2024 so far has seen a record-breaking number of brand activations in virtual worlds like Roblox and Fortnite. In the first week of February alone, there were over 21 brand-owned experiences and 9 integrations that launched across the platforms that GEEIQ tracks.
It’s no longer just specific industries, like Fashion & Apparel, hosting brand activations in virtual worlds. Across industries, leading brands are investing in gaming. From McDonald’s and Walmart to the NFL and Paris Hilton, brands of every type are entering this virtual race.
However, some industries are growing faster than others. The lack of data transparency on gaming platforms, as opposed to traditional marketing channels, means it’s difficult to know what brands are succeeding within this space, but there are ways to gauge this.
This article ranks the fastest-growing industries in virtual worlds and highlights the key players within each industry.* Using GEEIQ data, we will cover brands that have recently activated in each industry and compare these to GEEIQ’s previous predictions for growth by 2025 (State of Virtual Brand Experiences Part I).
Read until the end of the article to find out how your brand can find and benchmark against your competitors in this space. 👇
1. Charity & Nonprofit Organization - 191% growth
The number of charities that have launched activations within virtual worlds has grown by over 191% in just over a year. In fact, in Q4 2023, a record-breaking 10 activations were launched by the likes of Compassion International, Red Cross France and SOS Amazônia.
Gaming platforms like Roblox offer charities the ability to educate younger audiences in an immersive format about key issues ranging from Alzheimer's to the refugee crisis. They’re a new platform where these organizations can raise awareness for their causes.
Brand to watch: Comic Relief
Comic Relief’s ‘Solarpunk Simulator’ on Roblox has had 5.89 million visits so far and a high approval rating of 94%. Launched in March 2023, the experience depicts a world where humans, technology and nature exist in harmony. Players help aliens build a spaceship and they also interact with celebrities, including a virtual Jack Black. By creating a free experience that teaches kids about collaboration, leadership, and empowerment, Comic Relief hopes to break the cycle of poverty and offer kids training in areas they may not otherwise have the opportunity to learn about.
4. Sports, Health, & Fitness - 103% growth
With the industry’s focus on entertainment and competition, it is easy for sports organisations, gyms, and fitness brands to create fun virtual brand activations. Sports brands can also easily translate real-world partnerships into the virtual world, for example, with virtual concerts. Gaming is a new marketing channel where these brands can gather more audience insights and reward loyal fans to boost retention.
Brand to watch: NFL
The NFL’s innovative approach to engaging with fans through Roblox for the Superbowl celebration showcases a dynamic strategy to connect with younger audiences. Released in February 2023, its main Roblox experience, Super NFL Tycoon, allows fans to build an NFL empire. It has so far garnered over 18.85 million visitors. This year, the sports organization took its Superbowl leadup to the next level by creating an event within Nickelodeon’s Spongebob Simulator. This led to a 22% (1.9 million) increase in players on Spongebob Simulator from the week before the event’s launch to after.
By continuously releasing new Roblox experiences as well as new updates within existing experiences, the NFL can expand the reach of one of the world’s most iconic sports events and refresh its brand presence.
6. Personal Care & Cosmetics - 96% growth
Personal Care & Cosmetics brands have been creating virtual experiences for some time. However, with the rise of AR filters and increasingly sophisticated brand offerings of platforms like Roblox, the number of brands in this space is set to skyrocket. These platforms enable brands to drive around 8.5x more engagement than social media. For example, NIVEA’s Tower Run on Roblox just reached 1.1 million visits and over 11 years' worth of brand engagement time. Additionally, in time for the Apple Vision Pro Release, the number of brands investing in 3D virtual shops like Obsess or Emperia has doubled in the past 2 years. These include shops by Unilever, E.L.F. Beauty, and NIVEA. All in all, this indicates a promising future for Personal Care & Cosmetics virtual brand activations.
Brand to watch: L’Oréal Paris
L’Oréal Paris has led the charge when it comes to innovative gaming activations on Roblox. Most recently, they integrated into Livetopia to launch the virtual counterpart to their real-world ‘Stand Up against street harassment’ campaign. This collaboration with a popular existing experience on Roblox allowed them to offer players online training about how to safely react when witnessing street harassment.
The number of branded integrations in gaming has risen 110% in the past year. They allow brands to enter an experience without investing too much in marketing or a long-term, persistent campaign.
Manon Cardiel, Global Head of Strategic Planning & Partnerships at L’Oreal Group, explained why the brand has often leveraged integrations as a route to activation in gaming:
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We approach gaming in a very campaign-focused way. It’s important to have a first win with brands because investing in gaming is a shift in terms of marketing and in terms of strategy. We need to have proof that participation is the new attention when we are comparing this to traditional social media.
Integrations offer that proof.
8. Toys & Collectibles - 90% growth
Given the younger demographics that are on platforms like Roblox, these virtual worlds are attractive to the Toys & Collectibles brands that have activated within them. Collectible items in particular easily translate into UGC items that players focus on winning. Despite this, there are fewer than 40 Toys & Collectibles brands active in this space, leaving ample room for the number of these activations to grow.
Brand to watch: Hello Kitty
My Hello Kitty Café has over 377 million total visits to its experience on Roblox, with a high 96% approval rating. Since its release in April 2022, this activation has received an average of 15.74 million monthly visits, likely due to its regular free UGC drops and new events. Sanrio Inc., the company behind the Hello Kitty brand, also incorporated its other popular characters into the experience, including Pompompurin, Cinnamoroll, and Keroppi. This is a great example of a brand offering its players a wide variety of rewards in exchange for engagement.
10. Automotive - 65% growth
There is no shortage of popular racing games out there, with the top three Roblox automotive games having a total of over one billion visits. Automotive brands have often leveraged virtual worlds to launch new cars or offer audiences the ability to drive different types of cars and achieve parkour feats they could not in the real world. These sorts of feats are what make virtual worlds so appealing to the racing and automotive industry.
Brand to watch: McLaren
McLaren’s approach on Roblox was strategic, integrating portals to connect users from three top driving games on the platform. This virtual experience allowed gamers to immerse themselves as F1 icons Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo. Not only did this leverage the popular McLaren brand it also boosted engagement, as the experience has garnered 6.69 million visits. This approach exemplifies how targeted experiences that capitalize off of iconic IPs can amplify brand presence and user satisfaction in virtual worlds.
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