Abstract
Streaming platforms seek possibilities to connect with audiences through new channels and to enter new markets. The brand identity of streaming platforms is based on elements including content offer, target audience, marketing and business strategy.
Current media environment is constantly evolving and adapting the user experience to an advanced level. In order to keep up, brands need to extend own identity and further adjust to the competition on the market.
Virtual experience in marketing provides a unique opportunity to produce new situations, impossible to create in real world, and the development of contexts that will never be experienced by most people in real life. The virtual affordance exceeds the usual communication between the product and the customer which supports the opportunity to extend the brand and appear more competitive on the market.
Streaming platforms aim to capture the attention of audiences and further expansion into virtual world seems relevant for the improvement of the possible user experience. Audiovisual content has the ability to transfer storyline and emotions using narrative structures.
Interactive environment provides the audience with an option to deepen the experience and to become a participant in the story. Also, the transmedia storytelling and extension of the cinematic universe associated with the audiovisual content both build and improve stronger fandom community.
The paper aims to describe the use of virtual worlds as a part of the marketing strategy of streaming platforms. Case study will be based on two examples from current production of Netflix and HBO Max.
First case study will explore metaverse experience established by Netflix as part of their advertising campaign to support a movie The Gray Man. Second case study will focus on virtual reality app DracARys released by HBO Max.
Finally, we discuss the differences between the two cases and how they relate to the promoted content of the streaming services.