This blog covers the key takeaways from GEEIQ’s latest webinar, Brands on ZEPETO.
Following the announcement of GEEIQ and ZEPETO’s new data partnership, our recent webinar, ‘Brands on ZEPETO’, made clear why over 100 brands have activated on the platform, including Coca-Cola, Samsung, and Hyundai.
Annette Lee (Global Business Development at ZEPETO), Charles Hambro (CEO & Co-Founder of GEEIQ), and Carolina Nasr (Senior Account Manager at GEEIQ) discussed how ZEPETO activations are driving real-world sales, boosting brand loyalty, and engaging Gen Z.
This blog dives into the key takeaways from the webinar, unpicking why brands are investing in ZEPETO and how marketers are turning virtual engagement into measurable success.
Let’s dive in.👇
Why are brands on ZEPETO?
1. Reaching female Gen Z audiences around the world
Lee shared insights into ZEPETO’s audience demographics:
“ZEPETO has over 400 million users in its community. That’s truly global. While we have a strong foundation in Asia (52%), we’re constantly growing in Europe (22%) and the Americas (25%) as well. Our Gen Z users are deeply invested in their digital identities, updating their avatars more than 10 times every week and purchasing an average of seven virtual items per week.”
Notably, ZEPETO gives marketers a chance to reach female audiences in a gaming environment. Hambro highlighted how unique this is:
“Most platforms have a 50/50 gender split. But to have an 80/20 split is absolutely huge.”
The platform also offers brands the rare opportunity to tap into Chinese audiences through a Chinese version of the app. This means brands can engage a traditionally harder-to-reach audience without creating separate localized strategies, streamlining global campaigns.
2. Driving brand awareness and engagement
Nasr, one of the experts behind GEEIQ partner Coach’s virtual strategy, highlighted the level of brand awareness and engagement that ZEPETO activations can drive:
“Coach launched 1,000 limited virtual items across three drops, selling out within three hours every time.”
Coach became the first brand to host a styling competition on ZEPETO and garnered 2.47 million votes from players. Ultimately, across ZEPETO and two Roblox activations, Coach reached 13 million player visits and inspired 10,000 organic social posts.
These results reflect how ZEPETO provides marketers with a direct channel to drive brand awareness and engagement amongst an audience with disposable income, brand interest, and a passion for digital self-expression.
3. Increasing sales through phygital marketing
ZEPETO also excels in bridging the gap between virtual and physical sales. Lee shared UGG’s virtual strategy as an example:
“UGG harnessed ZEPETO’s platform to create a fusion of digital and physical marketing. They promoted new products through virtual and physical pop-up stores, achieving a 60% growth in real-world sales.”
Another example is Baskin Robbins’ BR Factory campaign, where users built virtual ice cream cakes to earn real-world rewards like free items or vouchers. The campaign generated over 7 million visits and showcased ZEPETO’s ability to drive brand loyalty, sales, and bottom-line results.
4. Creating unique engagement opportunities
ZEPETO’s platform offers a rare blend of gaming and social media features. Nasr explained:
“ZEPETO has a social media feed built into its gaming environment. This allows users to share their looks, music, and moments with friends, which makes it such a unique opportunity for brands to integrate naturally into this social space.”
Lee highlighted the platform’s standout features, focusing on its video and photo booths:
“With just one click, users can create branded, high-quality content using our video booths. These templates make it easy for users to promote brands organically.”
By merging social sharing with customizable branded templates, ZEPETO empowers brands to create authentic, user-driven content that amplifies their presence and fosters deeper connections with their audience.
5. Measuring success with data collection capabilities
Before a marketing team chooses the right gaming platform for their brand, it’s important to consider a platform’s data collection capabilities. This is key to measuring success in gaming.
GEEIQ and ZEPETO’s new partnership makes it easy for brands to access the key data points they need to measure and optimize virtual strategies. Hambro elaborates on this:
“With this partnership, brands can now understand their engagement stats, track item sales, and measure key metrics like try-ons, which can reach the millions for a single activation. This provides actionable data to improve strategies and ROI.”
Beyond raw metrics, GEEIQ’s virtual strategy experts offer industry benchmarks and tailored recommendations, ensuring that brands not only track success but continuously refine their activations for maximum impact. With these tools, marketers can confidently align their virtual strategies with broader business goals, driving measurable outcomes in the virtual world.
Key takeaways
ZEPETO is transforming how brands connect with Gen Z by blending social media, gaming, and commerce into one platform. With innovative tools like styling competitions, video booths, and virtual item drops, brands can drive engagement, boost awareness, and even link virtual activations to real-world sales. For marketers seeking fresh ways to reach younger audiences, ZEPETO isn’t just an opportunity—it’s a chance to redefine how your brand shows up in the digital world.
To learn more about virtual worlds and how brands are leveraging them to hit marketing KPIs, take a look at our latest report, The State of Virtual Brand Experiences III.
