6 Fortnite maps for NERF – connecting virtual and real world in a metaverse campaign

It has already become a global trend for brands to use the meta-platforms in their marketing activities. However, a lot of them offer players just one map and a single activity. NERF proves that much more can be done. Their campaign offered Fortnite players multiple maps and activities. Each location in the NERF City had its unique theme and challenges, but all of them were connected by a storyline. This campaign was recently recognised in the Golden Arrow competition, where it won the top award.

The challenge: Making a blast among the young using Fortnite

The main challenge was to connect multiple elements and platforms, while communicating the same message and telling a story that would encourage gamers to engage with the campaign. It was also important to increase awareness of NERF products, strengthen the brand’s image and build everyday excitement.

Six maps connected by a unique storyline

inStreamly and a41 worked together to create the NERF City in Fortnite, which was the heart of the campaign. The NERF City consisted of six unique Fortnite maps, each of which presented different challenges to the players. All the maps were connected by the same story, that participants could discover by exploring NERF City or thanks to Murph, a non-binary brand hero. Murph was the hero of all the stories, they also guided new players on Discord server, where all the participants could meet.

Bringing virtual and real worlds together

The NERF City consisted of six maps that were connected by special portals. Players could use these to move around the city, creating a great metaverse experience. Each map offered unique challenges, fun, and a dose of competition. This combination kept player engagement high throughout the campaign.

Every map had its unique theme and challenges:

• NERF City: players raced to Murph’s statue and had to find a key,
• DinoSquad Park: in the world full of traps and opponents, every player must find and keep a llama as long as possible,
• Aqua Park: a water-theme map, where waterway race awaits for players,
• Bullseye Park: players can test their aim on a NERF shooting range inspired by a real-life paintball field,
• Craftblock Park: building is crucial in Fortnite and Minecraft, on this map players can show their building skills,
• Hide Park: a map dedicated to playing hide’n’seek.

Rising awareness about NERF through streamers

To promote the idea of the NERF City, inStreamly ran two dedicated campaigns. The first one encouraged the Polish Fortnite community to visit the NERF City, while the second directly promoted selected NERF products and led people to a dedicated landing page. Over 1000 streamers promoted the NERF City on their channels.

We also worked with some of the biggest Polish streamers, including Jacobb4TV, Matek, Kazama5, Sniezkaa, Zaxsek, and Mailinh. Their activations generated over 3 million views.

Building a NERF community using Discord

A dedicated Discord server was the main communication channel for the entire campaign. Players gathered there to talk with each other, ask Murph questions, and win prizes. They could win these not only by participating in online competitions and challenges, but also by actively spending time in the real world.

The best players from the NERF City were invited to participate in the Esports Skills Camp, where they took part in sports activities with NERF, met streamers, and enjoyed other events.

How does it fit to “the metaverse”?

This campaign was not only meant to create a basic in-game experience, but experiment with the basics premises of the metaverse in the future. Interoperability and connected worlds: 6 maps all connected with each other via story, with persistence of score and prizes between them. Connecting online and offline world, by exchanging points scored online to a real-world prizes and experiences. This way, NERF brand could already experiment with how marketing could look like in the future of the internet.