MANILA, PHILIPPINES — As the countdown begins for the 2022 Boomerang Awards entry submission deadline, the Philippines’ premiere association for internet and mobile marketing IMMAP is also unveiling the country’s first-ever virtual influencer to add excitement to this year’s edition of the Booms.
Simply called “Boom,” the non-binary (proper pronouns are they/them) unicorn virtual influencer has no time for silly banner ads or unnecessary twitter campaigns that hardly moved client sales, and will be joining the Boomerang Awards committee and the participants in celebrating innovative, creative, and effective work in the world of digital marketing over the past year.
They’re looking for campaigns beyond the less traditional ones, brave enough to dabble into elements that bring the metaverse to life: think NFTs, AI, AR, and VR. But while Boom may be sassy, they can also be your best cheerleader, especially when your work makes use of the latest tech, in a relevant, objective manner. And when it comes to judging, they’ll give it to you straight. Truth hurts, no cap: and you can be sure Boom won’t hold back!
“We believe the metaverse can enable better social experiences than anything that exists today. We want to help accelerate the development of the fundamental technologies that will bring the metaverse to life, and to weave these technologies together into, and through, existing platforms,” said Dale Lopez, Boomerang creative committee head and creative strategist at Creative Shop, Meta.
“Through the Boomerang Awards, we want to celebrate the brands and businesses that have started to build the bridge to the metaverse.”
Boom represents how key elements of the metaverse are already at play in the Philippines and around the world. According to The Information, the metaverse is estimated to have a market value of $82 billion by 2025. Today, over 80 billion AR effects open per month across Meta technologies, with 700 million people using AR effects across Meta technologies every month.
Boom was brought to life by UPPRGRND using Unreal Engine technology together with the Boomerang Awards’ creative committee. UPPRGRND not only created the first-ever Philippine virtual influencer, but they are also the first in using said technology.
Unreal Engine technology allows Boom to attend live streams, jury room, and even the Boomerang Awards night; participants and the award hopefuls are in for a ride through this year’s Booms journey.
“The three pillars of the Boomerang Awards – Innovation, Creativity, and Effectiveness – serve as our lighthouse not only in judging work but also in igniting fresh ideas. Constantly raising the bar in a landscape that is always evolving, even down to how we spice up awards show experiences,” Manny Gonzales, 2022 Boomerang Awards chair and Ogilvy Consulting Philippines’ lead stated.
The 2022 Boomerang Awards is made possible in partnership with Investing in Women – An Initiative of the Australian Government, GrabAds, Meta, and Google Cloud Philippines.
To download the entry kit or to know more details about the IMMAP Boomerang Awards and how to enter, register here. Deadline for submission of entries is on August 19, while the awarding ceremonies will be on October 14.
