitchy campaign

 

Cadbury are celebrating the release of two limited-edition versions of the Dairy Milk bars with their new ‘glitchy’ billboards, designed to tease the un-announced chocolate flavours.

From crinkled bus stop ads to glitchy digital posters, and social posts that freeze or don’t fully load – Cadbury’s are hoping to ramp up the suspense of their upcoming flavour launches.

“We can’t wait to see the public’s reactions and creative guesses as friends and family come together to solve the mystery flavours.”

The campaign will run in the UK until mid-October across multiple formats- online and social, as well as different media partnerships, for example a digital audio campaign with Spotify. 

The campaign has proved successful thus far in generating buzz and excitement through fostering anticipation – the participatory element is key to the campaign especially in the context of modern culture.

Nissan’s Electrified Art

 Nissan is the first car manufacturer to utilise the metaverse in the way that they have with their latest immersive experience.

This automobile brand has brought electrified brand stories to life to showcase their latest innovations. The artwork comprises Nissan’s new all-electric ARIYA in five different city locations around the UK, with each piece creating an interactive and visual art experience.

The collection of electrified artworks are also embedded with QR codes that enable users to experience Nissan’s meta space. By scanning the code, you will be transported to Nissans electrified art landing page where you can enter the artwork portal, exploring the fully immersive, ‘electrified city’.

The Nissan Ariya will be the focus of this city, appearing in the centre of the room while users have the opportunity to explore and appreciate the different artwork.

Marketing director of Nissan GB, Nic Thomas enthused: “This is the start for us to continue to explore and test and learn new ways of bringing our electrified brand stories to life and showcase our own product innovations in an environment that fits with our innovative leadership brand values…”

The Metaverse – the next iteration of the internet is affording brands new opportunities to showcase or bring their products to life in the virtual world. Nissan is one of the first automotor brands to enter the metaverse, utilising both 2D and 3D virtual reality infrastructure to immerse users in a new, ‘electrified city’.

Spotify’s Greasy Café experience

Intermingling music with café culture, Spotify have launched their new pop up concept: ‘Greasy Tunes’…

Kicking off at the beginning of this week – the café located in Shoreditch showcased 9 podcasters, 8 artists, 4 DJ's and hundreds of breakfasts.

Seed- Genz and student specialists worked on the campaign to ensure that the experience created was inspired by fan culture, amplified through a diverse collection of artists, as well as engaging IRL, and online social content.

One of the project’s key aims is to bring creators, and fans closer together. Not only will visitors be able to listen to the music and creators live, but they will have a chance to meet and mingle and tuck into some quintessentially British brekkie grub.

The look and feel of the venue draws on the nostalgia, and social culture of London’s older establishments. The more retro feel of this pop-up is akin to Ebay's recent collaboration with Morleys also in Shoreditch. Both projects are tapping into the desire from a Genz consumer for a unique, social, and “instagrammable “experience.