Gamification is a concept frequently encountered in the field of digital marketing and advertising, but in my experience brands donโt use it often. Here are some key points โณ๏ธ to consider if you are planning to make a gamified brand campaign.
What gamification actually means? ๐พ
It means that we can use game mechanics in interactive campaigns to make more engaging and fun experiences for our customers.
What are game mechanics? ๐น๏ธ
- These are all things that players do when they play game: throw a dice, run, walk, jump, mark an object, shoot, moveโฆ
- And all things that game designers provide for gamers to track their identity and progress in the game: avatars, gadgets, levels, progress bars, badges, awards โฆ and so on.
Why should we use it? ๐ฏ
When we make awesome experiences as the outcome we can have several benefits:
- Customers think that the brand is โcoolโ (we build brand loyalty)
- Customers share cool experiences on their social networks (we raise brand awareness),
- Customers tend to return to have more of the awesome experiences (we have more returning customers which reflects also on our website traffic and SEO),
- We can build user database by sharing prizes with leaderboard and so onโฆ
How can we use it? ๐งฉ
- We can use it in interactive banners โ get people to play something simple to click or tap before they open the landing page.
- We can use it on landing pages โ Create simple game with leaderboard, for users to play free or to get on the board if they log in.
- We can use it on mobile websites and apps in combination with location data so that users make some treasure hunt, scan some QR codes or similar.
- We can use immersive spaces to make some really super awesome experiences
Are there some downsides? ๐
- Website security can be in danger because if not developed properly they can be hacked.
- If the game mechanic is not properly planned and designed it can turn out to be a boring game and have bad ROI.
- It can be pricey, and difficult for production if you donโt have experienced team.
How can we ensure we create an awesome experience? ๐ฑ ๐ ๐
In order to be a winner in the gamification we should:
- Make sure that we carefully plan user flows through media.
- Create game mechanics that are not too easy for experienced gamers (and there are many of those โ think about housewives and grannies who lead in Bejeweled puzzles and Hidden Object Games ) and not to difficult for newbies (users that donโt play game regularly), the key is to make it enjoyable for both experts and new gamers or let them choose difficulty levels.
- All visual items should look great and be inline with the brand but donโt โoverbrandโ it โ they know it is your game, you donโt have to make your logo or product the main character in the game.
- Enable them with option to share their success on social media.
- Have a dedicated support or forum for players (customers) who would report bugs or give you some fresh ideas. Make sure that conversation flows both ways.
Some examples:
PromeAI is asking you to share your link and get some free coins in order to play with Image generator for free.
They used the simple gift mechanic like when you do something in the game you win coins for you and your friends. Simply awesome!๐๏ธ
You can learn learn some nice foreign words on Duolingo, and a lot about gamification.
They use narrative approach to onboard you to game (little owl) , progress bars, levels, rewards and losing harts๐ when you make mistakes, so they pump your adrenaline and engage you to make an effort and enjoy the game of learning. Super awesome indeed! ๐
If you are working for a brand that has solid budget you can design 360 marketing campaign and include some Rich media ads on popular websites ๐ฉ๐พโ๐ป. You can crate a simple game inside banner so that visitors can play and have fun ๐น๏ธ before they are taken to the landing page. I sketched an example in Figma for car racing than can be used for a new electric vehicle promo campaign. These banners really stand out! ๐
The most awesome experiences are the immersive ones. With 3D Web Social platforms like Journee and Spatial you can create custom experiences that are truly memorable and amazing ๐๐พ ! With the help of game engines Unity and Unreal Engine, these platforms offer great opportunities for brands to express themselves, create something fun for their customers, and host events in 3D environments. That is meta awesome! ๐๐พ๐ช๐ฑ
Get Creative Direction
Letโs connect and make some awesome gamified campaigns! ๐ ๐ ๐