10 Big Brands That Have Dipped Their Toes Into The NFT World

The NFT fever has been spreading like wildfire across the world. For the uninitiated, NFTs are a type of digital asset which uses blockchain to record the ownership of assets.

And this explosion in the NFT craze is not only limited to world-renowned celebrities, but even global brands are rapidly jumping onto the NFT bandwagon.?

Eager to know? Read on as we list some of the world’s biggest brands that have caught the NFT fever till now.

1. Adidas

In December 2021, sportswear giant Adidas Originals launched its first NFT drop of digital and physical products. It had linked up with big names in the NFT community, including the Bored Ape Yacht Club, gmoney and the team behind Punks Comic for the NFT release.?

The NFTs gave buyers access to virtual wearables for the blockchain-based gaming world, The Sandbox, and s a physical hoodie, tracksuit and gmoney’s iconic orange beanie. Adidas even snapped up an NFT for itself, a Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT, named Indigo Herz.

And that's not all. Even in January 2022, Adidas and Italian luxury fashion house Prada had joined forces to launch an NFT project (built on the Polygon network) that would allow fans to contribute their own designs.?

Also Read:?China To Create Its Own 'NFT Industry', But Not Related to Cryptocurrency

2. Lamborghini

Recently, luxury automobile company Lamborghini had announced the launching of its space-themed NFT collection in January 2022.

And today, on 1st February 2022, it tweeted about?the 360 Lamborghini Aventador NFT collection by Cars NFT club!

The special story behind the NFT launch dates back to 2019 when Lamborghini had sent a piece of carbon fibre composite for research purposes to the International Space Station (ISS), as a part of a joint research project.?

So, the ‘physical space keys’ are made from this material itself, which had actually been to space. Simply put, the keys are shaped and made from samples of carbon fibre that Lamborghini had sent to the ISS, with each space key having a digital twin piece of art as an NFT that will be accessible through scanning a QR code on the back of the physical asset.

This collection is made up of 5 exclusive space-themed digital artworks created by a yet undisclosed artist. But more details about the artist’s identity and an auction date for the collection is expected to be announced soon.?

The space themes NFT collection have been made in partnership with NFT PRO, an enterprise NFT solution that has also worked with famous brands like Adidas, Sotheby’s, and Juventus football club in bringing their NFT integration to the market.

Also Read:?This Indonesian Student’s '$3 NFT Selfies' Are Now Worth Millions!

3. Coca-Cola

In July 2021, for celebrating International Friendship Day which happens to be on July 30, Coca-Cola had released a series of 4 NFTs,which were animated, one-of-one digital artworks delivering multi-sensory experiences, and unlocked surprise items upon purchase for the first owner.?

The surprises included things like a ‘Coca-Cola Bubble Jacket Wearable’ that can be worn in virtual reality platform Decentraland, the ‘Coca-Cola Friendship Card’ inspired by the original 1940s artwork, among others.?

All these were auctioned over 72 hours as a single ‘loot box’, with the winning bidder also receiving a real-life, fully stocked Coca-Cola refrigerator! All proceeds from the NFT auction were directed towards Special Olympics International.?

And that's not all. Coca-Cola again issued a new set of 4 branded NFTs in December 2021 through the VeVe platform. It was a collection of festive digital collectable snow globes featuring falling snow and the iconic Coke polar bears, as part of a blind box offering. This implied that you don’t know what collectable/rarity you have acquired until your successful purchase.?

Also Read:?World's First NFT Restaurant To Open In New York In 2023

4. Nike

Adidas’ rival Nike too has dipped its toes into the NFT world. In December 2021, Nike had announced the acquisition of RTFKT Studios, which it called “a leading brand that leverages cutting edge innovation to deliver next-generation collectables that merge culture and gaming.”

Founded in January 2020, RTFKT, pronounced as “artifact”, sells digital items like sneakers in the form of NFTs.

While announcing the deal that month, Nike CEO John Donahoe had called the acquisition of RTFKT as another step "to serve athletes and creators at the intersection of sport, creativity, gaming and culture."?

Although the other details of the deal were not disclosed, one of RTFKT’s co-founders Benoit Pagatto said that this is a unique opportunity to build the RTFKT brand and we are excited to benefit from Nike’s foundational strength and expertise to build the communities we love. Nike is the only brand in the world that shares the deep passion we all have for innovation, creativity and community, and we’re excited to grow our brand which was fully formed in the metaverse.”

Also Read: 5?NFT Highlights From The First Week Of January 2022

5. Louis Vuitton

This leading luxury French fashion house, too, caught the NFT craze. In commemoration of its 200th birth anniversary of Louis Vuitton, born on August 4th, 1821, the brand created Louis The Game which draws the spotlight to its rich heritage through NFTs and in-game innovations. The video game even sports a dedicated character by the name of Vivienne who has been created to resemble Louis Vuitton.?

