Adidas, La Liga, and Lambos! Plus, a graphic that shows why this stuff matters

Author

John Grabowski
December 21, 2023

Week three, and I am publishing this a day early, because many of us don’t want to be looking at our inboxes on Friday. Yes, it’s nearly time for the holiday break, so here is your updates about playable media to help you sound like the hip cool uncle to your neice and nephew this year.

Here’s what you need to know about this week:

La Liga releases ‘Land of Goals’ Mobile Game

LaLiga Entertainment has recently launched a new digital venture called 'Land of Goals'. This mobile game is now available on both the App Store and Google Play, and is suitable for users aged 4 years old and up. According to their press release, “It is the place where football comes to life, where stars are forged and fans experience magical emotions.” It certainly sounds promising!

In 'Land of Goals', players will embark on a journey through various maps that are inspired by the Spanish entertainment resort, PortAventura World.

This release is another significant step in delivering on the 15-year partnership and licensing agreement between La Liga and the theme park. In 2021, PortAventura World also introduced the world's first LaLiga-themed restaurant, named LaLiga TwentyNine's, and launched a mobile game called 'The Beat Challenge'. This game was developed by Unit9 as part of their partnership with the league.

Why you should care? 

‘Land of Goals’ is expanding La Liga’s partnership with PortAventura to create a captivating entry point for a young, global audience. The main objective of this partnership is to target this key demographic, who are not only potential visitors to the theme park but also potential future fans of the league.

The launch of this game showcases the ongoing evolution of sports brands venturing into the Playable Media landscape. It is becoming increasingly common for traditional sports leagues and teams to utilize gamification of their assets to generate new opportunities for fan interaction and brand growth. This level of engagement surpasses mere social media posts, comments, and likes, allowing fans to truly embody the brands and players they admire.

Adidas takes a different approach to launching on Roblox 

Adidas made its entry into Roblox with a unique strategy. Instead of creating an entire branded experience, the renowned brand with the iconic three stripes introduced a virtual pop-up shop within seven pre-existing experiences on Roblox.

Feel free to explore a series of unique adidas pop-ups across pre existing games: 

This approach gives adidas the ability to ensure their brand will have visibility by launching on platforms within Roblox, which already have high user bases. It's an interesting and clever approach from adidas, as they get to take advantage of the evolving e-commerce aspects of the platform documented in last week's newsletter, while also having a lighter touch from a development cost perspective.

Why you should care?

This is a unique, yet evolving approach for brands seeking exposure through established platforms. By launching within an existing experience, brands have the opportunity to learn about the audience on these platforms, as long as they are willing to relinquish some control over their brand.

Additionally, since virtual merchandise (vertch) on Roblox can be transported with a player's avatar, adidas hopes that people will pick up adidas vertch in their pop-up stores and then wear their gear throughout the Roblox ecosystem.

However, there is a downside: searchability. When searching for "adidas" in Roblox, official adidas branded experiences do not appear. Instead, the brand relies on the authenticity that comes from being discovered within another experience to enhance brand affinity, rather than relying on a searchable experience.

Side note: WTF is an Obby?

An "obby" is a term commonly used in the online gaming community, particularly within games like Roblox and Minecraft. It is short for "obstacle course." Obbies consist of various challenges and obstacles that players must navigate through. 

In Roblox, obbies are particularly popular and come in various themes and difficulty levels. They are a significant part of the user-generated content in Roblox, showcasing the creativity and ingenuity of the game's community.

More Roblox experience news, because the Lamborghini Lanzador Lab also launched on Roblox 

What is a Roblox Lamborghini Lanzador Lab experience, you say?!

It's an immersive and gamified experience all about Lamborghini's new electric concept car. Lamborghini fans and wannabes get to explore, customize and test drive the supercar brand’s first all-electric Ultra GT car, years before they’ll be able to do so in real life. 

The experience lays out like a virtual replica of the Automobili Lamborghini Museum. Players can design and customize their own digital Lanzador through Lamborghini’s Ad Personam customization program, and compete in virtual time trials with their customized vehicle.

Why should you, a non-gamer who also can’t afford a Lambo, care? 

How do you build an affinity for a product that’s not available to consumers until 2028 and try and make a few bucks too? With Roblox! This is how brands are getting inaccessible products into the hands of people, at scale.

In addition to the racing game and the customisation, fans can explore branded digital items and accessories for their avatars. They also created 3 limited items with real world utility attached.

These digital assets grant an exclusive in-person experience at the Lamborghini headquarters in Sant’Agata Bolognese Italy, which you can buy in Roblox for 1.5 million Robux, or about $18,000 USD. 😲  

Infographic of the Week

By 2025, the number of gamers is estimated to reach 3.6 billion and generate a whopping $211 billion in revenue. This visual shows why this stuff matters to everyone right now.

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