In honor of its continued commitment to producing innovative and hyper-engaging digital marketing experiences for its global community, Clarks Originals entered the Metaverse in May 2023 to host an immersive concert, titled ‘Beyond Worlds,’ in partnership with EMPIRE. With a nearly 200-year history rooted in footwear, culture, and community, the brand aimed to magically marry these three categories through a globally accessible, “out of this world” brand event backed by Web3’s limitless capabilities. Bringing people together through two common passions – music & fashion – the goal of the experience was to inject Clarks into the core of culture and give fans around the world the chance to enjoy a spectacular live concert from the comfort of their homes. Simultaneously, Clarks aimed to power the moment to introduce its products and personality to a widespread audience via an innovative format that speaks to the preferences, practices, and online social habits of today’s digital natives. To bring this surreal show to life, Clarks tapped into one of today’s hottest rising music scenes, Afrobeats, to create the event’s iconic lineup, which featured headliner and Nigerian superstar Fireboy DML, along with supporting acts Nissi and June Freedom.
Fusing fashion, culture, music, and technology, this Web3 global gathering successfully brought fans together from around the world to witness their favorite Afrobeats artists like never before. The 22-minute show was meant to feel both real and transcendent by presenting artists as hyper-realistic avatars that meticulously mimicked their physical features, movements, and fashion sense. What’s more, each performer sported a digitized pair of Wallabees on their feet to seamlessly weave Clarks product into the experience. From start-to-finish, the musical celebration was an ode to borderless imagination and vibrant visual storytelling as it powered the inventive graphic design work of Web3 artist Teflon Sega to produce three surreal worlds that served as stages for the performances. To keep the stream visually appealing throughout its nine-song setlist, Clarks strategically made the setting ever-evolving as each performer took the audience on a journey through their own distinct and magical dreamland:
By combining precise audio, animation, and visual storytelling, Beyond Worlds serves as a first-in-class example of a Web3 activation taken to the next level. With a goal of transcending the limitations of a physical performance and stage, the brand leveraged smart technology to host a concert completely free of real-life restrictions – such as light, sound, travel, and even gravity – all while making the show easily accessible to viewers around the world.
Beyond Worlds proved to be a highly successful marketing project from both a production and engagement perspective. The first-of-a-kind initiative for Clarks impactfully powered technology to showcase Clarks Originals’ products in a format the speaks to the accelerated pace and preferences of modern consumers and, in turn, effectively created an ownable moment for Clarks Originals that worked to build brand community, insert itself into the heart of pop culture, and gain global recognition for its priority commercial offerings - all while injecting excitement and entertainment into consumers’ everyday lives.
Via Clarks Originals’ extensive pre-event marketing tactics and direct social promotion by its talent partners, Beyond World’s concert and accompanying campaign received exceptional international engagement with key results including:
