Hearst UK is building a metaverse experience for Cosmopolitan in the gaming world of Roblox and creating a virtual influencer for Elle UK.

            It has rebranded its events arm, Heast Live, as Hearst X and is aiming to create more immersive digital experiences using lessons it learned during the COVID pandemic and new technology that’s come to the fore.

            According to Mark McCafferty, executive creative director for the company, the move is to boost engagement as advertisers are now looking for a more meaningful metric than scale. It’s also a long-term strategy to prepare the publishing giant for Web 3.0.

            The story first ran in Press Gazette.