A
mazon has tapped four different virtual influencers to promote the new season of the Prime Original show “Upload,” about a man who is uploaded to a digital afterlife. The dark comedy’s spin on death speaks to the future of technology and our virtual world.
To commemorate the new season, Amazon created a virtual version of Lakeview, the high-end digital afterlife for the rich and famous where the show is set. Fans could upload themselves into the game using a Ready Player Me avatar to explore the virtual campus from their computers (no VR headsets required), directly mimicking how the characters are uploaded in the show. They could then embark on a virtual scavenger hunt in a truly innovative advertising experience.
Unfortunately, The Upload: Metaverse Experience was playable for a very limited time from March 16 to March 20.
Amazon worked with four different virtual influencers — FNMeka, Binxie, Aliza Rex and Ruby 9100M — to promote the new season of “Upload” and its accompanying virtual experience.
In FNMeka’s TikTok video, the infamous AI robot-rapper hops on a video call with two of the show’s characters. He recreates the process for how people upload themselves to the digital afterlife in the show:
Two virtual BFFs, Binxie and Aliza Rexx, collaborated to create two videos, hopping on a Facetime call to discuss finding a way to upload themselves to Lakeview. That name drop is a clever detail that both positions the virtual influencers as real people and Lakeview as a real place, blending realities.
Finally, virtual influencer Ruby 9100M created a video where she recreates herself as a Ready Player Me avatar. While her Instagram is disabled at the moment, you could previously watch from her first-person perspective as she walked around the digitally recreated Lakeview to complete the scavenger hunt.
This innovative transmedia advertising campaign for season two of “Upload” from Amazon Prime was a testament to the ingenuity of working with virtual influencers. Each virtual brought their own unique storyline, humor and personal touch to the campaign.
Maybe one day soon we’ll upload ourselves to a digital world to interact with virtuals like FNMeka.
Until then, you can watch the new season of “Upload” and stay up to date with the latest virtual influencer campaigns by subscribing to our newsletter.
