NFC Plush Drives Long-Term Engagement
Client: Universal Music Group Central Europe
Artist: CRO
Product: NFC-Plush Toy (“Crodie”)
Fan Experience
CRO, one of the most successful German hip-hop artists of all time, used ZATAP’s technology for his “Crodies”. These plush collectibles have a ZATAP NFC tag inside and come in six different colors. Each color represents a certain topic (i.e. red = “love”, green = “hope”, or purple = “joy”) and each color gives buyers access to a unique experience.
Fans keep their Crodie close to them and can tap it when they don’t feel well or need an energy boost (i.e. the red “love” Crodie activates self-love). The technology fosters continuous engagement between the artist CRO and his fan community.
The digital experience provides fans with the possibility to add a Crodie-Pass to their Apple or Google wallet to receive push-notifications from CRO and his team, and an opportunity to sign up for CRO’s newsletter.
Results
- The Crodies were sold out in a few hours and sold out again after they got restocked.
- Fans bought multiple Crodies, collect them (physically and virtually), and trade them on secondary markets (due to overdemand).
- The product serves as a platform to sell further products. Example: Fans who have added the product to their Apple or Google wallet received a message on Valentine’s Day, including the link to buy an exclusive Valentine’s Crodie.
Other Success Stories
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Client: Sony Music Entertainment Germany & Clueso
Industry: Music & Entertainment
New Chart-Eligible Music Format – Mini NFC-Cassette
It looks like a small version of an old-school cassette and has a tiny NFC tag inside. When fans tap it with their smartphone, they instantly unlock a digital hub filled with content from the artist and the released album. This new music format has already been approved for the charts in Germany and the United Kingdom, US charts will follow soon.
Client: Warner Music France & Christopher Maé
Industry: Music & Entertainment
Why You Should Sell Cassettes in 2026
Fans received a bundle of a HOHNER harmonica and a physical cassette with an NFC tag embedded. But why are fans buying a cassette, assuming most of them don't own a cassette player anymore? Tapping the NFC tag with the smartphone unlocks exclusive studio videos and bonus tracks from the album Fête Foraine, turning this collectible into a living fan experience. The physical-digital connection transforms the act of owning music into an ongoing relationship between artist and fan.
Client: Atlantic Records & Cardi B
Industry: Music & Entertainment
CARDI B captured 22.000+ new fan IDs
Fans attending Cardi B's tour could tap NFC tags or scan QR codes integrated into roll-up banners and posters to enter an exclusive raffle and unlock access to limited-edition tour merch, rewarding those who showed up in person. Powered by ZATAP, the experience required no app download and was built in less than an hour.
