“Are We There Yet?” is an educational yet entertaining content series that aims to uncover where the metaverse stands now and what’s coming in the future. It’s half talk show. Half road trip. Explaining all things metaverse—with Keke Palmer as our host in the driver's seat, asking the questions that are on everyone’s mind. Riding shotgun are the most interesting experts, creators, and educators sharing how they are making this virtual world a reality through AR, VR, MR and more.

Before Facebook rebranded to Meta in 2021, most people had never even heard of the metaverse—including the creatives working on this campaign. But the name change ignited a new conversation across every newspaper, TV station, podcast, and dinner table. Everyone was asking the same question: What is the metaverse? We set out on a journey to find the answers.

The brief for this campaign was to get our target audience, young adults, to feel excited about the possibilities of the metaverse. But the biggest challenge was how to explain the third dimension of the internet that doesn’t fully exist…yet.

When it came to explaining this new virtual world we needed a reliable narrator, so we teamed up with Keke Palmer to ask the burning questions that were on everyone’s mind. From our first call with Keke Palmer she expressed genuine interest in the creative possibilities of the metaverse and this curiosity continued throughout our entire production process. Keke Palmer was a relatable voice for our viewers, asking our experts questions but also breaking down the answers in a way that was easy for everyone to understand.

Inspired by the common question asked from the backseat of a road trip, “Are We There Yet?” is the name of our content series that aims to uncover where the metaverse stands now and what’s coming in the future. It’s half talk show. Half road trip. Explaining all metaverse—in a way that everyone can understand.

In the driver’s seat is singer, actor, and producer Keke Palmer interviewing the most interesting experts, each sharing how they are bringing people’s everyday passions to life through AR, VR, MR and more.

Production design transformed our set into a road trip ready for a whole new dimension. Set on a volume stage, Keke Palmer drove each conversation from the driver’s seat of a revamped 1988 Yugo made for the metaverse. On LED screens behind the car, we projected animated skies created by Unreal Engine with themes that tied into the conversation—like when Don and Keke are talking about self-expression and you see avatars choosing their next look.

The dialogue between Keke Palmer and the experts was concepted to feel like a talk show, leaving for improvisation and leaning into Keke Palmer’s voice. During one of the takes, Keke herself said “Wow, whoever wrote this really gets me!”

Ultimately, the show struck the perfect balance of explaining one of the buzziest tech breakthroughs of our lifetime, while also enticing people to dip their toe into the virtual world.

By connecting our episode topics to the things people already loved, like music, sports, gaming and more, we were able to capture the viewers’ attention and demonstrate the personal benefits of the metaverse. Understanding of the metaverse rose, reaching 42% in November 2022, as people watched over 21 million minutes of “Are We There Yet?” That’s 40 years! The campaign was one of the most successful Meta brand programs of the year in driving Meta Quest signups and reached 2.6 billion impressions with press in W Magazine, Entertainment Tonight, Buzzfeed and more.

“Are We There Yet?” continues to be a go-to source on the metaverse. Even if we’re not quite there…yet.