The first of its kind app in Malaysia, SoCrwd is a Social Crowd on a Virtual Platform
SoCrwd, Malaysia’s first-of-its-kind application is a unique avatar based virtual world with fully customizable characters and endless possibilities in an environment built to mimic life in the real world. As its name implies, SoCrwd allows the gathering of a social crowd on a virtual platform created specially for public events to take place in a more creative manner, especially during these uncertain times.
“More than a year has gone by since Covid-19 first started and the pandemic has affected many brands globally with many live events, both major and minor, either being called-off or postponed, creating a market gap for the requirements of a virtual event platform. This is where SoCrwd comes in. The creation of a virtual world application with endless possibilities for marketing efforts, campaigns and events without the worry of the current circumstances and violating SOPs, whilst benefiting brands and consumers. SoCrwd hopes to provide brands, businesses and talents the necessary tools to not only sustain, but to grow as well,” said Ken Chai, Chief Executive Officer of Ad-Nology Labs.
The virtual world has been around for a while but brands have yet to tap into the gamification and marketing aspects of it in Malaysia. SoCrwd is a virtual platform that gamifies the experience for consumers through the addition of avatars, points, interactables and sociables, all of which are set in a creative environment built to facilitate a fun, engaging experience and a seamless transition from the offline world to the online world. The social features of the application allows consumers to connect with other users, while conducting daily activities such as meeting with friends, attending their favorite event, virtually visiting a branded concept store and more.
Whereas for the business segment, SoCrwd is more than just a platform for virtual events. SoCrwd envisions a virtual platform for customers to visit their favourite car showroom, bank branches, property galleries, concept stores, exhibitions, concerts, bazaars, events, conferences and many more, bringing the best of the offline world to the comfort of the homes of your customers which will also help reduce the spread of the virus. Additionally, SoCrwd provides companies the ability to host marketing, branding and business activities while being able to network, share name cards and company profiles, virtually. Ideally, it is fully customisable to the needs of the brands and consumers.
“There are a lot of one off virtual events websites and applications, but what we have built through SoCrwd is a content driven virtual platform for brands, businesses and consumers. We also want to create more opportunities for content creators, working with different industries, especially the creative and events industry, to allow for the creation of interesting consumer-centric content, experiences and events that keep consumers coming back for more,” added Ken.
The launch of the app sees two well known brands in their league come together to bring the idea to life. Ad-Nology Labs, a branding and execution based marketing firm with focus on the forever generation, well known for bringing Malaysia’s favourite pop-up market, Artbox, and Magnus Games Studio, a Malaysian indie game developer behind Re: Legend, the most crowdfunded game in Malaysia in 2017.
“When presented the idea by Ad-Nology Labs, we were sold and knew that we had to develop SoCrwd for both businesses and consumers,” said DC Gan, Managing Director of Magnus Games Studio. He added, “As both, a gamer and game developer, we were determined to design the platform with loads of fun elements injected into it to prevent it from being dull and boring”.
SoCrwd is designed to add fun while being engaging at the same time as it is more than just a game. Through a collaborative working lifestyle, Magnus Games Studio’s team of developers focused on developing SoCrwd as an application that caters to consumers' ever evolving needs.
The virtual world allows people to complete many activities online, in the most advanced and engaging way possible. Instead of brands having a dull web page with a purchase button, SoCrwd will design the entire layout of a store to engage with consumers and give them a good and unique user experience. SoCrwd encourages "Cross-Reality" branding campaigns such as merging online and offline events where consumers have the opportunity to play games on SoCrwd and reap their rewards through certain perks with the brand offline, and vice versa.
“We are not trying to create a temporary solution for events, but a complement to on-ground social events in the future as we move deeper into the digital age. We will continuously be working on developing the platform as we go to make sure that we provide new and improved features with every learning and discovery we come across,” Ken continued to say.
Pricing and Availability
This new application will be available for download at no cost to the consumer. Additionally, there are no in-app purchases involved to join and participate in the public spaces of the virtual world. SoCrwd will be available to both Android and iOS users in Malaysia on 27th May 2021 onwards whereby users can login and complete daily missions for coins, customise avatars, host public and private rooms for friends or a larger gathering, join public spaces to meet other people and explore new worlds. In the next few months, users will be able to enjoy other features which will be available in phases. SoCrwd will begin exploring neighbouring countries in the near future.
