PacSun Dives Into the Metaverse to Hook Gen Z

Youth apparel retailer PacSun has released what it calls a “metaverse experience” that includes virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), livestreaming and a video game. It is part of the retailer’s Spring/Summer 2022 campaign, which features a Gen Z influencer, Emma Chamberlain. According to a statement, the campaign is “themed around looking toward the future…

Samsung Holds Live Shopping Event Hosted By a Virtual Influencer

Samsung is experimenting with new ways of promoting shopping in the metaverse. Top Line The phone company tapped a CGI-created influencer called Zero From Nexus to unveil its Samsung Galaxy S22 phone at a virtual event co-hosted with TikTok creator Liam Kalev. Zero is one of a growing number of avatar influencers gaining popularity on…

 5 Ways to Meet Gen Z Consumers Where They Are

Generational marketing isn’t easy. Getting it right requires expert knowledge, consistent monitoring of trends and a willingness to make unexpected pivots. With five generations of consumers now in the marketplace, and with Gen Z on track to become the largest cohort of consumers in the near future–performance marketers must sharpen their pencils now or risk…

Resh Sidhu Named Global Director of Snap’s Arcadia AR Creative Studio

Resh Sidhu joined Snap Inc. as global director of Arcadia, the augmented reality creative studio that debuted last October. Sidhu, who will be based in New York, had been chief creative officer at Barbarian, overseeing all of the agency’s creative vision. Prior to that, she served as group creative director for digital agency AKQA, overseeing…

Snap Releases Lens to Teach British Black History to Users

On the anniversary of the day that Nelson Mandela was freed from imprisonment on Robben Island 32 years ago, Snap has launched an augmented reality (AR) project to tell the history of Black people in Britain. “Hidden Black Stories” has been created in partnership with the Black Cultural Archives and Tukwini Mandela, the granddaughter of…

Snap Details Brands’ Efforts, In-App Features for Super Bowl 56

Snap Inc. is in full pregame mode for Super Bowl 56, noting that sponsored augmented reality lenses were viewed more than 200 million times on Snapchat on the day of the Big Game last year. The company said its advertising partners are leveraging its AR tech stack in various ways, including Camera Kit integrations, Connected…

Meta Quest Big Game Ad Shows How ‘Old Friends’ Have ‘New Fun’ With the Quest 2 VR Headset

Meta Quest unveiled the full-length version of its “Old Friends, New Fun” spot for Super Bowl 56 during ABC’s Good Morning America Thursday, along with revealing that Foo Fighters will perform at its Big Game afterparty–a 180-degree virtual reality concert on its Horizon Venues virtual event platform. Meta Reality Labs partnered with Anomaly on the…

Sally Hansen Gets Into Virtual Try-On Tech for Nail Polish

Sally Hansen is rolling out a new way for shoppers to pick the perfect color of nail polish. The cosmetics brand teamed with augmented reality (AR) startup Perfect Corp to release a new tool that superimposes a chosen nail color on a moving image of a consumer’s hand. The tool can be used for both…

Snap Original Breakwater Set to Debut With an AR Lens for Each Episode

Breakwater, a new Snap Original set in a futuristic world of climate refugees, debuts on Snapchat Saturday (Feb. 12), and each new episode brings with it immersive augmented reality experiences. The series is produced by Retrofit Films, and it consists of 10 episodes, which will be rolled out every 48 hours. Each episode will feature…

Mariah Carey Wants to Know Snapchatters’ Valentine’s Day Plans

Mariah Carey and Snapchat Spotlight are on to the next holiday. The pop legend’s “All I Want for Christmas” challenge on Snapchat’s user-generated content platform resulted in the creation of more than 3.5 million videos incorporating the track, which were viewed over 300 million times. With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, Carey kicked off a new…

Meta Horizon Worlds, Horizon Venues: Don’t Stand So Close to My Avatar

Social distancing has arrived in the metaverse. Meta said Friday that it added a Personal Boundary feature to Horizon Worlds and Horizon Venues for its Meta Quest 2 virtual reality headsets. Personal Boundary will make it feel like there is nearly four feet of space between avatars, giving people more personal space in the virtual…

Meta Quest Brings ‘Old Friends, New Fun’ to Its Super Bowl 56 Spot

When Facebook revealed its name change to Meta at its Connect 2021 virtual gathering last October, the focus was on the metaverse and future developments that are years away, in many cases. The focus for Meta’s upcoming Super Bowl 56 spot, which it shared a preview of Wednesday, is on the here and now–specifically, the…

Meta Extends Black History Month Initiatives to AR, VR, Metaverse

Meta is extending its Black History Month initiatives into augmented and virtual reality and the metaverse. Its first ever Metaverse Culture Series will debut this month in Horizon Worlds and Horizon Workrooms, bringing together Black thought leaders and creators from across the U.S. to explore ideas for weaving Black culture, heritage and creativity into the…

Universal Pictures, Snap, Oz Team Up on Virtual Concert Event for Marry Me

Universal Pictures is backing upcoming romantic comedy Marry Me by teaming up with Snap Inc. on a first-of-its-kind virtual concert event developed by Oz. The virtual concert will livestream here Thursday, Feb. 3 at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET, and it will feature Jennifer Lopez and Maluma performing new songs from the film’s soundtrack in…

Gucci Beauty Rolls Out New Snapchat Lens

Gucci Beauty created a new Snapchat lens to back its Gucci Flora Gorgeous Gardenia Eau de Parfum. The fragrance was reintroduced last August with the #FloraFantasy campaign, starring pop superstar Miley Cyrus and directed and shot by artist Petra Collins. The lens, available via Lens Carousel and Snapcode, enables Snapchatters to discover the fragrance in…

Meta Begins Rolling Out 3D Avatars Across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger

Meta Monday detailed several updates to Avatars across its various platforms. The company began rolling out its updated 3D Avatars to Facebook, Instagram DMs, Instagram Stories and Messenger in Canada, Mexico and the U.S., and they can be used as feed posts, profile pictures, stickers and other elements. Meta Meta The worldwide rollout will take…

Pinterest Debuts Try On for Home Décor AR Technology

Pinterest is extending its augmented reality Try On technology past people’s faces and into their places. The platform introduced Try On for Home D?cor Monday, joining similar efforts that debuted for lipstick in 2020 and eyeshadow last year. Pinners using the new technology can virtually place items from retailers including CB2, Crate & Barrel, Walmart,…

The Future of Commerce Is Already Here

Editor’s note: This piece is part of our Columnist Network, which explores the tactical thoughts and actions from Adweek’s community of high-level experts. Today’s column is part of a series with Snap on augmented reality. Below, Sally Huang, Head of Product for Camera Business, shares how AR has already started to change ecommerce and how…

Snap Introduces Catalog-Powered AR Shopping Lenses

Snap Inc. took its next big step to integrate augmented reality and social commerce with its introduction Wednesday of catalog-powered Shopping Lenses, saying that the new offering will make shopping via AR easier and more engaging for consumers, while enabling brands to build, scale and optimize their efforts. Shoppers gain quick access to product information…

Savage X Fenty’s AR Sizing Tech Knows What Will Look Best on You

As it prepares to open its first-ever retail locations, lingerie brand Savage X Fenty said its inaugural store in Las Vegas will feature augmented reality (AR) technology from apparel matching platform Fit:Match. The AR tech uses body shape data–not standard measurements–to help brands match customers with the best-fitting products. Once a Savage X Fenty customer…