Meta Queens of the Metaverse XR Drag Runway
Submitted by We Are Social

Meta Queens of the Metaverse XR Drag Runway

Influencer Marketing

We Are Social paired drag stars with queer designers to co-create VR looks for Meta, with organic, paid and influencer content delivering more than 500M+ impressions.

500M+Impressions
30M+Instagram Followership

About the campaign

Meta worked with We Are Social on Queens of the Metaverse, a drag collaboration that delivered more than 500m impressions. Meta wanted a positive, newsworthy campaign showing what its technologies make possible for everyone. Many people saw the metaverse, VR and AR as exclusive and techy.

The agency paired drag queens, and one drag king, with up-and-coming queer designers. Three drag stars used social media to challenge the designers to co-create drag looks in VR. The drag stars then unveiled the physical looks at an XR runway show in London. Meta's Spark AR technology brought the outfits to life during the show.

The agency reports that organic, paid and influencer content delivered more than 500m impressions. The London event was attended by more than 300 people. Content from the event was posted to a combined Instagram followership of more than 30m. Coverage of the work ran in PRWeek, Campaign and Mashable.

Case in 60 seconds

Meta needed a positive, newsworthy campaign showing what its technologies make possible for everyone, while many people still regarded the metaverse, VR and AR as exclusive and techy territory for specialists.

Drag depends on invention and self-expression, and LGBTQIA+ people are reported to feel safer expressing themselves online than in real life, so a drag collaboration could show immersive technology as a place for creativity.

Queens of the Metaverse paired drag queens, and a king, with up-and-coming queer designers to co-create drag looks in VR, presenting the metaverse as a space for self-expression, visibility and inclusivity.

Three drag stars used social media to challenge queer designers to co-create drag looks in VR, then unveiled the looks IRL at an XR runway show in London, with Meta's Spark AR animating the outfits.

We Are Social reports more than 500m impressions from organic, paid and influencer content, while the London event drew more than 300 people and was posted to a combined Instagram followership of more than 30m.

Strategy Breakdown

Drag performers, designers and fans, the LGBTQIA+ community, and a wider public that regarded the metaverse and Meta's VR and AR technologies as exclusive and techy.
LGBTQIA+ people are reported to feel safer expressing themselves online than in real life, so a virtual space built for self-expression carries a meaning for that community that a general audience might not see.
Most people did not understand what the metaverse was when the work ran, and VR and AR carried an exclusive, techy image, so Meta needed a culture- and community-first route to a positive perception.
Meta's technologies act as the tools of the collaboration, with VR used to design the looks and Spark AR used to bring the physical outfits to life on the runway.

Creative & Execution System

Assets & channels

  • Instagram

Partners

  • We Are Social

Participation mechanic

  • Up-and-coming queer designers answered a social media challenge from three drag stars by co-creating drag looks with them in VR, which the drag stars then wore at an XR runway show in London.

Results & Evidence

MetricValue
Impressionsmore than 500M+ impressions
Instagram Followershipmore than 30M+ followership

Why We Are Social's strategy worked

  1. 1

    Pairing an unfamiliar technology with a community whose craft already runs on self-expression gives the technology a visible use, because the output is a finished look that people can judge on sight.

  2. 2

    Closing a virtual collaboration with a physical runway show gives attendees and press something to see in person, which turns a VR design process into an event that can be photographed and reported.

  3. 3

    Having the drag stars issue the design challenge on social media puts the brief in front of their fans first, so the brand arrives through voices the drag community already follows.

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