Gamification: The Hottest New Marketing Trend
“Gamification is the concept of applying game design thinking to non-game applications to make them more fun and engaging” – short, sweet and to the point, Gamification.org! An increasingly popular tech trend, gamification can “potentially be applied to any industry and almost anything to create fun and engaging experiences, converting users into players.”
Gamification is practiced in order to increase user engagement, create sustained loyalty and ultimately, increase sales. There are several techniques that leverage people’s natural desire for competition, achievement, status, self-expression, altruism, closure and to solve problems. So what are some common gamification techniques? While the mechanics options are seemingly endless, the following are some of the more basic and identifiable:
- Achievements
- Bonuses
- Levels
- Points
- Status
Skeptical about the ability of a video game to create value in the real world? Consider Old Spice’s genius gamification marketing campaign, Dikembe Mutombo’s 4½ Weeks to Save the World, an 8-Bit style game where players control NBA legend Dikimbe Mutombo to prevent the 2012 end of the world. Users accomplish small quests that ultimately lead to adding more dates on the Mayan calendar to delay human extinction. Droves of eager gamers participated in the game, helping the Old Spice brand maintain their top-of-mind status with loyal youths.
So how can you successfully implement gamification to fulfill a desired business objective? Start with what you already know about the nature of your specific business. For example, if your main objective is to drive sales and you know that customer video reviews historically help drive conversions, gamifying this process might help you increase your bottom line.
Want to learn even more about this promising new business trend? Plan to attend South Florida Code Camp this coming February to see Applied Innovations’ Director of Marketing & Sales, Cara Pluff, speak about “Winning Customer Engagement With Gamification”! Learn how to maintain and increase customer engagement with proven techniques, and find out more about Applied’s advanced cloud hosting services. Call us today at 866-706-8691 for more information.
