Millennials, in general, value experiences over things. But how does that work when events are largely on hold, thanks to a prolonged pandemic? A growing number of companies are filling the void by connecting the general public with a long list of celebrities for virtual meet-and-greets, personalized video messages and more.

Consider Cameo, which charges people anywhere from $5 to more than $2,500 for a recorded message from a star. The company’s CEO Steven Galanis told Vulture a year ago that it was “almost tailor-made for the social-distancing era.” Cameo generated $100 million in sales in 2020, more than four times its 2019 revenue, and is valued at $1 billion, according to The Wall Street Journal. The app reached a milestone of 2 million downloads and 1.3 million Cameos recorded in 2020, according to CNBC.

Launched four years ago, the platform has more than 40,000 celebrities (with varying levels of fame) available to record birthday greetings, congratulatory messages and more. Oftentimes, those messages end up going viral on other social platforms – like when singer Smokey Robinson mispronounced Hanukkah in December.

My mom grew up on the same street as Smokey Robinson in Detroit. So for Chanukah, I wanted to reunite them via @Cameo. But the video takes a strange twist. pic.twitter.com/IZ3S9WusiJ

— Jeff Jacobson (@jeffjacobson) December 13, 2020

Another take on the concept is Looped, which has developed proprietary virtual meet-and-greet technology and has expanded into the livestream and co-viewing space to connect celebrities, athletes and creators with fans. Last year, for example, the cast of hit musical Hamilton assembled for a charity event called Ham4Change on the platform, raising more than $1.1 million for nine nonprofits working on fighting racial injustice. More than 15,500 tickets were sold for the livestreamed event, as well as over 1,000 virtual meet-and-greets with 35 cast members.

Looped has also been used in conjunction with merch giveaways – adding value to already appreciated promotional products. Earlier this year, the app worked with Bose and the NFL to surprise front-line workers with a Bose gift box in addition to a virtual video call with quarterbacks including Russell Wilson, Baker Mayfield and Joe Burrow.

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 Other similar services include Vidsig, a San Francisco-based company that specializes in live-video conversations with celebrities. And Facebook is running public tests of its Cameo-like platform called Super. And, of course, there are quite a few services like Zoom, Hopin and Grip, trying to corner the market on virtual events and livestreaming services.

“There are many people playing in this space, which is the good news because it’s the future,” Faisel Durrani, co-CEO of Looped told TechCrunch. “Those that create the most innovation will be the ones that win. The question is: How do we build new products for further engagement?”

It’s worth keeping an eye on these types of virtual experiences, especially when there’s opportunity to pair them with creative kitting and themed promotional products. Consider also the potential to create merch lines for rising celebrities, rebuilding their audience through platforms like Cameo and Looped.

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