Starburst to open metaverse shop in virtual mall

Another CPG brand is directly reaching out to consumers in the metaverse.

Fruit-flavored candy brand Starburst is launching a direct-to-consumer promotional and shopping experience in The Mall, a virtual mall built on the MetaVRse engine. Starburst is working with MetaVRse and loyaty platform BambuMeta to debut the fully immersive virtual world at the SXSW conference running in Austin, Tex. through Sunday, March 19. It will then be available in TheMall on floor 2 starting April 16, 2023. 

Known as the “Starburst Juicyverse,” the virtual environment will allow customers to explore the flavors and colors of Starburstin three dimensions. Visitors can build their own 3D sculptures in the Juicyverse and enter a contest for the chance to have them minted as NFTs on Hedera’s low energy network.

A limited-edition series of 3D T-shirt NFTs will also be available for customers to wear on their metaverse avatars. This is the latest effort by Starburst parent company Mars, which recently rolled out autonomous, robotic ice cream shops that consumers can hail for deliveries, to directly engage consumers with its CPG brands.

In addition, CPG brands including Miller Lite and Corona beer have been leveraging the metaverse as a way to directly promote and sell both physical and virtual merchandise to consumers.

“Through our Starburst Juicyverse, we hope to inspire moments of everyday happiness and deliver an exciting, immersive way for fans to experience the Starburst brand,” said Ro Cheng, marketing director, of Starburst parent company Mars. “By teaming up with TheMall for this project, we were able to bring our innovative vision to life through a first-ever virtual experience for the brand.”

“We are thrilled to be working with Mars on this exciting project for Starburst,” said Paul Konieczny, CEO of MetaVRse. “By combining next-generation web technologies with custom avatars, user-generated 3D artwork, and web3 loyalty enabled by BambuMeta on Hedera, Starburst Juicyverse is a massive step forward for branded experiences on the immersive web.”

“We feel that lifelong relationships begin with impactful moments,” said Will Esclusa and Chris Silver, founders of Bambumeta. “It’s these experiences that create a strong connection between the customer and the brand. In seeing what Starburst and The Mall have delivered, we are beyond excited to be a part of that story.”