Mini and Fender hit the road for Meta's Horizons Worlds

Meta has expanded the brand dimensions of the so-called metaverse with the creation of two virtual lands – one called the Miniverse, for BMW Group’s Mini, and the other dubbed the Fender Stratoverse, for guitar maker Fender Musical Instruments Corporation.

The two new Meta Horizon Worlds make their debut at Cannes Lions. The Miniverse was built in partnership with agency Pereira O’Dell, Creative Shop, and Meta Horizon Worlds creators John Burnap, Jordan Marcotte and Malcolm Langille.

Meta’s Horizon World is a social virtual reality application that allows users to explore virtual worlds and has ready-to-use VR building blocks to help content creators develop them. In the Miniverse, four drivers can race around a track and spectators can intervene to help or hinder players’ races.

The Fender Stratoverse was developed by R/GA, Creative Shop and Meta Horizon Worlds creators Ashley Briley, Matt Torres and Sammy Nu of VRinReview. It features a co-play audio experience, in which players can collect chords within the Stratoverse and bring them together to create music.

Rah Mahtani, brand communications manager, Mini USA, said: “The Mini brand is all about fun, and has always stood apart from others in how it brings this fun to life in cheeky and unconventional ways.

“Mini is excited to collaborate with Meta’s Creative Shop as the first automotive brand to create a virtual experience in Horizon Worlds, offering the fun of customising and racing Minis in this groundbreaking virtual reality.”

Sebastian Beuchel, head of global brand management at Mini, said Mini’s journey with VR began three years ago when the brand started to experiment with augmented reality effects.

“We’re just exploring the space and the opportunity. It is a great experience for us and we will just see how users interact with the Miniverse, what works out, and where our areas are to improve. Of course, we’re going to continue to invest in partnerships with Meta, to make it an even more immersive experience as we move forward.”

Evan Jones, chief marketer at Fender, said: “We could not be more pleased to have been invited by Meta to bring Fender into the metaverse for the first time.

“As a brand we are committed to enabling all forms of musical expression and are thrilled by the potential this technology has to allow Fender fans and creators to come together, play, and create across borders, cultures, and from any distance.”