Gamification and Digital Marketing

Gamification is a relatively new concept that uses game-thinking and game mechanics in a non-game context to not only boost productivity for the user, but also as a successful digital marketing platform. Gartner, a technology research firm, estimated that by the end of this year, 70 percent of the 2000 world’s largest companies will employ the use of gamification.

Gamification is all about incentive and competitiveness – apps or other platforms can tap into consumer’s natural desires for achievement, status, self-expression, and closure, all while marketing their product and helping the consumer along the way. While gamification is mostly currently driven by hype, it is still a worthwhile trend that is predicted to have significant gains over the next five years.

At the core of gamification strategy is rewards. It does not matter if these rewards are tangible; players who accomplish tasks are given points, achievement badges, jumps to the next level, or virtual currency, which can then be displayed loudly and proudly around various social media platforms. Another huge incentive for users is the display of accomplished tasks or a leader board, as the ability to compete against other users for top spot encourages user competition.

For a gamification application to be successful, it needs to utilize three major components:

Motivation

The correct balance between extrinsic and intrinsic rewards is a major factor to an app’s success. Extrinsic motivation derives from the rewards users receive outside of the app itself, such as better grades, weight loss, or saved money. Intrinsic motivation comes from the user’s own desire, interest, and enjoyment of the task.

Momentum

Momentum depends also on a balance, but with how engaged the user feels the app is. If the user finds the game to be too easy to gain points or achieve statuses, they may soon become bored with the process. But contrarily, if users find the app too difficult, frustration will override the desire to accomplish their goals.

Meaning

Without meaning, the game and therefore the user’s desire to play it, is nonexistent. Gamified applications must strive to provide rewards that are meaningful to the users.

The desire for users to be recognized among their peers and have a sense of personal achievement can be used as a driving force for digital marketers. But gamification does not have to all be about personal goals. Through the use of social incentives and rewards, users can also quickly become well-versed and active in various important discussions. Rewarding users on message boards with rankings, titles, star levels, etc, has been used for years to spur on discussions and communication about products or any other wide range of topics.

In terms of successful digital marketing, making gamification apps can result in business referrals, daily page views, repeat visits, customer retention, and new social connections. Brand integration is also a significant plus, especially when combined with other social media platforms.

Gamification can be and is used in multiple industries.

Success in outputting gamification applications does not rely solely on what industry produces them, but hinges on how well it can be integrated into the user’s life, as well as how much gain the user can receive from utilizing the app. Failed games come from a company’s excitement in producing an app without working out the imperative details of human behavior that would truly make the app something an audience would strive to use on a daily or weekly basis. While focus on the look and feel of a game and how the badges or point system work, human connections and motivations behind the game are ultimately what makes gamification apps a success.

Source: https://www.slideshare.net/wandameloni/gamification-in-2012-trends-in-consumer-and-enterprise-markets-13453048

Source: https://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/1844115