Dive Brief:
- NYX Professional Makeup launched its spring 2023 collection on Roblox today, according to information shared with Retail Dive sister publication Marketing Dive.
- The collection can be interacted with in “House of NYX Professional Makeup,” which is located in iHeartLand on the platform. Users will have the opportunity to collect limited-edition makeup for their in-game avatars while exploring the house, which features a peacock DJ.
- All the looks were inspired by the collection. Additionally, the brand is introducing the “Pink Carpet” experience featuring artists from the upcoming Artists Chat Series, where users can take selfies with their avatars and live chat with them.
Dive Insight:
NYX Professional Makeup’s latest activation points to how marketers pioneering the metaverse are looking beyond simply building a presence in virtual worlds, instead exploring how they can drive ongoing excitement and engagement through tactics like launching new products. The brand looks to combine gaming and music with a product launch in the “House of NYX Professional Makeup,” which resides in iHeartLand, a persistent metaverse space managed by iHeartMedia. The space often hosts brand activations, such as for State Farm.
The Roblox activation continues a tradition of NYX Professional Makeup surprising its customers with an interactive experience for its spring collection, per Vivianna Blanch, head of marketing for NYX Professional Makeup in a press statement.
“We are excited to immerse Roblox users into the world of entertainment, artistry, digital cosmetics and self-expression,” Blanch said.
Roblox, a metaverse platform popular among younger consumers, sees up to 58.8 million active users a day, per the press release. It is among a host of metaverse platforms looking to garner consumer attention as the concept grows in popularity. NYX has previously looked to the metaverse and in June hosted a Pride celebration in The Sandbox.
NYX’s activation also sees it collaborate with iHeartMedia, including through the promotion of the media company’s upcoming Artists Chat Series. This series features emerging artists, who visitors will have the chance to interact with.
Roblox has become a go-to for many brands, such as Gucci, Gap and Chobani. However, the platform has drawn increased scrutiny, and a FTC complaint was filed in 2022 alleging that the use of “advergames” granted brands access to young consumers' data and money. Roblox has stated that it has strict rules preventing this.
