Dive Brief:
- Joining other brands expanding in the metaverse, Tommy Hilfiger launched Tommy Play, a virtual community space to play and socialize, with Roblox according to a Thursday press release. Tommy Hilfiger plans to make more announcements “in the coming months” regarding its digital and gaming experimentation.
- Tommy Play will have content updates, map expansions and product launches created with Roblox community creators and thought-leaders each month this summer.
- The space has mini-games and Tommy Coins that can be redeemed for upgrades or exchanged for items like helmets with superpowers, bikes, headphones and Tommy Jeans clothing and accessories. At its virtual BMX bike park, users can learn tricks, search the landscape for hidden items and compete in bike competitions to dominate the daily leader board.
Dive Insight:
The debut of Tommy Play is an extension of the brand’s December 2021 Roblox partnership. The two teamed up with eight digital fashion designers in the Roblox community to make a Tommy X Roblox Creators collection of 30 garments with which users can style their avatars.
“Roblox shares many of our brand values: inclusivity, diversity, creativity and community,” Tommy Hilfiger said in a statement. “We’re excited to meet Roblox users in engaging ways that we can’t do with traditional social platforms. Together with Roblox we’re continuing to build this world as we live in it, watching it come to life, and co-creating for the next iteration to come.”
Tommy Hilfiger’s plans to continue experimenting with the metaverse come as no surprise, given that the brand was one of several that participated in the Metaverse Fashion Week in March. Other brands that took part in the virtual festival were DKNY, Estée Lauder, Dolce & Gabbana and Guo Pei.
Besides Tommy Hilfiger, other brands and retailers like Forever21, American Eagle and Gucci have experimented with Roblox. The platform appears to be a hub where brands can reach millions of younger consumers.
But as brands jump into the amorphous concept of the metaverse, Gartner warned companies not to invest too many resources into one element, because it isn’t fully cohesive yet. Experts also warn that any companies entering the metaverse must consider issues like hate speech, privacy and interoperability.
There’s also the problem of metaverse awareness and comprehension, especially among younger consumers. A recently released Wunderman Thompson Intelligence survey found that only 15% of respondents said they could explain the metaverse concept to others. Plus, an April Piper Sandler survey found that 48% of teenagers don’t know about or aren’t interested in the metaverse.
