United Arab Emirates:  LIGHTBLUE is bolstering its Digital offerings with a newly-formed specialist Tech team, to support clients with strategy and execution in the digital space - the latest step in their vision of becoming the leading Web3-empowered creative experience agency in the region.

Mirko Maccarrone, Director of Web3 Technology and Iqra Bukhari, Senior Digital Strategist have joined LIGHTBLUE to lead the agency through a shift in digital culture and behaviour. They will head the team dedicated to helping clients understand the infinite digital possibilities at the intersection between the digital and the physical world – with solutions including Web3 strategic consulting, NFT and Metaverse creation and execution.  

Their appointments are the latest milestone in LIGHTBLUE’s mission to decipher the hype around technological innovations amid the new era of Web3, providing clients clarity around why and how they should evolve in this space.

LIGHTBLUE’s determination to lead in the Tech space is fuelled by the belief that agencies without have Digital in their armoury over the next five years, will not survive. They believe that Digital is the single biggest growth opportunity there is, and view it is a necessity, not a nice-to-have.

“Any company that doesn’t, won’t last in the next few years,” said Mirko, who is ex-Huawei, Saatchi & Bulgari. “Think of those that were skeptical about the internet - they’re not around. Or those that didn’t adapt to the changes of the web and technology over the past decade - Yahoo, MSN, AOL, My Space. It’s important to adapt and evolve with culture and technology,” he added.

For clients, this means approaching their business objectives with Web3 solutions in mind.

“Clients are adopting Web3 in many different ways depending on their industry and objectives. Some are adopting blockchain technologies, some are releasing NFTs, some are integrating with metaverse platforms and some are creating gamified experiences,” explained Mirko.

Web3 is the umbrella term for the next generation of the internet. Web1 was one-way communication, with static pages to be read rather than interacted with; then Web2 saw the arrival of two-way communication and social media. The Web3 era brings a decentralisation of information, with a power shift back to the user.

LIGHTBLUE’s win of green blockchain Alogrand’s annual global Decipher conference, taking place at Madinat Jumeirah this November, is an exciting illustration of the agency’s existing Web3 knowledge and capabilities for future clients. The event is one of the world’s most anticipated blockchain events of the year, with over 1,000 builders, founders, investors and strategists joining from the global community to decipher the future of the ecosystem.

How do we get there? Web3 solutions

LIGHTBLUE offers consultation and strategy building to help brands shift from Web2 to Web3, and capitalise on the myriad opportunities that Web3 has to offer. Armed with the capabilities to design, create and build metaverse experiences, NFTs and gamified online experiences to bring clients into the new era of the internet.

And far from a box ticking exercise, like all LIGHTBLUE campaigns, clients’ business objectives will remain at the heart of strategy around Web3 adoption - by understanding the target audience and developing projects that support overall aims, and designing a solution that engages audiences in a meaningful way.

“We strip it back to basics and focus on education and strategy,” says Mirko. “By understanding clients’ short-term business goals, we can suggest appropriate solutions on how they can begin to explore and adopt the tech.”

A focus on Education will further support existing and potential clients in their Web3 journeys, with the launch targeted workshops open to all, to help educate on the value Web3 can bring to brands. In addition, an always-on WhatsApp group will become a sharing platform for the latest Web3 news and industry insights - accessible to anyone.

Web3 portfolio: LIGHTBLUE projects

The move comes following over a decade in activating world-class brands with tech-led experiences. From mixed reality and immersive content with Mastercard at Expo2020 and OSN+ in launching House of the Dragon, to full digital immersion with Tom Ford, PlayStation, Puma and Burberry.

A major step in their development into the technology sphere came in August 2022, when LIGHTBLUE launched its own metaverse – a creative space to support clients on their journey into Web3. The space is designed to add value by allowing brands and entities to explore a metaverse environment and give hands-on experience of a user experience.

The launch included a guest appearance from leading metaverse expert and Forbes columnist, Charlie Fink.

LIGHTBLUE is committed not just to staying at the forefront of this digital shift towards next-generation technologies, but also driving adoption through education. By bridging the gap between awareness and understanding, ever more meaningful experiences can be created.

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