Microsoft and dentsu collaborate to create a metaverse space

Japanese advertising company dentsu International has partnered with Microsoft to build an innovative metaverse space, where brands and companies can experiment with Web3 technologies. 

Microsoft’s and dentsu’s collaboration aims to increase productivity, accessibility, and engagement among different areas of businesses, such as retail, customer service, and development. 

The metaverse, inspired by dentsu’s Web3 Center of Excellence, allows team members and clients to experiment, innovate, and learn how new technologies can fit into future business models and campaigns. The space is a digital replica of dentsu’s campus in Moon Valley. 

“Whether it is overcoming the skills-gap by making accessible and engaging training programs, or building multi-channel customer loyalty solutions using NFTs, or mapping innovation explorations through our NXT Intelligence platform, the opportunities are truly endless!”

said Val Vacante, dentsu’s VP of Solutions and Innovation. 

Users can enter dentsu’s metaverse through VR and mobile devices. The teams from dentsu and Microsoft created the following features for the virtual world: 

• dentsu Metaversity for Microsoft Power Skills: Employees and teams can upgrade their skills through Microsoft products, such as Microsoft 365, Microsoft Designer, and Text to speech. 

• Microsoft Retail Education: In this space, brands can learn about Microsoft Dynamics 365 and dentsu’s ShopNXT retail innovations. 

• Lounge: A virtual meeting room where brands can connect via LinkedIn profiles to engage, recruit, and network with future customers. 

• Ecosia Forest: A search engine powered by Microsoft that not only offers education but also commits to planting trees for a greener world.

• AI-Powered Virtual Human: In collaboration with HeadOffice.space, an AI-powered virtual human called ‘Neva’ guides users through the metaverse. Neva combines Unreal Engine’s Metahuman Creator feature with Microsoft’s AI-powered Text to Speech.

Other spaces available on the virtual dentsu campus include the Merkel Virtual Retail Lab and Intelligence Center and the ShopNXT Showroom – both built on Unreal Engine 5, an open 3D creator tool that features avatars with Ready Player Me. 

Further details of dentsu’s virtual space will be revealed in the upcoming months, along with a virtual demonstration at CES 2023.