SoCrwd, Malaysia’s first-of-its-kind application is a unique avatar based virtual world with fully customizable characters and endless possibilities in an environment built to mimic life in the real world. As its name implies, SoCrwd allows the gathering of a social crowd on a virtual platform created specially for public events to take place in a more creative manner, especially during these uncertain times.
“More than a year has gone by since Covid-19 first started and the pandemic has affected many brands globally with many live events, both major and minor, either being called-off or postponed, creating a market gap for the requirements of a virtual event platform. This is where SoCrwd comes in. The creation of a virtual world application with endless possibilities for marketing efforts, campaigns and events without the worry of the current circumstances and violating SOPs, whilst benefiting brands and consumers. SoCrwd hopes to provide brands, businesses and talents the necessary tools to not only sustain, but to grow as well,” said Ken Chai, Chief Executive Officer of Ad-Nology Labs.
The virtual world has been around for a while but brands have yet to tap into the gamification and marketing aspects of it in Malaysia. SoCrwd is a virtual platform that gamifies the experience for consumers through the addition of avatars, points, interactables and sociables, all of which are set in a creative environment built to facilitate a fun, engaging experience and a seamless transition from the offline world to the online world. The social features of the application allows consumers to connect with other users, while conducting daily activities such as meeting with friends, attending their favorite event, virtually visiting a branded concept store and more.
Whereas for the business segment, SoCrwd is more than just a platform for virtual events. SoCrwd envisions a virtual platform for customers to visit their favourite car showroom, bank branches, property galleries, concept stores, exhibitions, concerts, bazaars, events, conferences and many more, bringing the best of the offline world to the comfort of the homes of your customers which will also help reduce the spread of the virus. Additionally, SoCrwd provides companies the ability to host marketing, branding and business activities while being able to network, share name cards and company profiles, virtually. Ideally, it is fully customisable to the needs of the brands and consumers.
“There are a lot of one off virtual events websites and applications, but what we have built through SoCrwd is a content driven virtual platform for brands, businesses and consumers. We also want to create more opportunities for content creators, working with different industries, especially the creative and events industry, to allow for the creation of interesting consumer-centric content, experiences and events that keep consumers coming back for more,” added Ken.
The launch of the app sees two well known brands in their league come together to bring the idea to life. Ad-Nology Labs, a branding and execution based marketing firm with focus on the forever generation, well known for bringing Malaysia’s favourite pop-up market, Artbox, and Magnus Games Studio, a Malaysian indie game developer behind Re: Legend, the most crowdfunded game in Malaysia in 2017.
“When presented the idea by Ad-Nology Labs, we were sold and knew that we had to develop SoCrwd for both businesses and consumers,” said DC Gan, Managing Director of Magnus Games Studio. He added, “As both, a gamer and game developer, we were determined to design the platform with loads of fun elements injected into it to prevent it from being dull and boring”.
SoCrwd is designed to add fun while being engaging at the same time as it is more than just a game. Through a collaborative working lifestyle, Magnus Games Studio’s team of developers focused on developing SoCrwd as an application that caters to consumers' ever evolving needs.
The virtual world allows people to complete many activities online, in the most advanced and engaging way possible. Instead of brands having a dull web page with a purchase button, SoCrwd will design the entire layout of a store to engage with consumers and give them a good and unique user experience. SoCrwd encourages "Cross-Reality" branding campaigns such as merging online and offline events where consumers have the opportunity to play games on SoCrwd and reap their rewards through certain perks with the brand offline, and vice versa.
“We are not trying to create a temporary solution for events, but a complement to on-ground social events in the future as we move deeper into the digital age. We will continuously be working on developing the platform as we go to make sure that we provide new and improved features with every learning and discovery we come across,” Ken continued to say.
Pricing and Availability
This new application will be available for download at no cost to the consumer. Additionally, there are no in-app purchases involved to join and participate in the public spaces of the virtual world. SoCrwd will be available to both Android and iOS users in Malaysia on 27th May 2021 onwards whereby users can login and complete daily missions for coins, customise avatars, host public and private rooms for friends or a larger gathering, join public spaces to meet other people and explore new worlds. In the next few months, users will be able to enjoy other features which will be available in phases. SoCrwd will begin exploring neighbouring countries in the near future.
