Harper+Scott (asi/220052) is venturing into the metaverse.

The New York City-headquartered promotional products distributorship has launched a new division, H+S META, that will focus on delivering solutions in the realm of digital assets and experiences, including digital merchandise, virtualized events and showrooms, and nonfungible tokens (NFTs), which are unique and noninterchangeable units of data stored on a blockchain that can be anything digital, such as drawings, music, or even promo. 

The launch comes as promo products distributors increasingly diversify their offerings to provide a wider range of solutions to clients.  

Michael Scott Cohen and Jon Alagem, founders, Harper+Scott

Potential virtual products and experiences from H+S META include 3D animation and assets for NFTs, incentivized gifts with purchase for in-person events and tangible goods, virtual galleries and showrooms, meta-world community management and more.

Working on such initiatives within H+S META will be a team with expertise in digital merchandising, community creation and management, and 3D, executives said.

“This next layer of the business, H+S META, is the realization of nearly a decade spent building what’s new and next in brand,” said Michael Scott Cohen, Harper+Scott’s CEO/co-founder. “As the metaverse and its influence expands, we are uniquely positioned to serve as a true partner to our clients in building their virtual worlds, from merchandise to experiences and the community that’s cultivated between.”

Founded in 2014, Harper+Scott is a certified B-Corp that specializes in providing branded merchandise/promo products and private-label retail goods. Clients/campaigns have included household names like Sephora, Carnival, Compass, L’Oréal, Popeyes x Megan Thee Stallion, and Tim Hortons x Justin Bieber.

The move into virtual experiences expands what Harper+Scott can offer clients, enabling the firm to provide an “end-to-end solution” in both the traditional tangible world and the metaverse, said distributorship executives, who see huge business opportunity in the virtual space.

Just what are NFTs? Learn more in this special edition of the Promo Insiders podcast.

“As popularity for the 3D virtual world swells, leading brands are grappling with how to approach the virtual and augmented reality of the metaverse to capture lucrative sales and create brand evangelists,” Harper+Scott said in a statement. “With single sales of NFTs in the millions and increasing investment in virtual real estate growing 500% in Q4 2021, brands both big and small must stake their claim in the virtual world in order to remain relevant to their consumer.”

Jon Alagem, Harper+Scott’s president/co-founder, believes the company’s B-Corp status will help attract clients keen to work with firms that not only understand how to market and build connections in the metaverse, but who can do so while operating with verifiable corporate social responsibility.

“At a time when standards for technology, sustainability and ethical transparency are at an all-time high, we see an opportunity to continue to lead in the metaverse with our B-Corp credentials at the forefront,” Alagem said. “In doing this, we will create more meaningful connections for our clients with their customers, while also establishing new best practices for our industry in building a more socially responsible future.”

Harper+Scott has appeared on the Inc. 5000 and ASI Media’s list of the “Best Places to Work” in the promo industry. The firm’s Lindsey Cochran was a finalist for ASI Media’s Salesperson of the Year in 2021.