Samsung bridges metaverse and real life experiences for Climate Week NYC

This week, Samsung honors Climate Week NYC with metaverse, as well as in-person, community-building activations. Environmentalists and consumer electronics fans will be engaged on Discord, in real life at Samsung’s New York flagship store, called Samsung 837, as well as at the brand’s metaverse hub, Samsung 837X, located in Decentraland.

Earlier this month, Samsung launched a metaverse scavenger hunt and NFT drop during a weeklong sales event.

Climate Week NYC is in its 14th year and is organized by the nonprofit Climate Group.

Metaverse fashion show with a twist. On September 20, Samsung livestreamed a fashion show that occurred in real life at the Samsung 837 location in New York and could be viewed in the metaverse, at the Samsung 837X virtual site in Decentraland.

Additionally, one of the physical designs seen on the runway in New York was also available as a digital wearable that users in Decentraland could show off on their avatars. This “digital twin” was designed by Gabrielle Mendoza, while the physical design was created by Andrew Burgess for the real-life show.

Other events are scheduled throughout the week, concluding on September 25.

Responsible recycling. Behind the runway glamor are Samsung’s stated pillars for environmental responsibility. Incorporated in the real-life clothing designs, and reflected in their metaverse digital translations, are the four pillars of Samsung’s recycling initiative — e-waste, paper, plastic and metal.

Since 2012, Samsung’s recycling program has collected and recycled 1.2 billion pounds of e-waste, the equivalent of 50 laptops or 500 smartphones every minute, according to the company.

With this first fashion show using the #RecycleUp hashtag, the company is creating a platform for eco-minded influencers and designers.

Why we care. If the metaverse is more than a fad or a catchphrase – and the weight behind the big brands who are activating suggests it’s much more – then marketers need to build metaverse momentum.

That’s Samsung’s aim by planning out a series of engagements that invite users to return for a number of reasons. Those reasons, just drawn from this month’s activations, include virtual events, wearables, NFT-based discounts on actual merchandise and climate action. The excitement spurred by scavenger hunts also gamifies the experience and keeps consumers moving through multiple channels – Discord, Decentraland, social media, ecommerce and even brick-and-mortar stores.

Dig deeper: Acura shows us how to use the metaverse and NFTs to sell cars