Cases of successful gamification — users love these apps . Gamification in a mobile application Gamification examples from well-known companies offline
Gamification (aka gamification, aka gamification) was talked about back in the summer of 2010, but developers really became interested in gaming capabilities in non-gaming applications after the amazing success of Foursquare, which showed that even paranoid users are ready for a lot for beautiful badges. And the history of the development of the company, and search query analysis point to 2011 as a turning point. After that, only the lazy did not experiment with gamification. In addition to the fact that badges, quests and points found a place in about every new startup at that time, companies began to appear on the market that made gamification their business (say, BadgeVille), a sure sign of the growth of the industry.
It is not surprising that everyone is just as quickly tired of gamification; in particular, because for lack of a precise definition, this term was remembered on occasion and without, and, of course, indecently dragged. A significant role in this belongs to the developers of video games, who hastened to disown what is happening (here's what wrote game developer and writer Jane McGonigal tweeted: "It's strange that my book is called the 'Bible of Gamification' - that word never appears in the book. Gamification and game design are not the same thing. And she is right - at least gamification is much broader, as it includes both game mechanics and other game elements.
However, with the growing interest in video games, interest in gamification is also returning, but no longer meaningless awards for the sake of awards, but attempts to make boring things interesting. And it's true better way regularly drink vitamins, do not forget about jogging and study no - the spirit of competition with yourself (or better, with a friend from Facebook) really makes you do what you need. Look At Me has put together 10 mobile apps that will teach you how to live better without dying of boredom.
WEATHER
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Good Weather invites us to take the weather less seriously than we were taught by school diaries and the sad need to loudly express displeasure at too hot or too cold weather. Instead, Good Weather has the latest weather reports in Winterfell (it's not winter there yet) and, most importantly, mini-games reminiscent of that Doodle Jump, then stuffing the ball against the wall and thematically related to what you see outside the window. It seems that the main purpose of Good Weather is not only to entertain users, but also to make them check the weather more than once a day. |
TABLETS
SPORT
DRIVING
TRAVELS
PURCHASES
SEX
BANKS
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Banks, while becoming friendlier and even launching mobile apps, have yet to figure out a way to get people to talk to them more often than with card reissues or other issues. MovenBank went further than others in this respect - an online bank that does not even require a card, since you can pay with a sticker on an iPhone - in all terminals that accept MasterCard. Moreover, MovenBank keeps track of your income and spending and even awards special points, the number of which allows you to judge your financial health. |
We continue to play games even when childhood is long gone. After all, it is interesting, distracts from the routine, gives the illusion of new achievements ... And marketers all over the world are well aware of this. To attract a potential buyer or to keep an already established client, they are increasingly using game elements. Today, this phenomenon is so popular that it even occupies a separate niche in marketing, and its name is gamification.
It is about it that will be discussed in our article, as well as why gamification is needed in business and how to implement it. And to make it clearer for you, we will back up the theory with cool examples of gamification from well-known companies.
What is gamification
Traditional types of advertising are no longer as effective as they used to be. Alas, people are becoming more and more annoyed when they hear / see another ad, and many develop the so-called banner blindness. Advertising budgets are wasted, sales are falling... Gamification comes to the rescue: it is less intrusive, and it can be much more useful.
Gamification (English gamification), as well as gamification, is the inclusion of game elements in standard situations outside the game. It is essential to engage and motivate people. When it comes to business and sales, such situations can be choosing a product, getting advice or a discount, signing up for a newsletter, and much more.
The elements of the game involve and capture, make you experience the situation and connect emotions. As a result, the areas of the brain responsible for receiving pleasure are activated. That is why content with elements of the game evokes a greater response from the audience and holds its attention for a long time.
Why you should add game elements to your marketing and how to do it
The main goal of gamification is to increase sales, which is achieved through:
- increasing customer confidence and loyalty;
- a more detailed study of the target audience, its motivation;
- assistance in strengthening the brand;
- Attraction of new clients;
- distribution of information about discounts and promotions;
- building a brand community.
Gamification does not mean creating a standalone multiplayer online strategy game with a million dollars at stake. Game elements or a small game are enough to attract customers - these can be quests, tests, puzzles for quick wit or dexterity, branded photo filters, a time-limited auction, simulations, all kinds of interactive activities, and even, it would seem, such a banal accumulation of points for purchases or miles for air travel. Of course, there can also be a standalone game (but always with reference to your company) - simple enough to remain interesting for repeated play. Or valuable.
At the same time, any gamified content must meet certain criteria, otherwise it simply will not work. Let's analyze the basic principles of successful gamification:
1. Motivation. It is necessary for the user to join the game. Motivation is something that will be valuable to him (for example, a discount or a certificate for a service, as well as status) or, for example, will save him from worries (allow him to forget about a hard day at work or distract from problems). To do this, it is important to know your target audience as much as possible.
Big discounts are a good example of motivation. You can read about how to use them to the benefit of the seller in our article "".
