Are virtual social worlds the new marketing strategy?
- Jul 20, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 27, 2025
Brand Marketing → VRChat
In virtual social worlds (VSW), you can pretty much do anything you want, whether it’s to be a dragon, a mage, a heroic knight on a quest to save a princess from the evil demon king…or simply to meet new friends! These spaces have grown increasingly popular, with people of all ages now logging into the metaverse through platforms like VRChat.
To give some context, VRChat is a virtual reality (VR) social gaming platform where users can customise digital avatars, explore imaginative worlds, and connect with others. It offers unlimited freedom of self-expression, real-time interactions and behaviours for individuals to essentially live out a virtual life that could mirror their reality or create a world of fantasy.
So this raises the question:
Are virtual social worlds the next big strategy in today’s digital age?
Here’s why it could be a great opportunity....
The Power of Virtual Social Worlds
Firstly, the metaverse market was worth US$84bn globally in 2023, projecting to reach US$103bn by 2025, and grow to 2.6 billion users by 2030. Furthermore, noted by experienced marketing professors Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein in their 2009 article published in Business Horizons, Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media, VSW is distinguished by its high social presence/media richness and self-presentation/self-disclosure. Hence, this highlights strong opportunities for companies to market, interact and connect with potential customers globally, especially Gen Z and Gen Alpha, through ways like v-commerce and virtual advertising.
Let’s explore this through the case of McDonald's.
McDonald's Japan 2025 - VRChat campaign
McDonald’s Japan launched a VRChat world themed around their iconic fries, where users could interact, snack on virtual fries, and engage in wildly fun virtual activities. Riding on the success of its annual ‘Tirori Mix’ music video, the campaign starred Japan’s top Gen Z music artists—ADO, YOASOBI, and VTuber (virtual YouTuber) Hoshimachi Suisei.
Why the Metaverse and VRChat?
Japan is at the forefront of the metaverse movement, with VRChat being especially popular among Japanese users and accounting for a significant share of its user traffic.
Why collaborate with a Virtual YouTuber?
The VTubing industry is also closely tied to the metaverse and widely popular in Japan, especially resonating among young audiences like myself. These virtual personalities are becoming increasingly prominent in Japan’s entertainment scene as they blend creativity, gaming, and social media in an innovative and immersive way.
Hence, having Hoshimachi Suisei in the campaign was a pretty big deal. As one of Japan’s leading VTubers and artists, with over 2 million YouTube subscribers and a massive young fanbase, her involvement helped drive campaign traffic, strengthen McDonald’s brand image and boost long-term brand relevance with younger consumers.
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