Ready, Set, Game! Utilise Gamification in Your Brand Activations

In a world where consumers’ attention is torn across multiple channels thousands of times a day, it’s increasingly difficult to capture, engage and convert customer intent online or in-store. 

Brands need to explore ways of extending browse time and engaging with consumers in order to encourage them to make a purchase. One way to do this is via gamification. 

What is Gamification?

Gamification is a technique that takes design elements from games to attract and retain customers. By implementing gamification tactics, consumers are driven to engage with a brand for longer thanks to elements of competition or reward enticing them. Gamification marketing campaigns vary, but typically consist of gamified loyalty programs, interactive quizzes, apps or digital experiences that complement an eCommerce in-store activation.  

Simple game elements examples include:

• Points – Users can collect points by winning a game, or each time they make a purchase. These points can then be exchanged for discounts or freebies.

• Badges – Awarding customers a badge for accomplishing something or for loyalty. Facebook does this via “top fan” badges for instance.

• Levels – Appeal to your customers’ sense of achievement by offering bigger rewards for reaching a higher level. 

• Leaderboards – Post players’ names and scores on your website or social media to appeal to customers’ competitive side. 

Gamification is great when it comes to getting attention from consumers. However it can also give brands valuable customer contact and behaviour data to use in marketing campaigns. By offering rewards for completed tasks online, in-store or at a brand activation, you could collect their contact information.

Gamification drives loyalty

One huge benefit of introducing gamification is driving customer loyalty. In our e-book, which you can download in full here, we look at brands that have started to utilise gamification, including Subway.

Subway Australia launched its first gamified experience in 2020. Consumers who purchased a sandwich and a drink in one of their stores were given a code to access the Sink a Sub game. The game invited customers to sink a submarine sandwich on a digital game board with meatball cannons, mirroring the classic battleships game (and Subway favourites!). 

Every player was guaranteed a prize, including free Subway cookies, drinks and meal upgrades which encouraged repeat customers and purchases from Subway’s physical stores. 

Another great example would be the 19 Crimes range of wines. They introduced “living labels”, where consumers download their app, scan the label and watch a real-life tale from a criminal of times gone by. It is as if the label has quite literally come to life on the bottle. This is fantastic for encouraging repeat custom as different versions of the label are released, creating a collection. 

Why should brands introduce gamification to their activations?

Gamified content is fun, interactive, challenging, and can even be relaxing, allowing users an escape for a period of time. 

Use gamification in your marketing and brand activations to capture customers’ attention at a time when most are exhausted by an onslaught of brand engagement efforts. The average consumer is bombarded with an estimated 6,000 – 10,000 marketing messages per day, which makes it increasingly difficult to reach them in a meaningful way through traditional methods.

We’re seeing brands constantly evolving to satisfy the ever-changing Macro Trends as Gen Z comes of age, the world recovers from the effects of the pandemic, and consumer attention is divided. You will discover all of the Macro Trends affecting brands in the retail space and what they mean for you in our e-book; Now, Next and Future of Retail, which you can download in full right here. 

Find examples of businesses already taking advantage of these trends and discover how your brand can benefit too.