2. Status. Marketers are divided into two camps - those who believe that people want freebies, and those who are convinced that they need status. But you can combine both, as, for example, the Chitai-Gorod store does, issuing a favorite shopper card with a discount on future purchases. How does the principle of status work? Comparing yourself to others spurs you to actively participate, to reach new "game" heights. Receiving the next status improves self-esteem, and therefore, causes pleasure, which is automatically projected onto your products / services. The status can also be playable, purely formal (for example, the title of Coin Master or Agent 007, as well as virtual badges).
3. Reward (result). It can be related to motivation and be a promised prize - it is important to know your target audience and give exactly what she needs, and not what you want to get rid of (if there is any goods in the warehouse). In addition, an increase in status or personification of offers can act as a reward. A striking example is the transition to another level, from a silver bonus card to a gold one.
Remember that any task must be doable, and the reward must be worth the effort spent by the participant!
In addition, the necessary conditions for successful gamification are voluntary participation, simple rules and a clear goal, an interesting plot / theme. The presence of competitors and feedback will not be superfluous either.
Game elements can be adapted to almost any business, even if you sell shawarma on the market. But they must be used wisely. Therefore, below we will tell you what elements of gamification are used by well-known companies. You can easily customize them for your business.
Examples of gamification from well-known companies offline
Why do elements of gamification in marketing attract and engage the audience? They arouse interest and emotions (positive or negative), make you think or show ingenuity and dexterity, and sometimes even shock! Let's not be unfounded, let's move on to specific examples of gamification in business.
Heineken
In 2013, Heineken offered an exciting promotion for those who wanted to get to the finals of the Wembley game: 20 red chairs were installed in Milan and Rome, each of which had a ticket for the game hidden under it. Only it was not easy to find them, and the time limit and competing participants made the task even more interesting!
Similar quests are actively used by other companies, and you can do it too! Hide a few certificates or discount coupons for your goods/services somewhere in the city. Engagement is guaranteed.
"Tinkoff Bank"
Another interesting quest organized in 2015 domestic brand. He definitely knows how to drive sales! Tinkoff Bank offered all cardholders a game with prize funds 1 million rubles. The quest included 7 tasks related to banking services (for example, pay for a purchase with a card in any store or transfer a certain amount to any charity fund). After completing each of them, the participant received bonuses (than harder task, the more bonuses) and an SMS message with a new task. During the quest, credit card turnover increased by 40%! In 2016, the quest was repeated. As a bonus - crazy activity in social networks.
Such an interactive requires careful preparation - thinking through various scenarios, questions, all kinds of pitfalls - so you will need much more time than just hiding tickets. But it's worth a try.
Samsung
In 2013, the Samsung S4 smartphone entered the global market. In Zurich, an interesting action was organized for everyone - it aroused great interest of the audience and drew attention to the brand, and the company was able to increase sales of new products.
To get the latest smartphone model absolutely free, you had to look at its image for a certain time and not look away (this condition was controlled by special tracking sensors). At the same time, strange things began to happen around, which it was difficult not to be distracted by ... Watch the video (it's very cool!) And you'll understand everything.
Other brands also use strength and endurance tasks. For example, Reebok regularly offers a discount on their products equal to the number of exercises (thrusters, burpees or pull-ups) that you master in 60 seconds. Not a bad way to increase sales, agree?
Give your audience an interesting (and doable!) task of ingenuity, dexterity or endurance. Let it not even be related to the subject of your business. Offer, for example, to stand on one leg for 5 minutes and give the most persistent a certificate for your product / service. Just do not forget to announce the promotion among buyers, on social networks and on your website.
Nike
Nike is known as a brand that inspires new achievements. And within its company released a full-fledged game application Zombies Run! It was released back in 2012, but is still very popular today.
By the way, Nike still has a cool Instagram profile, which is included in.
The essence of the application is to motivate players to run. Yes, not just like that, but running from zombies! For the successful completion of missions, the player receives bonuses that can be spent on arranging a virtual camp in the application. What's with the zombies? While running, the player turns on his playlist, in which the sounds of a zombie chase are periodically wedged. It makes you run much faster, believe me!
The app may not be much of a sales boost for Nike products, but it does show great audience engagement, as well as counting time, distance, steps, and even the calories you've lost running from zombies. And by the way, Zombies, Run! there is a trial version that includes only the first few missions, but you will have to pay for the rest. Monetization of the application in its purest form;)
"The walking Dead"
A little more about zombies, but a little more real. In 2014, the world was waiting for the next season of The Walking Dead, and they came to Austria not only on TV screens, but also on bus stops. Look how many genuine emotions this event caused!
In this case, augmented reality was chosen as an element of gamification - a very promising technology in various fields, including marketing. Just remember what a surge in popularity the Pokemon Go app has received! Now this technology is used by companies from completely different industries, from IKEA to Danone.
“Walkers” at stops are, of course, more advertising, but, nevertheless, they are also a great example of gamification with a wow effect! Emotions and interactivity - 100 points.
After reviewing examples of gamification (“ the walking Dead”, perhaps not counting), you may notice that most of them contain:
- reward - a valuable prize or status,
- the competitive factor
- time limit,
- voluntary participation,
- simple rules.
Using these conditions, you can already come up with several game elements for your business right now, because now you know exactly how to make gamification.
