Dairy Queen, the popular American ice cream chain, is partnering with an NFT project in China known as ‘The Weirdo Ghost Gang‘ (WGG) to create a pop-up event.
The pop-up is opening in Chengdu, China, and will take place from November 15th to December 31st. It will feature Dairy Queen-WGG themed ice cream and treats.
Also, WGG holders will receive exclusive perks at the store.
The WGG collection was created by Hong Kong Web3 holding company ManesLab at the height of the PFP NFT craze in 2021. The collection consists of 5,555 “Lil Ghosts” NFTs that claim their “existence is not only in the metaverse but will eventually penetrate reality.” The current floor price of a WGG NFT on OpenSea is 0.53 ETH (around $1,070), and the collection has done 21,514 ETH (over $43.5 million) in total trading volume.
The press release says the collaboration highlight’s Dairy Queen’s ongoing efforts in ”new media digital marketing,” and will also give consumers a better “understanding of the NFT art IP WGG.”
This isn’t the first collaboration WGG has done with a brick-and-mortar business. In September, it collaborated with local food retailer Jiujiu Duck Neck to give its NFT holders discounts at more than 500 retail stores. It also announced “Ghost Season” last month at The Box, a shopping hub in Beijing. The event saw WGG NFTs displayed in 3D at the mall.
The collaboration comes on the heels of China issuing a declaration that digital assets are protected under its theft laws. The country that once had a ban on nearly all things crypto appears to be softening its stance on NFTs. This latest announcement from Dairy Queen and WGG appears to be more evidence of that fact.
NFT Brands Collaborate with Brick-and-Mortar Stores
It can’t be denied that NFT collections have had a tough go of it the past year and half. With no clear end to the bear market in sight, many NFT collections turned to collaborating with brick-and-mortar businesses to try to bring value to holders. Here are three stories about Web3 brands doing just that.
First, one month ago, the virtual try-on company ZERO10 linked up with the Southern California-based brand UGG to launch a campaign at its store in NYC. The augmented reality experience let customers try on products in front of a “smart mirror.”
Next, around the same time, Starbucks launched an NFT collection to commemorate the 20th anniversary of its beloved beverage the Pumpkin Spice Latte. ‘The PSL Collection: Spiced Stamps’ were minted as an open-edition collection on the NFT marketplace Nifty Gateway, one of Starbucks’ partners in Web3.
Finally, Costa Rica teamed up with Web3 company Biocenft to launch an NFT collection to preserve the legacy of coffee in the country. The Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Centre (CATIE) and the Specialty Coffee Association of Costa Rica (SCACR) were behind the project.
From the looks of things, the bear market might be coming to an end. If so, the NFT collections that managed to bring value to holders during the downturn could be in for a nice run. If not, well, at least holders of Weirdo Ghost Gang NFTs in China can enjoy a tasty ice cream from Dairy Queen while they wait for the next bull market.