Gamification in marketing: strategies, benefits & real examples

Gamification is a term that has been used in marketing since the 2010s. But do you actually know what it means and how it applies in marketing?

The concept of gamification in marketing has developed considerably in recent years, particularly in sectors where it wasn’t initially expected, such as education, healthcare, and security.

In this article, we will focus on how gamification principles are applied in marketing. Why? Consumer brands are increasingly adopting new and innovative methods to stand out from the competition and collect first-party and zero-party data from their audience. And out of all of these methods, gamification is certainly the most fun way to do it! 🤩

What is gamification in marketing?

Hubspot defines gamification in marketing as: 

Gamification is still a relatively young concept, based on interactions that enhance the human-machine relationship, where user interfaces are designed to be more enjoyable, engaging, and motivating.

Definition of gamification in marketing

Gamification is inspired by game elements but used for non-game purposes. It involves transferring game mechanics into other areas, such as marketing. Researchers have yet to agree on one definitive definition for gamification. Nevertheless, the one by S. Deterding stands out:

Let’s take a closer look at each of the elements in that definition: 

• 🎮 Game elements are items from the game that players can interact with, such as avatars, levels, ranks, etc.    
• 🖌️ Game design techniques define how these game elements work and interact together, with the goal of motivating players.
• 🏞️ Non-game context refers to the business context in which the gamification method is being applied.

How does gamification enhance customer engagement?

In their definition, Petkov states that “gamification attempts to influence user behaviour through game design elements“. Meaning that the technique focuses on the emotional, motivational and persuasive elements of an interaction.

Gamification aims to increase user engagement and motivation. So, what can brands expect when using this technique? 

If applied efficiently and effectively, gamification can encourage consumers to perform tasks they wouldn’t have done otherwise. But for that to happen, the brand’s products and services need to be shown as enjoyable. How? Showing products in a gamified and visual manner has been proven to produce better overall consumer satisfaction and engagement.

The four rules for being a game

A crucial distinction needs to be made between ‘game’ and ‘play’. In the case of gamification, it is the term ‘game’ that is being used, which implies that determined goals are involved.

For a game to be a game, these four rules need to be followed:

1. A game must have predefined end goals for the players
2. A game must have a set of boundaries that determine how players act during the game (limitations and rules) 
3. During a game, players should adopt a lusory attitude, meaning that they accept a game’s arbitrary rules 
4. All players must be playing the game voluntarily

Specific end goals

A gamified experience can only be called gamification if specific end goals have been established and clearly stated.

So, with a predefined end goal, gamification has a clear purpose for consumers, and this will motivate them daily. Without a solid framework behind all the actions, they have no reason to continue or return to the game.

Pägen’s Repeat it! campaign launched with the Qualifio platform is an excellent example! Why?

As you can see, all four rules are present, making this the perfect gamified experience.

👀  Interested in our ‘Repeat it!’ format? It’s one of our advanced formats, and is available as an add-on to your Qualifio licence. Contact us for more information! 

What are the origins of gamification?

Are you ready for a quick history lesson? Thinking caps on, here we go!

From a technological perspective, gamification is a relatively young field of study. Researchers in human-machine interaction (HMI) have shown an increasing interest in it since the 2000s. 

The term gamification has therefore become increasingly familiar to the wider public since the second half of the 2010s. How come? This is due to the rapid adoption and proliferation of cheaper technology, the rapid evolution of digital marketing, the need to collect personal data from consumers, and the digital transformation of society, among other factors.

Playing games is in human nature

Playing games is a common activity in the everyday life of all animals and humans. Games have always been an integral part of human society. 

For many people, games provide an escape from the real world. So could games change the way we think and act in everyday life? Jane McGonigal, best-selling author and gamification expert, has written a book about how games have the potential to change the world and how they can make us better human beings.

What are the key components of a successful gamification strategy?

Let’s take a look at the key components that will enable brands to create a gamified campaign that stands out from the crowd. What do they need to put in place to get their audience to participate in their games?

For whom?

The most important thing to consider when applying gamification to a marketing campaign is remembering who it is designed for. Who is the targeted audience? 

For brands, the answer is straightforward: their community of consumers. So, they should be placed at the centre of the gamification mechanics, so that it feels like it has been made for them. 

How can you encourage a large number of consumers to participate in your gamified campaign? Motivate them! 

Motivation is the willingness to take action. But how? By providing them with a game that is desirable and feasible. Ensure that the game is both easy and attractive, offering desirable prizes for players. This will increase motivation to participate, but be careful not to have too much risk in the game or that it takes up too much energy. These 2 factors will decrease motivation.

Mastery

Mastery is each individual’s progression and acquisition of skills to pursue a specific goal when playing a game. In general, mastery is often a good motivator because the player must overcome obstacles to achieve a concrete goal. That creates a sense of achievement for players as they progress, and encourages them to continue.

Real-time feedback is essential for improving players’ mastery. How? Feedback motivates us to strive further. This is because our brain releases dopamine when something feels good. And, of course, we are biologically driven to repeat what feels good. 

Our behaviour constantly evolves according to our experiences with positive and negative reinforcement of our actions. And this is where Qualifio’s reward program comes into play. Reward programs enable brands to reward their audience for all their interactions, thanks to customisable member portals. 

Clever, right!? These programs aim to reward customers for their interactions, fostering a real sense of community. Thanks to reward programs, you can enhance your users’ mastery with real-time feedback!

Flow

The state of flow is defined when someone is in a state of deep immersion in an activity, accompanied by a sense of engagement and accomplishment. To reach this state of fluidity, you need to have a very good narrative. 

Narrative is the element that provides context and understanding for your gamified content. It not only immerses players in your game, but it also connects your story to your brand and helps your audience to understand your brand’s personality. 

