THE 14TH ANNUAL SHORTY AWARDS

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Walmart Realm: Retail reimagined for the age of creators & XR

Entered in Extended Reality, Retail & E-Commerce

Objective

At a time when audiences are overwhelmed by digital content, breaking through requires more than just visibility—it demands innovation, engagement, and cultural relevance. Our goal was to create an experience that didn’t just reach Gen Z but resonated with them on their terms.

We set out to bridge the gap between entertainment and brand storytelling by building a space where audiences don’t just consume—they interact, create, and connect. By leveraging immersive platforms, gaming mechanics, and influencer-driven engagement, we transformed passive viewership into active participation.

This initiative wasn’t about pushing a message; it was about fostering a community, driving organic conversation, and offering real value to participants. We redefined how brands engage in digital spaces, proving that when you prioritize experience over exposure, audiences don’t just notice—they become invested.

Strategy

Bringing our project to life required a strategic fusion of creativity, technology, and cultural insight. From the outset, we knew that to truly engage our audience, we needed more than just another digital activation—we needed an interactive experience that felt authentic, immersive, and rewarding.

Plan of Action

We began by identifying core audience behaviors, focusing on how they engage with entertainment, gaming, and social media. Our research revealed that Gen Z values interactivity, co-creation, and influencer-driven experiences. With this in mind, we designed a platform that blended these elements into a seamless, highly engaging activation.

Our approach centered on three pillars:

  1. Immersion – A visually rich, interactive environment that felt like an extension of the digital worlds our audience already loves.
  2. Community – Influencers and creators played a central role, offering a sense of personalization and trust.
  3. Engagement – Gamified mechanics, rewards, and exclusive content kept users invested beyond a single interaction.

Execution & Key Features

To execute this vision, we built an experience that seamlessly integrated gaming mechanics, influencer curation, and digital commerce. Some standout features included:

Challenges & How We Overcame Them

1. Capturing Attention in a Crowded Space
With countless digital experiences competing for attention, our biggest challenge was standing out. We tackled this by emphasizing originality—leveraging bold visual storytelling, influencer partnerships, and interactive mechanics that encouraged deep engagement rather than passive consumption.

2. Balancing Brand Goals with Authenticity
We had to ensure that the experience didn’t feel like just another branded activation but rather an organic part of the digital ecosystem. By giving creators the freedom to shape their spaces and speak to their audiences in their own voice, we made the brand a facilitator of culture rather than an intruder.

3. Driving Long-Term Engagement
A common pitfall in digital experiences is short-lived interest. To counter this, we designed the platform with built-in refresh cycles, introducing new content, challenges, and rewards over time. This transformed a one-time activation into a living, evolving experience.

What Makes It Unique?

Unlike traditional campaigns that push a message outward, our approach pulled users in by making them active participants. By merging entertainment, influencer culture, and interactive technology, we didn’t just create an experience—we built a community-driven ecosystem that redefined how brands connect with audiences in the digital age.

Results

Our results exceeded expectations, proving that immersive, interactive engagement is the key to cutting through digital noise. We set out to create an experience that didn’t just attract attention but fostered genuine participation—and the numbers validated our approach.

High Engagement & Retention: Users spent significantly more time in the experience than industry benchmarks, demonstrating deep involvement rather than fleeting interest. Gamified mechanics and influencer-driven content kept audiences returning, ensuring long-term impact.

Community-Driven Growth: By leveraging creators, we transformed traditional brand messaging into an organic, social-first movement. Users didn’t just engage; they shared, amplified, and contributed, driving virality and expanding our reach far beyond paid media efforts.

Cultural Impact & Brand Perception Shift: The project successfully positioned our brand as an innovator in digital engagement. It didn’t just deliver impressions—it changed the way audiences perceived and interacted with the brand, making it feel fresh, relevant, and integral to their digital lifestyle.

Ultimately, we consider this a success because we didn’t just meet objectives—we redefined what brand engagement looks like in the modern era. By creating an experience that felt native to Gen Z’s world, we not only captured attention but built lasting connections, setting a new standard for interactive brand storytelling.

Media

Video for Walmart Realm: Retail reimagined for the age of creators & XR

Entrant Company / Organization Name

Sawhorse Productions, Walmart

Links

Entry Credits