In this article:
- The engagement inherent in gamification offers several ways for marketers to gain customer attention and increase sales
- Specific forms of games, though, have their own rules that may not quite fit a brand’s messaging.
Adopting gamification for effectiveness is backed by science that finds that when people are interested and engaged in a subject, they enjoy a shot of dopamine to the brain. Marketers can capitalize on that effect when utilizing gamification to engage customers and deliver a fun experience that associates warm and fuzzy feelings with a brand.
Gamified Home Decor and Shopping
Design Home: House Renovation is the name of the game. That offers an irresistible combination of video games and shopping.
Some of the pieces can be purchased virtually for the game alone. But the real big money would come through buying actual sofas, rugs, tables, etc. for one’s real life home. And that would be quite the payoff for the affiliated sellers and brands.
This is marketing that doesn’t feel like marketing because it draws the shopper in through active play. To get players even more motivated, it offers“Daily Design Challenges.” There is also a social aspect to it with voting on rooms and the possibility of borrowing from friends through the Facebook connection.
FOMO or an addictive component is also baked in with the possibility of advancing levels, gaining access to unlocked rewards, and the promise of discovery of “brands and trends,” as well as the “new pieces added every day.”
Generating excitement for new offerings
Building on brand loyalty is fundamental for sustained business. When you add in a crossover with another brand associated with play, you can add some fun to that fundamental strategy.
Adidas did that in partnering with LEGO for a range of products.
This past spring, when it introduced its Adidas Ultraboost DNA X Lego Plates shoes, priced at $200. While the collaboration alone generated buzz, LEGO pushed for even more engagement by sharing ideas for customizing the shoes on the “adults welcome” section of its site.
See 6 incredible ways to customize your LEGO® adidas Originals Superstar for ways sneaker collectors, designers, and just creative people who wish to share their passions on their feet found to use the shoes as a medium for imaginative arrangements. The idea is to inspire others to follow suit, engage more with the shoes and the possibilities inherent in connecting LEGO bricks.
Virtual games that promote the product
Speaking of LEGO and gamification, the brand aims to engage kids with a section of its site showcasing LEGO® video games available for PC, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch™ and other consoles.. Those are searchable by theme, which also leads to all related products.
For example, the Star Wars will direct you to the Rise of Skywalker game, where you could choose to be on the light or dark side. It also leads you to a view of the many LEGO characters and sets within the Star Wars universe. The same holds true for other themes for which there are many sets available.
LEGO also offers a range of apps, some of which are specifically designed to bridge the virtual game and the physical world. Among these offerings is what is called “EGO Hidden Side,” which promises live participation in a ghost story that can involve a number of players..
Gamification for FOMO
As described in Old Trick Done Well: Pokémon Special Edition OREOs, For Pokémo 25th anniversary, it collaborated with OREO to Issue a limited-edition collectible cookie that generates FOMO. The 16 distinctive Pokémon designs are promoted as collectible, motivating customers to buy multiple packages to be sure they get them all.
The OREO site warned fans of the cookie or the game that only some the limited edition packages will have all 16 version inside. And to truly complete their collections, they will have to buy enough to even obtain the “super rare Mythical Pokémon.”
Infusing new life into an old product
Gamification elements like AR can also be used to revitalize interest in a product that is usually not front-and-center of a person’s cooking experience. Table salt is a good example of that.
Nearly all of us use some in cooking and baking but don’t think all that much about the brand involved. Morton Salt wanted to get their attention, particularly as more people were taking up cooking at home when not eating out during the pandemic.
To that end, the brand introduced an integrated marketing campaign across all channels combined with QR codes on labels to activate an AR experience.That idea was to give customers “several fun and educational ways” to engage with the brand.
You can see the short video about it here
Tapping into the popularity of role playing digital games in marketing
While all the above are general gamification trends, there are much more specific forms of gaming that continue to gain popularity. The demand for massively multiplayer online (MMO) continues to grow, fueled by the increasing accessibility of online access, devices, and the time apart from in-person interactions increased by the pandemic.
The games are designed to be extremely engaging with life-like characters and details to make up an immersive environment. The games tend to involve fantasy elements in an alternative world, and many tap into some that have become familiar to us through films like Lord of the Rings and Star Wars.
Often, they center around epic battles between species that may be using highly advanced or medieval style weapons. When the Coca-Cola brand decided to go with an MMO as the backdrop for the commercial it released on September 30,, it went with the latter.
Spoiler alert: drinking Coke doesn’t just revive the player and the character in the game but makes the cross between an Orc and the Hulk gain enlightenment. He literally throws down his weapon and grasps the hand of his enemy is a show of solidarity that brings the whole world to the verge of shocked recognition.
Really, that’s what happens in the video to justify the brand’s tagline of “We are one Coke Away from each other.”
Coke describes the spot this way: “Discover the newest Coca-Cola story, an epic tale at the crossroads of worlds where a fearless warrior and a young gamer will pave the way to a new dawn, change the course of history… and unveil the true meaning of Real Magic. www.coca-cola.com/realmagic”
The question is: will this work for Coke? Perhaps not.
One of the comments from Kevin Sugrue explained that this approach:
“Lacks insight and understanding of esport gamers. This tries to approriate [sic!] the gaming trend in Coke’s pursuit of regaining relevance among a younger audience. You compete in MMO games to help your team triumph over the competition; not to unite the entire world.”
To tap into the power of gamification, you don’t really upend the rules of the game. MMOs aren’t played by people seeking an ideal solution to real life but to experience the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat without actually having to suffer death or injury.
Here Coke tried to plaster its “I’d like to buy the world a Coke and teach it harmony” jingle on a specific form of gamification culture that may just resent the intrusion. It’s a gamble that could prove to be an epic fail for the brand.