NEW YORK — Zeno Group has launched a global think tank focused on helping clients navigate the intricacies of Web3 to maximize business impact.

Led by Rob Stone, director of digital strategy and innovation at 3 Monkeys Zeno in London, Z3 will leverage insights from specialists in metaverse, blockchain, cryptocurrency and more to counsel clients and develop immersive digital experiences.

The initiative’s overarching goal is advancing clients’ brand engagement and corporate reputation. Z3 products and services include training, strategy, creative production, issues management and event production. Z3 also tracks and promotes diversity in the metaverse.

“The biggest mistake people make is going alone and not trying to collaborate with people that have a good understanding of the space,” Stone said, adding that some brands have experienced “challenging” entries into Web3. Difficulties facing brands include the complexities and skepticism of Web3, he said.

An early adopter of digital technology, Stone’s oversight of Z3 is in keeping with his current focus on developing client strategies for the metaverse, activating marketing campaigns that use VR and AR, launching cryptocurrencies and building NFT projects. Zeno consults clients on Web3 across multiple sectors including food and beverage, health, retail, financial communications, hospitality, and consumer products.

Zeno is simultaneously claiming it's own space in Web3 to boost the effort. The agency has acquired land on major metaverse platforms, particularly Decentraland, to serve as a ‘playlot’ for employee and client experimentation and interaction.

“These platforms will get quite big quite quickly, and now is the time for marketing, PR teams and comms teams to start thinking about how they integrate that into their broader marketing mix,” Stone said. Web3 is posing the same kind of challenges for brands that social media did a decade or so ago, he said.

“We’re talking about this big open world, often decentralized platforms. That can seem scary. That's one of the reasons we set ourselves up to provide an expert guiding hand for all of this,” Stone said.