Gamification

One claim, that ‘gamification’ is the word of 2012. Other don’t even know what gamification is. I decided to a little bit of research about it and here are my results.

 

 

If you ever turned up to a specific pub at a specific time in order to redeem drink deals, then you are already active participant in the art of gamification.

Gamification is the process of introducing traditional game strategies into real-world situations to heighten a consumer’s propensity for participation. By adopting game mechanics, marketers are finding they can engage their consumers by playing to their inbuilt desire to achieve and be rewarded, in turn leading consumers to become more involved in the products they purchase.

The key to gamification is understanding what makes a game compelling in the first place – what drives people to engage in a game, what is satisfying?

Which would you rather – 90 minutes watching James Bond, or days and days of being him? To explore his world, to manipulate the story, to be in control?

So, are brand using this mechanism? Or yes, they do and here are a few examples of that.

Nike has been doing this for years and with their ‘just do it’ positioning were probably one of the first brands to begin thinking of themselves as a game. For Nike, the win condition is not having the best or newest sneakers on the block; it’s much more about the personal physical empowerments. That’s a game that everyone can play but can never, ever finish.

Nike+ Basketball and Nike+ Training – the two new experiences connecting digitally enabled footwear with interactive mobile applications that together deliver a revolutionary sport experience. Nike+ Training is your new personal trainer that delivers challenges and tracks your performance. Make your training experience inspirational, full of variety, competitive, and fun.

 

The new Nike+ Basketball experience breaks down the user’s game to deliver information and measurement, which in turn provides motivation. Nike+ Basketball measures how high, how hard and how quick players play each game.

Or another example – Foursquare.

 

Foursquare requires its ten million users to participate in order to attract commercial partners to the platform. By offering points and badges for checking in, they are again ensuring that the audience is able to judge how ‘well’ they are ‘playing the game’ and in turn attract new partners to the business.

Getting brand experiences that challenge, provoke and reward customers who engage with them is the way how long, mutually beneficial relationships are made. Success in gamification lies in finding and exploiting a brand’s sweet spot in the overlap between people, play and products.

However for gamification to be successful there has to be a reason and relevance for its use. Just because something becomes the latest social trend does not mean it is suitable for everyone. Brands should be cautious of gamification’s relevance and ensure that it actually has a purpose for their brand.

Update from April 2012 : for more information about gamification read this article and also this one.