2023 Winner
SilverBest in Augmented/Virtual Reality
HomeEquity Bank
"Metaverse Homes for Heroes"
Zulu Alpha Kilo / iQuanti
"Metaverse Homes for Heroes"
Zulu Alpha Kilo / iQuanti
HomeEquity Bank (HEB) offers Canadian seniors reverse mortgage solutions. The category has absorbed some of the stigma that exists for the industry, largely due to issues in USA, where it’s less regulated and predatory lenders have eroded public trust.
Over the past five years, HEB has evolved the public’s perceptions of them as a company. An important part of that growth has been its highly regarded public service work, which focuses on supporting veterans – a cause meaningful to its primary audience of Canadians 55+. Veteran homelessness is a serious issue, with veterans accounting for 4.4% of homeless individuals in Canada.
They were struck by the contrast of people spending millions on “virtual real estate” during a real-world housing crisis. As more brands built a presence inside Decentraland, they saw an opportunity to create the first build dedicated to a CSR initiative.
To help shape the approach to this initiative, quantitative research was conducted, where they learned that more than half of respondents indicated they’d be willing to explore the metaverse if it could promise a positive real-world impact.
Homes for Heroes (HFH) is a charity that builds housing for veterans experiencing homelessness. To raise awareness and donations for HFH, HEB replicated blueprints for a planned HFH village in Kingston, Ontario (home of Royal Military College) in the metaverse, so people around the world could visit virtually and donate to help make the plans real.
Raising funds and awareness inside Decentraland was one component, but they knew they’d create the most reach by amplifying that experience through earned and paid media. They created a video for a paid YouTube campaign to extend the storytelling, spark greater awareness of veteran homelessness, and drive traffic to the activation.
They selected the Decentraland metaverse to illustrate the contrast of money flowing into virtual real estate while veterans experienced homelessness for three reasons. It can be experienced directly in a browser without downloading software, it allowed the creation of a 1-to-1 replica of HFH’s blueprints and it had the largest userbase of all metaverse platforms, yet no brand had created a build for a
CSR initiative.
They created MakeThisVillageReal.com, a URL that sent visitors directly to the coordinates of their build. Interactive touchpoints allowed users to read about issues affecting Canadian homeless veterans. Visitors could either donate Mana (the cryptocurrency used inside Decentraland) or regular currencies. Following emerging best practices, donors received a metaverse wearable and a “POAP” NFT as proof of attendance. The build was promoted as an event for three weeks in July 2022. While their video amplified the activation, a press release targeted earned media, one highlight being a 20-minute segment on popular syndicated radio show TechTalk.
“Metaverse Homes for Heroes” is a build inside the Decentraland metaverse. It is the first-ever charitable fundraising initiative on the platform.
They leveraged the public’s interest in the metaverse and the platform’s ability to spread a message quickly and internationally. The virtual activation provided the audience with an opportunity to make a real-world impact while exploring the Decentraland metaverse, an evolving and immersive 3D world.
This is an idea where the medium was essential to their message in two important ways. Firstly, the novelty of being the first cause-related build in the Decentraland metaverse helped their
campaign break through.
Secondly, contrasting the “metaverse land rush” that was captivating the news media’s attention at that time with a real-world housing crisis provided a provocative hook for their message: Millions are being spent on virtual properties while real-life heroes experience homelessness.
“Metaverse Homes for Heroes” captured the public’s attention in support of veterans, with over 2 million earned and more than 680,000 paid impressions on a lean media spend of only $3,997. The video received more than 130,000 views, with a strong 3¢ cost for view. The campaign raised over $25,000 and HEB matched the donation. The initiative was one of the largest contributors to the Kingston Homes for Heroes build being fully funded, with building set to begin this year.
A national quantitative research study confirmed “Metaverse Homes for Heroes” has a positive impact on Canadians’ perception of HEB. When exposed to the idea 90% of respondents were more likely to support HFH, 91% felt more favorably toward HEB and that it was more trustworthy, 92% felt HEB was more caring and 89% felt HEB was more innovative and relevant.
Over the past five years, HEB has evolved the public’s perceptions of them as a company. An important part of that growth has been its highly regarded public service work, which focuses on supporting veterans – a cause meaningful to its primary audience of Canadians 55+. Veteran homelessness is a serious issue, with veterans accounting for 4.4% of homeless individuals in Canada.
They were struck by the contrast of people spending millions on “virtual real estate” during a real-world housing crisis. As more brands built a presence inside Decentraland, they saw an opportunity to create the first build dedicated to a CSR initiative.
