Original Penguin is bringing its first NFTs into the world.
On Nov. 10, the brand owned by Perry Ellis, will launch NFTs through an augmented reality campaign and auction. Original Penguin teamed with digital experiential marketing agency Bajibot and young digital creatives in art, sports and dance to produce content on TikTok to be made into NFTs.
The brand and the creatives introduced eight penguin avatars — three from Original Penguin and five from influencers @CiciStamper, @MrNYCSubway, @DayanTorresArt, @GabriellaAnouk and @Carter.Golfs — to be displayed in a Miami Beach setting. The company is based in Miami.
Users can bid for the NFTs through their mobile device on OriginalPenguinNFT.com using cryptocurrency or traditional credit cards.
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“We see NFTs as a great way to experiment and grow our digital footprint,” said Thomas Harvey, Original Penguin senior design director.
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Harvey, who joined Original Penguin in late 2020, has been watching the NFT, cryptocurrency and digital asset space and saw this project as the best entry after testing different technological capabilities, as well as a way to activate innovation for the brand and work with young innovators to maintain relevance.
While NFTs look to be a financial opportunity for companies, Original Penguin is using this project to benefit Free Arts NYC, a nonprofit organization empowering underserved youth through arts and mentoring.
“We know that NFTs are more and more popular and it’s a new movement and a new way of doing commerce,” said Perry Ellis president Jason Zuckerman. “We felt this project perfectly lent itself to Original Penguin, but I think you’ll see more of this type of work as we scale these efforts.”
As for real, physical experiences, Zuckerman believes this holiday season is going to be strong.
“Demand is great, which is phenomenal,” he said. “Average unit sale is fantastic, profitability is strong and most important, we’re getting products out to customers. The demand will continue into the fourth quarter and first quarter. Right now is all about inventory and composition of inventory and I think it’ll be a strong holiday season.”
Zuckerman added that the last few years have been challenging for the brand, as it has for the entire world due to COVID-19, but Original Penguin has focused inward on “our innovation strategy, garnering premium distribution, moving marketing efforts forward. I really think this has been a great opportunity for us to reposition the brand and come out more powerful. I think the best days of Penguin are ahead of us.”