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Gamification marketing is the future of marketing and is the option that marketers should be looking at for better results and conversions. However, not many people are completely aware of what Gamification of marketing is.
What Is Gamification Marketing?
To put it simply, Gamification in marketing is the idea of using simple, interesting games as a marketing campaign for customers to play and win some sort of reward, coupon, or points.
Basically, gamification marketing is used to enhance brand loyalty and to make your brand more viral. When a customer starts to play your game -which is hopefully an interesting and simple one- and they get rewards after completing tasks, winning challenges, and referring their friends, this will certainly get your product to get more viral and popular. Now, you are not only rewarding your existing customers to make sure they stay loyal to you, you are also using this exact customer to get more customers from them who will also be loyal to you. Gamification marketing partly depends on word of mouth among customers.
Using a gamification marketing strategy depends on knowing who your audience is. In addition to knowing how to get them to remain interested in your game. If you implemen gamification marketing strategy correctly, it can help overachieve your target.
Explore the Benefits of using Gamification Marketing
1. Keeping Your Customers Loyal
Giving your customers awards and coupons for having a fun experience through your game makes your customers happy and more likely to keep going back to your brand for more awards. A pleasant experience is essential to get more customers to play your game.
2. Gamification Marketing Increases Engagement
Gamification marketing leads to having active participants in your marketing campaigns. Additionally, active participation means more engagement rates as well as higher conversion rates. Using gamification in sales and marketing can be essentially rewarding through increased engagement rates, this is why more marketers are resorting to gamification marketing activities.
3. Data Collection for Marketers Decisions
For marketing campaigns to work well, they need to target the right customers by knowing the customers’ needs and interests. Gamification marketing activities provide opportunities to gather valuable earned data. This helps marketers to better understand their audience to make more informed decisions towards them.
4. Gamification Marketing Depends on Social Sharing
To get more individuals to share your game with their friends and the rewards they receive from playing a simple game you have to depend on word of mouth. This will extend the reach of marketing efforts. Accordingly, social sharing is essential for gamification marketing.
5. Implement Incentivized Actions
Gamification marketing activities can enhance conversion rates using actions like referrals, sign-ups, purchases, and so much mrore. Customers can get more rewards in exchange for referrals, for example. Accordingly, this will lead to more new customers and higher engagements.
6. Do Market Research
Not only gamification in marketing can achieve targets, but it can also increase how well marketers know their market by collecting the needed data from their customers. Using games and gamification marketing in market research will be a game changer for marketers. Marketers are always looking for ways to include more customers and the right customers.
A recent study discovered that integrating gamification with concepts from service marketing could aid researchers in investigating the potential of gamification for enhancing marketing strategies. This approach could also facilitate the alignment of gamification with broader business strategies, bridging the gap between the realms of game studies and marketing expertise.
5 Ethics of Gamification in a Marketing Context
Despite how following a gamification marketing strategy can be beneficial in overachieving targets and increasing sales, it can also be a bit tricky if not applied correctly in terms of ethics. The ethics of gamification in a marketing context are various and marketers should pay attention to them beforehand if they intend to use a gamification marketing strategy.
1. Stay Transparent
Provide players with clear explanations of the game’s rules, goals, and the rewards they can earn. Stay away from any tactics that could lead users astray or make them uncertain about their involvement. You want your customers to have a positive point of view regarding gamification marketing activities, you don’t want to deceive them to achieve them.
2. Get Informed Consent
Obtain informed consent from participants before collecting their data (earned data) or involving them in gamified experiences. Clearly explain how their data will be used and give them the option to decline or opt out of the game completely.
3. Protect Your Customers Data and Privacy
Protect user data and ensure compliance with data protection laws. Only collect and use data that is necessary for the gamified experience and provide users with control over their data. This point is extremely important because it protects your customer from any data breaches that may harm them and protects you as a brand against any lawsuits that may come your way from a customer who suspects any breaches from your side.
4. Keep It Fair
Craft gamified interactions that are just and impartial for every participant. Prevent scenarios where certain individuals may gain an unfair edge or where specific groups are left out. Ensure that everyone has an equal shot at enjoying the experience.
Additionally, strive to create an inclusive atmosphere where diversity is celebrated, and the game accommodates a variety of backgrounds and abilities. By fostering a level playing field, you enhance the engagement and enjoyment of all players.
5. Keep Cultural Differences in Mind
Consider cultural differences and sensitivities when designing gamified experiences. Avoid content that could be offensive or inappropriate in certain cultural contexts. Ensure that the content you incorporate is respectful and aligned with the values of different cultures, steering clear of anything that might unintentionally offend or be deemed unsuitable within specific cultural contexts. By doing so, you create a more inclusive and engaging environment that resonates positively with a broader audience.
What Are Gamification Marketing Examples?
Now that we have explained Gamification in marketing, its advantages, and possible disadvantages, it is important to explain this further with some gamification marketing examples from some famous brands and companies.
1. KFC’s Shrimp Attack
KFC Japan recently added shrimp to its menu, and to boost its sales and create more awareness of the product, KFC launched a gamified campaign. The game was called “Shrimp Attack” a gamified marketing strategy that includes a video game where users could play to earn points and get discount vouchers.
Ironically, the game had a 91% completion rate with over 800,00 total plays. The shrimp product was sold out due to high demand, pushing KFC to end the campaign to stabilize the supply and demand.
2. Google’s Badges
For quite some time, Google has been spicing up its public features with a touch of gamification. Take, for instance, people who love catching up on Google news – they can earn themselves a whopping 500+ badges. This twist is all part of the game, using the power of gamification to gather feedback faster, introduce tasks that are totally doable, and set goals that come wrapped in storylines.
Google even added gaming into its logo. While the logo changes to celebrate different events, sometimes it becomes more than just a logo – and a game is added to it. For example: Google rolled out a Pac-Man logo that was playable for their 30th anniversary. They even turned it into a video game to honor Les Paul. The magic of gamification in marketing is alive and well here. Turning the Google logo into a game has been proven to be a traffic magnet, boosting visits to its search page like never before.
3. Starbucks Rewards Program
Starbucks employs gamification in a clever way through its “My Rewards program” within the Starbucks app. This approach effectively enhances both sales and online activity. Participants gather stars and rewards, which they can later redeem for their preferred food items or beverages.
4. Domino’s: Pizza Mogul
Domino’s pizza used gamification marketing in their campaign by making customers build their Mogul Pizza in a game. Within 11 months, the Pizza Mogul project garnered an impressive 63,000 users, who collectively crafted 130,000 unique pizza creations and generated over 10,000 pieces of user-created content.
5. Microsoft’s Gamification for Employee Performance
Microsoft also used a gamification strategy in training and courses. Microsoft’s gamification involved using various game elements to enhance employee performance. Microsoft teams is one of the most popular software across different organizations because of its gamification.
Enhancing training methods makes the process of acquiring Earning Dynamics, Azure, and Office 365 Certificates more engaging. These improved solutions incorporate hands-on labs, instructional videos, and thorough Microsoft Certification preparation.
Now that you have learned all you need to know about gamification marketing, it’s time to implement this in your brand. Create your game for your audience now!
