Metaverse Marketing: The Top 5 Brand Plays Right Now

The metaverse may not be dominating headlines like AI, but brands are still betting big on virtual worlds. The NFL scored a touchdown inside Roblox with an interactive Super Bowl event, letting players take on challenges as the Chiefs or Eagles, earning in-game currency for digital rewards. Meanwhile, Meta continues its push for a mixed-reality future with its Ray-Ban smart glasses, which reportedly hit one million units sold. Their Super Bowl campaign featured Chris Hemsworth and Chris Pratt, using Meta AI to turn a joke about eating art into an interactive consumer experience.

Retail and commerce also saw big moves. Walmart integrated its virtual shopping experiences into Zepeto, an avatar-driven social platform, while MoviePass introduced its Screening Room app for Meta Quest, offering 4K movie trailers in virtual reality. Luxury beauty brand Laura Mercier joined the metaverse commerce trend with an app on Apple’s Vision Pro, featuring immersive product tutorials and shopping. These activations show how brands are blending immersive experiences with real-world commerce, making virtual shopping and entertainment feel more tangible.

The takeaway? While the metaverse has had its ups and downs, brands are finding practical applications that engage consumers in new ways. Gamified experiences, AI-powered wearables, and digital storefronts continue to create fresh marketing opportunities. Whether it's Super Bowl quests in Roblox or virtual makeup tutorials in Vision Pro, the metaverse is proving to be more than just hype—it’s a playground for brands to test the future of digital engagement.

Read more at AdAge.