Quick take:
- The Metaverse Foundry will bring together metaverse production and virtual art.
- Metaverse projects are already in the works for Wendy’s, Under Armour, Duracell and more.
- The Foundry will collaborate with WPP’s virtual events and visual effects agencies.
Global marketing implementation agency, Hogarth, has announced that it will be launching The Metaverse Foundry with a global team of over 700 creatives, producers, visual artists, developers and technologists. The agency belongs to the world’s largest advertising company, WPP.
Bringing together metaverse production and virtual art, The Metaverse Foundry is available to all WPP clients and agencies globally. From design to execution, the Foundry’s team will deliver brand experiences for WPP’s clients in the metaverse.
WPP agencies are already working on metaverse projects for clients including Wendy’s, Under Armour, Duracell, Pfizer, Pizza Hut and Bombay Sapphire.
To supplement with additional skills, The Foundry will be collaborating with WPP agencies such as Subvrsive – which delivers virtual events and immersive experiences – and Ars Thanea, a design/animation, live-action and visual effects studio.
This move from Hogarth comes as the advertising industry is starting to recognise that the metaverse presents new opportunities for brands to build new creative experiences and connect with their global audience.
Last year, crypto giant Grayscale said that the metaverse is a $1 trillion annual revenue opportunity. Recently, Goldman Sachs backed Morgan Stanley’s $8 trillion metaverse prediction.
To grow their brands in the metaverse, companies need strong expertise in experience design, brand strategy and audience insights, as well as virtual art and gaming engine execution, which The Metaverse Foundry is aiming to provide.
Richard Glasson, Global CEO of Hogarth, said: “This is a very exciting time to be in the production and content creation business. We are living through extraordinary change, and our clients have whole new worlds to navigate and radically new ways to engage with their customers. At Hogarth, we are perfectly positioned to launch our clients into these new channels and create incredible experiences for consumers globally.”
“Our clients are already seizing the opportunities to connect with their customers presented by the metaverse, and seeking partners who can bring experiences to life in the most creative and compelling ways. The Metaverse Foundry has unrivalled scale and expertise in building these experiences, and clearly differentiates Hogarth and WPP from our peers in this critical growth area for our industry,” Mark Read, CEO of WPP, echoed.
WPP/Hogarth is not the only advertising/creative agency to enter the metaverse. Last week, Havas Group announced its plan to build its 69th village in The Sandbox as a destination for conferences, events, concerts, client presentations, and product launches.
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