To help shape the approach to this initiative, quantitative research was conducted, where they learned that more than half of respondents indicated they’d be willing to explore the metaverse if it could promise a positive real-world impact.
Homes for Heroes (HFH) is a charity that builds housing for veterans experiencing homelessness. To raise awareness and donations for HFH, HEB replicated blueprints for a planned HFH village in Kingston, Ontario (home of Royal Military College) in the metaverse, so people around the world could visit virtually and donate to help make the plans real.
Raising funds and awareness inside Decentraland was one component, but they knew they’d create the most reach by amplifying that experience through earned and paid media. They created a video for a paid YouTube campaign to extend the storytelling, spark greater awareness of veteran homelessness, and drive traffic to the activation.
They selected the Decentraland metaverse to illustrate the contrast of money flowing into virtual real estate while veterans experienced homelessness for three reasons. It can be experienced directly in a browser without downloading software, it allowed the creation of a 1-to-1 replica of HFH’s blueprints and it had the largest userbase of all metaverse platforms, yet no brand had created a build for a
CSR initiative.
They created MakeThisVillageReal.com, a URL that sent visitors directly to the coordinates of their build. Interactive touchpoints allowed users to read about issues affecting Canadian homeless veterans. Visitors could either donate Mana (the cryptocurrency used inside Decentraland) or regular currencies. Following emerging best practices, donors received a metaverse wearable and a “POAP” NFT as proof of attendance. The build was promoted as an event for three weeks in July 2022. While their video amplified the activation, a press release targeted earned media, one highlight being a 20-minute segment on popular syndicated radio show TechTalk.
“Metaverse Homes for Heroes” is a build inside the Decentraland metaverse. It is the first-ever charitable fundraising initiative on the platform.
They leveraged the public’s interest in the metaverse and the platform’s ability to spread a message quickly and internationally. The virtual activation provided the audience with an opportunity to make a real-world impact while exploring the Decentraland metaverse, an evolving and immersive 3D world.
This is an idea where the medium was essential to their message in two important ways. Firstly, the novelty of being the first cause-related build in the Decentraland metaverse helped their
campaign break through.
Secondly, contrasting the “metaverse land rush” that was captivating the news media’s attention at that time with a real-world housing crisis provided a provocative hook for their message: Millions are being spent on virtual properties while real-life heroes experience homelessness.
“Metaverse Homes for Heroes” captured the public’s attention in support of veterans, with over 2 million earned and more than 680,000 paid impressions on a lean media spend of only $3,997. The video received more than 130,000 views, with a strong 3¢ cost for view. The campaign raised over $25,000 and HEB matched the donation. The initiative was one of the largest contributors to the Kingston Homes for Heroes build being fully funded, with building set to begin this year.
A national quantitative research study confirmed “Metaverse Homes for Heroes” has a positive impact on Canadians’ perception of HEB. When exposed to the idea 90% of respondents were more likely to support HFH, 91% felt more favorably toward HEB and that it was more trustworthy, 92% felt HEB was more caring and 89% felt HEB was more innovative and relevant.
Credits
Agency: Zulu Alpha KiloChief Creative Officer: Zak Mroueh
Executive Creative Director: Brian Murray
Creative Director/Art Director: Vic Bath
Creative Director/Copywriter: Dan Cummings
Art Director: Erin Rodness
Designer: Jackman Chiu
Agency Producer: Ece Inan
Account Team: David Tremblay, Lauren Boultwood, Samantha Tang
Strategy Director: Maxine Thomas
Media Agency: iQuanti
Media Team: Kerstin Baker Ash, Tony Hooper, Maithili Bandishti
Client: HomeEquity Bank
Clients: Yvonne Ziomecki, Vivianne Gauci, Erin Wilson, Niary Toodakian and Jack Wilson
Homes for Heroes Partners: Jacqueline Howard, Cameron Diggon
PR Agency: Weber Shandwick
PR Team: Riya Dhaliwal, Adam Bornstein, Michelle Zucchero
Production House: Zulubot
Director: Vic Bath, Dan Cummings
Production House Producer: Ben Bentivegna
Director of Photography: Adam Griffiths
Post Production Supervisor: Sarah Dayus
Editing Company: Zulubot
Editor: Mallory Robbins
Online: Felipe Chaparro
Colour Grading: Felipe Chaparro
Music By: Asche and Spencer Stock Library
Audio Engineer: Noah Mroueh
Digital Interactive Producer: Ece Inan
3D Architecture and Game Design House: Metaverse Architects
3D Architecture Producer: Maggie Hill
Metaverse Architects: Sean Ellul, Andre Causon, Aaron Zarb