Absolut Vodka brings Coachella to the metaverse

Absolut Vodka is bringing its Coachella space to the metaverse in a mix of virtual and real-life experiential marketing.

The liquor brand will recreate its festival experience in Decentraland, allowing players and festival attendees to interact with each other. The metaverse experience, known as Absolut.Land, will have three floors with ten interactive elements. Those include allowing players to collect NFT wearables, receive discount codes for cocktail kits and possibly win tickets to the second weekend of Coachella, which runs from April 15-24. Festival attendees in real life will be able to create their own avatar at kiosks, gift NFT wearables and “try them on” using QR codes. The dual event also celebrates Absolut’s 10th year as the official vodka of Coachella.

“This is our first foray into the metaverse, so our goal is to test and learn over the next two weeks,” said Pam Forbus, chief marketing officer of Pernod Ricard, the parent company of Absolut. “We’ve created ten virtual experiences to see what our customers like.”

Metaverse glossary for brands

This won’t be the first time Web3 elements have appeared at music festivals. During last year's Governor’s Ball in New York, Coinbase set up an NFT gallery and sold NFTs as concert merchandise. Other brands have also linked the metaverse with real-life perks. Acura set up an Acura of Decentraland showroom and gave an NFT to customers who bought the latest Integra model. Chipotle’s second Roblox experience let players exchange Roblox currency for free entrees. 

But Absolut’s metaverse activation stands out for the number of activities players can participate in. There will be several dance floors, a bar, a museum gallery, a media room to download NFTs, a rooftop, Instagrammable selfie room and a garden.

In the garden, players can collect cocktail ingredients and take them back to the bar for a cocktail kit discount code. Users can also tweet a screenshot of their avatar on one of the dance floors, along with their public wallet key, to receive an NFT wearable from the Pride collection. A hidden token will allow users to enter sweepstakes for a chance to win a trip to the second weekend of Coachella. A jukebox will allow players to stream Swedish House Mafia’s newest album, “Paradise Again," and the brand will serve Absolut x Swedish House Mafia palomas at the festival. Five customers who have the drink delivered in an at-home cocktail kit will be chosen to win tickets to Coachella 2023.

Absolut also worked with its agency partners—UEG, Young Hero, Banquet Labs and Party Parcel—to give away nearly 3000 NFT wearables. The virtual fashions will come from three lines, inspired by Pride, the metaverse, and Coachella. The brand partnered with Susan Alexandra, a designer known for her handbags and jewelry, to make her accessories into limited edition NFTs.

“We think the metaverse will be the next wave of how people socialize,” Forbus said in an interview. “While it may not be comfortable for me, it is for my Gen Z kids. We’re excited to see how the space evolves and how we can make it a place where it’s easy for people to get together.”

Players can visit the Decentraland experience at AbsolutLand.com and must be 21 years of age or older.