вЂњWeвЂ™ve embarked on the new age of originality. To date, Adidas has been able to effectively leverage the NFT marketplace and the metaverse to promote the ethos of individuality and self-expression that the brand has long pushed for in its traditional marketing. Like NikeвЂ™s acquisition of RTFKT, Adidas made web3 history when it launched вЂInto the Metaverse,вЂ™ a NFT drop created in partnership with NFT companies Gmoney, Punks Comic and Bored Ape Yacht Club in late 2021. It makes perfect sense, therefore, that the brand would be an avid early adopter of the metaverse as a new sphere for interacting with a younger, hipper audience. And just last week, the brand launched вЂGucci Town,вЂ™ also hosted on Roblox, which has been designed to be a virtual rendering of Vault (its concept store), as well as a space for visitors to вЂњcome together with friends.вЂќДЄdidas has spent much of its marketing efforts in recent years establishing an image of itself as being much more than a shoe and clothing brand вЂ“ itвЂ™s been aiming (quite successfully so far) at becoming a leading force in the worlds of athletics, streetwear, music and pop culture generally.

The brand has also been making some bigger moves in the metaverse: in 2021 вЂ“ in celebration of its 100th anniversary вЂ“ it launched the вЂGucci Garden Archetypes,вЂ™ a two-week virtual experience вЂњthat explores and celebrates the houseвЂ™s inimitable creative vision,вЂќ Gucci said in a statement at the time. Difficult as it is for many to believe, the house famously sold a handbag on Roblox last year at a price that was higher than the bagвЂ™s IRL counterpart. Launched just over 100 years ago, Gucci has done more than withstand the test of time вЂ“ it has managed to ride sweeping waves of cultural change, adapt to new technologies and always deliver a product that may never go out of style: elite and fashionable status symbols.

There are a handful of high-end designer brands that have already demonstrated this quite clearly. One thing thatвЂ™s become abundantly clear during these early days of the metaverse as a commercial sphere is that value in the physical, material world can вЂ“ if executed carefully вЂ“ translate seamlessly into value in the virtual world.

Virtual city playground