In this special episode of the Blockchain Journal podcast, host David Berlind embarks on another unboxing adventure featuring a factory-dropped polo shirt from Lacoste's NFT-based customer engagement and loyalty program (better known as UNDW3 or "Underwater"). David explains how he found his way to buying a UNDW3 NFT with Ether (a.k.a. ETH, the protocol token of Ethereum) and then, in an act of "token gating," was able to use that card to gain access to exclusive benefits and customer experiences that are only available to UNDW3 NFT holders.

Throughout 2023, David earned points in the program by going on UNDW3 missions, similar to how they completed certain journeys in Starbucks' Odyssey NFT program. But those points had nothing to do with his right to access the factory drop. Whereas members in the Odyssey program were gifted certain physical items based on points earned (be sure to watch David's unboxing of the care package he got from Starbucks), his status as a UNDW3 NFT holder only earned him the right to purchase UNDW3-branded polo shirts, sweat pants, and hoodies. David picked the least expensive of the three to purchase with his own money: the polo shirt for $125.

Come along as David rips open the box from Lacoste, discovers what's inside, and figures out how Lacoste married the physical item to a digital, augmented reality experience using the Snapchat platform.

To watch the video version of this podcast or read its full-text transcript, go to:

https://blockchainjournal.com/analysis/unboxing-first-phygital-drop-associated-lacostes-undw3-nft-customer-engagement-program

The video can also be watched on Blockchain Journal's YouTube Channel at https://www.youtube.com/watch?Frsjfr6geBw