Players want to experience something challenging, which allows them to learn more about the company. Therefore, narrative creates a framework for the unique experience that allows you to immerse your audience.

Other important gamification elements

✍️ Autonomy: give your players the freedom of choice and ability. This will help them to explore their creativity and see how far they can go in the game. A good way to do this is to create a customisable campaign where players can choose their names, create avatars, and so on.

🪞 Esteem is how players perceive themselves, how players are and want to be perceived by others. Self-perception is directly related to the goal to be achieved and the mastery of the game.

👩‍👩‍👦‍👦 The feeling of belonging is a human need because we need to interact and be in contact with others. Humans seek to establish relationships or to be part of a group to prove their existence.

How to apply gamification in marketing and why it’s worth using in your strategy?

Unilever’s brand Lipton had a precise idea in mind of the kind of game they wanted to create for their audience. They put everything in place to launch a unique campaign: Lipton’s personalised claw machine. 

The Qualifio team worked on integrating the third-party game into the Qualifio campaign framework, ensuring it respected Unilever’s visual identity. Why is it interesting to use Qualifio in this case? Because Qualifio made it easy for Unilever to:

• Integrate a third-party game that is not part of Qualifio’s catalogue
• Implement winning rules
• Collect first-party data in a GDPR compliant way
• Maintain full control over their data

What are effective strategies for implementing gamification?

In recent years, gamification has caught the attention of digital marketers seeking to attract a broader audience and promote their products in an innovative manner.

In their book “Press Start: using gamification to power-up your marketing”, Daniel Griffin and Albert van der Meer state that:

Gamification can be used in marketing in many ways: creating reward programs, creating games that promote your products, collecting first-party and zero-party data, etc. 👀

Want to know more about it? Read our LolaLiza’s success story with Qualifio.

Interactive marketing campaigns

At the heart of marketing gamification, you’ll find interactive game mechanisms. Interactive marketing requires the audience to engage, interact, or participate in your content to fully experience the brand. 

Why is this so important? It improves brand awareness, drives audience engagement, builds audience loyalty and converts prospects into customers.

A catalogue of 50+ interactive formats

How can Qualifio help you? We offer brands the possibility to engage their audience on all their digital channels via more than 50 interactive formats (quizzes, contests, animated games, etc.).

An example is worth a thousand words 🔽

Why is gamification useful in marketing?

The advantages of using gamification mechanisms in your marketing campaigns include creating more engaging and interactive customer experiences, as you provide them with a fun format that they can interact with.

✨ Gamification doesn’t just benefit customers, it brings real value to brands as well. So, it’s worth using it as a strategy to optimise the quality of the data you’re collecting, to improve customer engagement and loyalty, and to promote your brand. Integrate gamification into your marketing strategy to make it an integral part of your brand’s personality!

Gamification to engage customers in a meaningful way

The goal of marketing is to optimise the user experience to make them return to your brand. But how? To do this, you’ll need to understand what motivates people to engage with and to stay engaged with a brand. 

Gamification is a great way to encourage user engagement and enjoyment in non-game environments. Don’t hesitate to share tutorials or explanations so they can fully interact and immerse themselves in the game.

Social media (Instagram, Facebook, X, Pinterest and TikTok) represents their main way of connecting with their community of two million people. To get closer to this community and build meaningful relationships, the brand decided to start integrating interactive content and games into its digital marketing plan. This strategic move has enabled the company to engage its followers while also increasing website traffic and expanding its database by collecting first-party data.

 You can find more information about Mr. Wonderful’s success story with Qualifio here.

How to collect valuable first- and zero-party data with gamification?

Gamification can help you collect valuable data from your audience, such as insights into their preferences, habits, and buying behaviours, by tracking customer behaviour as part of the gamified experience. Need a quick reminder of what these types of data are? It’s right here 🔽

Zero-party data refers to information that a customer intentionally and proactively shares with a company. Why is it so important? It has 4 significant benefits:

1. The data collected is qualitative and accurate.
2. The data shared by the customer is relevant.
3. Zero-party data is very cost-effective.
4. The source and method of data collection are RGPD compliant.

First-party data is collected directly by companies from their audiences, customers and prospects. How is it collected? Via a form with an opt-in, for example! There are two types: declarative data and behavioural data. First-party data is helpful because it has been collected directly from the users that marketers want to reach! 

A global data collection strategy is essential for L’Oréal EMEA, as explained by Pasquale Egione, Consumer Engagement Program Manager:

That’s why the cosmetics brand launched a European data capture program directly integrated with their CRM. In terms of percentages, data collection is the main reason why L’Oréal use Qualifio.

Gamification to promote products and services

Encourage consumers and prospects to buy and talk about your products and services by improving their customer experience. Gamified experiences allow you to effectively transfer your ideas and personality to your users. They understand who you are and what you do, so they’ll find it easier to relate to you. And guess what? It will also increase your visibility through word of mouth!

A great example of a brand launching a gamified campaign to promote a product?

They placed QR codes on the cans and challenged consumers to go online to play a game. Once connected, consumers had to find the limited edition beer hidden in the image as quickly as possible. The prize for the winner? A unique piece of art created by street artists. They launched the campaign in France, the Netherlands and La Réunion and achieved a 59% completion rate.

Read more about this arty use of gamification.

A quick recap of gamification in marketing?

Gamification is still a relatively young field, but don’t be afraid to use it in your marketing strategy. Gamification will allow you to stand out from your competitors! You can use it in many different ways, such as creating games, offering reward programs, or promoting your products.

And you’ve guessed it, Qualifio can help! To get started with gamification in marketing, use the interactive and gamified formats available on the Qualifio platform. Easily create personalised experiences, collect actionable insights, and boost engagement while driving real results.