Hyundai Motor Company and Samsung Electronics also scrambled to introd…
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The world's largest non-fungible token (NFT) event, 'NFT NYC', opened on the 21st (local time). Various events are held for three days in Times Square, New York, USA. Advertisements announcing NFT-related events are filling the billboards. /Reporter Choi Da-eun
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are digging into mainstream industries such as distribution, manufacturing, and services. Domestic and foreign companies are scrambling to introduce NFTs as the owners (holders)-centered community, security features based on blockchain technology, and scarcity attract attention.
Samsung Electronics prepared a local NFT art exhibition space in line with the world's largest NFT event, 'NFT NYC' held in New York on the 21st (local time). It was the first time to show how to appreciate and trade NFT works on TV. On the 23rd, a blockchain wallet will also be announced. On the same day, Hyundai Motor Company will release a teaser image of Plasma, the second NFT.
NFT is becoming a full-fledged marketing tool for large companies beyond simple interest and fun such as digital art and games. Reflecting this, NFT users are rapidly increasing despite the recent sharp drop in virtual asset prices and contraction of the NFT market. According to NFTGo, the number of NFT holders has increased fivefold in a year, from 500,000 in June last year to 2.46 million in June this year.
NFT is also attracting attention as a key means of the so-called 'physical + digital' service that connects the metaverse and the real world. A case in point is that Nike sells virtual fashion company artifacts and NFT-based digital sneakers. Louis Vuitton's parent company, Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH) and the Prada Group, plan to apply NFTs to their authenticity authentication system.
Ivan Soto Wright, CEO of Moonpay, a global fintech company, who was a speaker at this NFT NYC event, said, “NFTs have now gone beyond simple collectibles or investment tools,” and predicted that “the uses will be greatly expanded.”
“Everyone getting ready for NFT NYC?”
On the 18th, ahead of the opening of ‘NFT NYC’, the world’s largest non-fungible token (NFT) event, the manager ‘cryptobulls’ continued chatting in an excited tone in the official Discord room of Samsung Electronics North America (Samsung US). During the event, a plan was also revealed to operate an NFT art gallery in Manhattan, New York, the venue of the event. NFT owners (holders) who participated in the conversation reacted enthusiastically, saying, “Samsung Electronics is floating in New York.” Most of the 13,000 people in this communication room filled their profile pictures with their own NFT characters.
Recently, Samsung Electronics is actively communicating with NFT holders. It is a strategy to secure a ‘loyal customer group’ by grouping holders who are interested in collecting NFTs into a community. During the NFT NYC period, Samsung Electronics decided to redecorate Samsung 837, a customer experience space in New York, and operate an art gallery for NFT holders. Ebner Ronan, vice president of product development at Samsung Electronics, and Michal Matos, chief marketing officer (CMO) of Samsung US, appear as a panel and explain Samsung's NFT business strategy. Earlier this year, Samsung Electronics unveiled Smart Hub, an NFT transaction and appreciation platform using a TV, at CES 2022, the world's largest IT and home appliance exhibition. Samsung Next, an investment subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, also invested in Metaplex, an NFT company.
Hyundai Motor Company is also trying to secure loyal customers using NFT. Recently, it opened a special discord channel dealing with NFTs and secured 5,000 active users. Last month, it issued a limited number of 10,000 shooting star NFTs to be used in its NFT world view ‘Metamobility Universe’, which was unveiled at CES 2022. From the 23rd, the period of the NFT NYC event, a teaser image of Plasma, the second NFT, will be released. The idea is to issue mobility-related NFTs according to the story taking place in the virtual world and link them to the metaverse world to be implemented in 2023.
An image of the ‘Meta Mobility’ worldview released by Hyundai Motor Company along with the popular NFT character ‘Meta Kongz’.
SK and Lotte are aiming for leadership in the NFT trading platform. SK is strengthening its chainjet service led by SK Holdings C&C, a system integration (SI) affiliate. You can create a system that allows you to create and trade NFTs with simple operations. Lotte Data Communication established an NFT Lab organization in April. It is developing an NFT trading platform with Calibus, a metabus company acquired in July of last year.
Among companies, there is also an active movement to link with existing businesses in line with the nature of NFTs, which are “non-replicable.” Kakao Entertainment’s music streaming platform Melon recently made a ‘Top 100’ music recommendation certificate into NFT. The ‘Melon Music Awards (MMA) NFT’ was also issued in limited quantities so that it could be exchanged for tickets to the company’s year-end awards ceremony.
Raon White Hat, a security company, cooperates with Chung-Ang University to present NFT diplomas that cannot be forged or tampered with for 2,000 undergraduate graduates in August. Shinsegae International introduced wearable NFTs that can be worn on profile images, while Hyundai Department Store introduced a service that makes NFT wallets and puts free gifts or discount coupons on them.
Overseas, NFTs are rapidly expanding into distribution and manufacturing. Starbucks recently entered the NFT community and the creation of collectibles based on its brand, centered on founder Howard Schultz. The goal is to strengthen consumer loyalty. eBay, which started selling NFTs last month, created eBay Vault, a dedicated digital safe for storing NFTs, on a site of about 2,980 square meters.
