Gamification for the Mobile Marketer
The term Gamification has been making the buzzword rounds now especially with the emergence and adoption of smartphones in everyday life of most Canadians. But what exactly does gamification mean for marketing and getting your brand message out there?
Gamification is simply the use of gaming mechanics to get people to interact and influence a person’s behaviour about your brand or message. The buzzword crowd would have you believe that gamification is the next great coming in marketing, but there is nothing really new in the concept of gamification - brands and marketing campaigns have been running these types of ‘games’ for many years now, mostly in the context of in-person contests and promotions, TV commercials, and newspaper ads. What’s new is the ubiquitous access to smartphones and social media, which has created an ideal platform for the deployment and enablement of experiences tailor-made to campaigns which engage the user and have them “play a game” while engaging with your brand. Through the use of gaming mechanics like driving a simulated car through an obstacle course, comparing your scores against your friends on facebook, tweeting about events and scores, you are allowing consumers to “experience” your brand in new, fun, and interactive ways which leaves people talking about their experiences, and hopefully your brand long after the campaign has waned.
The key goals for any gamification based initiative are:
- Interaction and participation
- Gaming mechanics, motivation & feedback
Interaction & participation
The goal of all gamification based initiatives should be to engage consumers, especially the targeted brand demographic so that they interact and share their experiences with their friends, community.
Gaming mechanics, motivation & feedback
Gaming mechanics are the core of gamification experience - the actions, interactive controls that allow you to create a game based experience. Gamification taps into the desire or motivation that a user has to compete or participate in a game based experience. It’s natural for all of us to step up to a pinball machine or game console and try to “win”. Gamification taps into that urge and curiosity to beat the game or see how far or high points we can achieve. Typical gaming mechanics include things like:
- Points accumulation
- Levels of difficulty
- Puzzle solving/Challenges
- Challenger comparisons/Leaderboards
- Virtual rewards & goods
- Gifting of rewards
- Mobile device gestures
Motivation & feedback are the key elements of a gamification strategy. What motivates a user to interact with your experience? What is the feedback that the gaming experience delivers to them for taking the time to play? Common motivational and feedback factors are:
- Status amongst peers and friends
- Rewards for achievements and progress in a game
- Competitiveness
- Fun factor
What's in it for the marketer and brand?
The number one reason for building a gamification strategy and platform is to build a relationship with your target audience and to get people to interact with your brand and messaging, and begin or deepen the relationship between them and your brand. It’s this sort of relationship which can have a real impact on your brand and business. People who associate themselves with your brand are much more likely to shop your brand, and those who are not familiar with your brand will get to know it through their participation in the gaming challenge.
Someone who participates in a gaming challenge created by a brand is engaged and more likely to share:
- Personal information
- Opt-in for future targeted communications about your products
- Rate your products and provide valuable feedback
- Become a brand ambassador to all their friends and social networks.
