To hype the Ozworld sneaker collection and metaverse experience, adidas first had to win brand cred with the coveted GenZ demographic, the cultural gatekeepers of what’s cool in streetwear, gaming, music, art and pop-culture. With bold and fluid identities, Gen Z felt frustrated by the confines of current digital experiences in enabling them to fully express themselves. adidas had an opportunity to provide a means to self-expression in the metaverse that actually lived up to the hype.

We set out to create a digital experience that positioned adidas as a cultural innovator and established its presence in web3. The first generative avatar platform based on personality, built on blockchain, completely owned by its users. At the same time, we wanted to further the conversation around self expression and identity in the metaverse for Gen Z.  To do this, we built a new world. Ozworld. This immersive metaverse experience enabled Gen Z to unlock fluidity of self-expression IRL and across virtual world platforms, while generating excitement around the launch of the Ozworld sneaker collection.

Upon entering Ozworld, users were prompted to answer a series of personality questions to generate their own unique avatar. To boldly express themselves without boundaries or the confines of so many other digital avatars and step into the metaverse in a way that was inclusive, yet felt exclusive.   We created 10 million unique avatars inspired by three new Ozworld silhouettes. In partnership with Ready Player Me, a cross-game metaverse avatar platform, adidas then took the Ozworld avatars into the metaverse, enabling users to explore many different virtual worlds with one original identity.