Authenticated Experiences: a free NFT scavenger hunt across 191 Milwaukee neighborhoods
From June 22 to July 8, 2023, all 191 Milwaukee neighborhoods became a free scavenger hunt for digital art, and we led the creative.
At a glance
| Dates | June 22 to July 8, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Place | Milwaukee, Wisconsin, across all 191 neighborhoods |
| Client | VISIT Milwaukee, with Summerfest (Milwaukee World Festival, Inc.) and Summerfest Tech |
| Technology partner | Vennity, a Polygon-based, no-code NFT minting and interactive map platform |
| Awen's role | Original collectible art for the AX2 Summerfest series and the creative campaign concept |
| Delivered | A free, geolocated scavenger hunt for limited-edition digital collectibles, no crypto wallet required |
By the numbers
| 191 | neighborhoods in the hunt |
|---|---|
| 5 | pieces in the AX2 Summerfest series, designed by Cullah |
| 55 | first collectors unlocked an artist experience and a shot at Summerfest tickets |
How it worked
Authenticated Experiences (AX) was a citywide tourism campaign built on Web3 technology, the blockchain-based layer of the internet. Visitors went to real places in Milwaukee, tapped the digital art on their phones and collected limited-edition tokens. Each token was an NFT (non-fungible token), a unique digital item recorded on a blockchain. The only thing a visitor had to provide was a name and an email address. No crypto wallet was needed.
Three steps to collect
- Find the art. Visit NonFungibleTourism.com and learn where the digital art is positioned around Milwaukee.
- Go there. Travel to the physical location where each piece is plotted on the online map.
- Collect it. Click the digital art to collect it. Enter a name and email address. Cryptocurrency and crypto wallets are not required.
The platform and the creative
The platform came from our technology partner Vennity, whose no-code tools handle minting on the Polygon blockchain and provide the interactive map. Awen led the creative side: the original collectible art and the campaign concept that linked tourism, music and ownership, with the aim of positioning Milwaukee as a tech-forward destination.
AX2: the Summerfest series
The second wave of the campaign, AX2, was tied to Summerfest's 55th anniversary. Cullah designed a five-piece, Summerfest-themed NFT collectible series for it. The first 55 people to collect the set unlocked an exclusive artist experience and a shot at Summerfest tickets. A separate limited Summerfest token carried free general admission.
The people involved
- Client: VISIT Milwaukee, working with Summerfest (Milwaukee World Festival, Inc.) and Summerfest Tech.
- Technology partner: Vennity.
- Creative: Awen, with Cullah as the artist for the AX2 series.
VISIT Milwaukee announced the campaign in a press release, which is also linked from our experience page.
Sources
- The campaign announcement: VISIT Milwaukee's press release.
- Video: the campaign film on YouTube.
- Partners, dates and photos: our Authenticated Experiences page. The photos are from the campaign.
See the project
The full record of the campaign, with credits and the VISIT Milwaukee press release, is on the Authenticated Experiences page.
If you run a destination, a festival or a venue and want to talk about something similar, read about our experiential marketing work or get in touch.