While playing the game, you can delve into the legacy of the fashion house and collect monogram candles in the process that are needed to access other levels. You can also customize your character with different Louis Vuitton monogram prints and colourways, and even get to learn about LV's history throughout the game, by collecting postcards and other memorabilia.?

6. Samsung

In the early weeks of January 2022, Samsung announced that it’s planning extensive support for NFTs beginning with its 2022 TV lineup.

In its press release, Samsung stated that “With demand for NFTs on the rise, the need for a solution to today’s fragmented viewing and purchasing landscape has never been greater. In 2022, Samsung is introducing the world’s first TV screen-based NFT explorer and marketplace aggregator, a groundbreaking platform that lets you browse, purchase, and display your favourite art — all in one place.”

Samsung also mentioned that this platform will let creators “share their art with the world” and let potential buyers preview an NFT before purchasing it and learn about an NFT’s history and blockchain metadata.

What more? Samsung is also focusing on the details when it comes to viewing NFTs on its 2022 TVs. As per Samsung’s release, a smart calibration feature on the TVs will automatically adjust display settings ‘to the creator’s preset values, so you can have peace of mind that your work looks impeccable, with true-to-the-original image quality.’

More details on the NFT platform are expected to be made available as the 2022 TVs start shipping in the coming months.?

And that's not all. Samsung has also released its oddly-named '837X' virtual world in the blockchain-powered Decentraland metaverse in January 2022.

7. Pepsi

In December 2021, Pepsi had announced the brand’s first-ever foray into the evolving world of NFT with the ‘Pepsi Mic Drop’ genesis NFT collection.

Pepsi announced that it aims to create 1,893 (to mark the year Pepsi was born) unique generative-style NFTs. Pepsi’s press release stated that “The exclusive generative traits of the Pepsi Mic Drop genesis NFT collection, is generated randomly by an algorithm so each NFT is totally unique and different.”

Moreover, the Pepsi Mic Drop NFTs will be grounded in variations of a microphone visual and inspired by iconic Pepsi flavours including classic blue Pepsi, silver diet Pepsi, red Pepsi wild cherry, black Pepsi zero sugar – even the fan-favourite crystal Pepsi and many more.

The Pepsi NFT collection is designed by and created with VaynerNFT, which is a consultancy under the umbrella of the VaynerX holding company.?

Consumers had to enter a waitlist, and once verified, they will be able to mint one of 1,843 Pepsi Mic Drop NFTs free of charge!

Also Read:?How Pepsi Once Owned The World's Sixth Largest Navy

8. McDonald’s

In November 2021, McDonald's US had launched its first NFT.??

In a bid to do something big on the 40th anniversary of the McRib, McDonald’s released a limited edition of 10 McRib NFTs in the US. Designed to commemorate the return of the fast-food restaurant’s limited collection McRib to its menu in November 2021, McDonald’s delivered its first-ever NFT promotion.?

McDonald's issued a limited number of NFTs (dubbed MCNFT) as part of a virtual collectable art collection featuring the McRib as a way of creating excitement about the product’s temporary return as well as limited availability. The collection of 10 individual McRib NFTs was only available to those who retweeted the brand’s invitation, which more than 21,000 people did within just a few hours and nearly 93,000 had done by the start of 2022!?

9. Burger King

Another burger chain that stepped into the NFT world is Burger King. In September 2021, the fast-food restaurant chain announced the launch of an NFT campaign called the “Keep It Real Meals” initiative.?

The campaign was in collaboration with the NFT marketplace Sweet. The NFT marketplace had revealed the partnership.?

This NFT initiative showcases QR codes tethered to close to 6 million meal boxes. Scanning the QR codes will unlock a digital collectable and Burger King’s announcement says “collecting them can lead to unlocking bonus NFTs.”

Burger King’s announcement had stated that “Guests can choose from three Keep It Real Meal boxes curated by Nelly, Anitta, and LILHUDDY, available at participating U.S. Burger King restaurants, while supplies last. When guests scan an artist’s Real Meal box QR code, they are awarded one of three variations on one of three collectable NFT game pieces. Guests complete the artist’s set when they’ve collected the same variation of each collectable NFT game piece.”?

Once a set is complete, guests can be programmatically granted a 4th reward-based NFT, which awards prizes ranging from 3D BK digital collectables, whopper sandwiches for 1 year, autographed swag, or even a call with one of the artists.

10. Ray-Ban

Another brand that didn't shy away from entering the NFT world, has been the designer eyewear company Ray-Ban. In October 2021, it entered the NFT space by auditioning off its first, and only NFT featuring the brand’s iconic Aviator sunglasses.?

It was created by German artist Oliver Latta, renowned for his provocative 3D motion designs. The NFT was auctioned on OpenSea with the proceeds going to the Italian Art Trust.

Besides these brands, some other companies have also stepped onto the NFT bandwagon, including Under Armour, Gucci, Ferrari etc. Certainly, the NFT craze is showing no signs of a slowdown. Let’s see what's next in store in the coming months of 2022!

Also Read:?India's First Marvel-based NFTs Ready To Launch

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