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Actionable Trends: Part 5 – Gamification

Posted on: June 2, 2022

Actionable Trends: Part 5 – Gamification

The gamification trend is lingering, and is suspected to continue to increase over the next few years. With the huge popularity of online games of all sorts, it’s not really surprising that adding an element of gaming to your marketing is going to garner results.

The concept of gamification is simple, although creating an effective gamified marketing element can be more complex. The benefits though can include fruitful sales, increased brand engagement, user generated content, and greater customer loyalty.

While MacDonald’s has their Monopoly game and Tim’s have their Roll Up, which are both hugely popular, gamification goes far beyond these types of contests. The goal is to change the perception of an advertisement into a fun game that offers rewards. So, rather than a consumer viewing a static “I’m great, buy me!” ad, they are invited to play a game where they can win rewards like discounts or free stuff.

 

 

HelloFresh uses a simple pick a box to get a discount with their Reveal Your Deal campaign. Starbucks used a brilliant “cup flip” challenge, where participants posted their videos to social media and winners got vouchers. The voucher downloads were more than double the targeted number. Texas Chicken created a memory game (like concentration) where you had to match menu items, very cleverly entertaining players while educating them and providing discounts to get them in the door.

One of the reasons that gamification works is that discounts that are earned are viewed as “wins” and “rewards” and are therefore much more likely to be used than a coupon that shows up in the mail. And, while we keep saying discounts, there are many other ways to reward winners.

Also consider a charitable angle. For example, offering points that can be communally collected to reach a target number that will result in a donation by the company.

The key points are to create something engaging and purposeful to your business objectives. Here are links for you to read more examples and get your creativity flowing!

 
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