PR Tips · March 1, 2022

Genies Avatar Technology PR Case Study

By Virgo PR Editorial

Genies is an avatar technology company that raised nearly $40 million and grew past two million users after Virgo PR built the media campaign around its celebrity investor round and Gucci and Giphy partnerships. The campaign combined funding news, brand partnerships, and celebrity-investor announcements into one sustained press cycle across tech, fashion, and business media.

What does Genies do?

Genies builds personalized 3D avatars that appear inside iMessage, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger. The company already had relationships with celebrities and influencers using its avatars before Virgo PR came on board, but needed a partner to convert those relationships into sustained media coverage.

What did Virgo PR do for Genies?

Virgo PR built Genies' digital PR campaign end to end, covering content strategy, media timing, and placement. The agency advised Genies to have its celebrity platform users invest in the company directly, then built press coverage around those investments for the outlets, reporters, and journalists most likely to cover Web3 and digital identity.

Virgo PR also supported two brand partnerships during the campaign: a Gucci collaboration giving Genies avatars exclusive access to pieces from the fashion house's collections, and a Giphy integration letting users share their avatars as looping videos across platforms. Virgo PR wrote press materials for every outlet covering both partnerships and the investment round, and coordinated social support from celebrity users to extend the campaign's reach.

What results came from the Genies PR campaign?

Genies raised nearly $40 million in funding, aided by celebrity investors who became platform users before they became backers. The company grew past two million users, and average avatar-creation time rose to roughly 20 minutes per session.

Raised nearly $40 million in funding
Grew past two million users
Average avatar-creation session length reached approximately 20 minutes
Integrated its SDK across other apps, games, and 360-degree environments
Landed coverage in CNBC, Forbes, TechCrunch, AdAge, Business Insider, Hypebae, Highsnobiety, Bloomberg, and Adweek

Where did Genies get press coverage?

Genies and its Virgo PR campaign were covered across technology, business, and fashion press following the funding round and partnership announcements.

Why did Genies pursue celebrity-led investment?

Celebrity-led investment gave Genies a built-in press hook: investors who were already platform users first. That structure let Virgo PR pitch the funding round as a story about creator trust in the product, not just a capital raise, which is why outlets like Forbes and Bloomberg covered the investor lineup directly instead of running a standard funding brief.

Who should hire a PR agency built for avatar and Web3 technology companies?

Companies building consumer platforms around digital identity, celebrity partnerships, or Web3 technology face the same challenge Genies did: translating technical product features into stories mainstream media will run. Virgo PR works with technology companies navigating exactly that translation. Talk to Virgo PR about your next campaign.

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