By Moses Patience Chat
Recently, Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) and JCDecaux Transport Hong Kong announced the launch of the HKIA Metaverse.
Composed of three Metaverse Airport scenes, visitors can explore the Departure Hall, Sky Bridge, and boarding gate area. On entering, there is a chance to win the first-ever limited-edition of the HKIA Metaverse NFT as part of the 25th-anniversary celebration of HKIA.
The campaign kicked off on July 6 and runs through August 31, 2023 offering brands an immersive virtual world through which they can engage international visitors and local travellers.
As visitors walk through the gamified airport environment they “will experience a new adventure that offers multiple levels of engagement, stretching their imaginations with features like taking part in games and interacting with other airport passengers.”
Alby Tsang, Head of Retail & Advertising of Airport Authority Hong Kong said:
“We are proud to be the first international airport in Greater China to launch the first-ever HKIA Metaverse, providing visitors with an entirely new way to immerse themselves in a virtual world and engage with brands like never before.”
The metaverse is predicted to be a huge area of growth in the travel industry with the metaverse market in travel and tourism expected to increase by $188.24 billion from 2021 to 2026. Nevertheless, exactly how the metaverse will be leveraged by various industry stakeholders is unclear.
One of its early identified benefits is within the area of customer engagement. Through creating an immersive and interactive space, customers can engage with brands in new and memorable ways. A publication by Forbes on the metaverse pointed out thus:
“The immersive experience that are enabled through the metaverse are truly ground-breaking and could unlock infinite possibilities for customer engagement (…) Experiences in the metaverse should elevate and extend existing service experiences as a bridge to creating a new model for interactions.”
The metaverse enables users to actively engage with brands in a way that surpasses traditional channels and promotes a stronger connection with the customer. The inclusion of gamification as exhibited by HKIA and before it, the ChangiVerse, encourages users to spend more time in the virtual space, deepening engagement and fostering a rewarding environment.
By encouraging users to actively engage with branding elements in fun and novel way, the metaverse can be leveraged to create memorable experiences and fortify user relationships.
Shirley Chan, Managing Director of JCDecaux Transport, also commented:
“As the digitalization leader of out-of-home advertising, JCDecaux Transport leverages consumer insights and technology to introduce a new enticing way for brands to engage with HKIA visitors. The launch of the HKIA Metaverse further enhances HKIA’s advertising digital transformation. We believe Web3 technology is the hot trend, and introducing this new platform at HKIA will elevate engagement between brands and visitors to a whole new level.”