Gamification is all around us, even though we might not be consciously aware of its existence.
If you’ve collected your Starbucks “stars” for a free coffee or strived to complete your LinkedIn profile to attain 100% on the progress bar, then you’ve experienced gamification.
In this article, we’ll explore what gamification entails and how you can harness its power to grow your brand and business.
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Gamification is a process for integrating game mechanics into existing non-gaming environments to motivate participation, engagement, and loyalty.
Non-gaming environments could be almost anything, such as a website, social media channels, online community, learning management system, or day-to-day operations.
The goal of gamification is to leverage our human desires for status, achievement, competition, and inclusivity to inspire us to collaborate, share, and interact with consumers, employees, or partners.
Game mechanics, such as points, badges, levels, challenges, and leaderboards help make tedious, mundane tasks more fun. They come from game-like dynamics such as rewards, urgency, pride, competition, and status-building.
The practice of using game principles in marketing programs has been around for years, for example, airline loyalty programs or happy hour in your local bar.
Gamification is closely related to the concept of a nudge, which makes it more likely that an individual will make a particular choice or behave in a particular way based on influences. There are several nudging techniques, including:
Note about the scope of the article
The scope of this article focuses on the application of game-design elements and game principles in non-game contexts to grow a brand and a business.
It does not include activities and processes to solve problems by using or applying the characteristics of game elements, found in serious games, such as the beer game to teach supply chain management principles.
The main benefit of gamification is user engagement. No matter what program you’re running, by introducing game principles, you’ll get more people hooked.
Gamification can have a positive impact on your brand, as it:
As a result of all the above, you can build your brand awareness, relevance, and loyalty, and increase your business profits.
Gamification can also have a positive impact in your workplace, as it:
You also need to be aware of the potential pitfalls of gamification. If you don’t execute your program carefully, you could find it:
Let’s take a look at how you can apply gamification to your business with some gamification best practices, implementation ideas, and success stories.
If you’re new to gamification, then don’t expect instant success – it takes time to build gamification into your business. Follow these best practices:
Gamification cannot make an inferior product or service successful. It works best when you convert an exciting, attractive experience into a richer, more participatory one. If your products or services are subpar, gamification cannot make them a success.
Gabe Zichermann, chair of the Gamification Summit and author of The Gamification Revolution, Gamification by Design, and Game-Based Marketing, warned that:
No amount of gamification could save a company that offers poor content or products.
Gamification is a long-term strategy, so it’s essential to allocate enough time for users to build their experience. Make sure that your program is appropriate for your audience in the long run rather than a quick one-and-done program.
Gamification must be approached strategically, rather than rushing things as a last-minute afterthought. So figure out how soon you need to gamify your site or application and what resources you’ll require.
Yu-kai Chou, author of Actionable Gamification: Beyond Points, Badges, and Leaderboards, advises marketers should make the desired behaviors enjoyable instead of stimulating action solely with rewards and badges.
Gamification results need to be tracked and measured. From a business perspective, you need to evaluate what’s working and what isn’t. It’s essential to understand how gamification is affecting your business and marketing goals. Plus, participants need to know how they’re performing in the program.
There are plenty of mechanics and dynamics that you can use to gamify everyday activities and business environments. Tech recruitment company Built In highlighted five elements that you could use in your gamification program:
Purpose instills the idea that you are specially chosen for a mission and are contributing to the greater good.
For example, the GPS app, Waze, encourages users to contribute real-time information about traffic and road conditions to help other motorists.
Progress indicates you’re overcoming your challenges and reaching your goal with points, levels, or a progress bar.
For example, LinkedIn displays a progress bar to encourage users to complete their profiles.
Pressure promotes taking immediate action and the feeling that you can’t turn back with countdown timers, streaks, or scarce collectibles.
For example, the language-learning app, Duolingo, motivates users to practice daily to keep their streak alive. Should they fail, then their virtual flame (streak counter) is extinguished.
Position lets you display your accomplishments and compete with — or compare yourself to — other peers or players with trophies, badges, leaderboards, or ladders.
For example, sales teams could use leaderboard software like Spinify to display top performers.
Play introduces extra fun and pleasure to gamification.
For example, Starbucks lets users collect more stars with Double-Star Days, Bonus Stars, and other games. On April Fools’ Day a few years ago, Google Maps let users play Pac-Man using the GPS roads.
Let’s take a look at a few examples of successful gamification programs.
The Starbucks rewards program allows customers to collect stars that go towards redeeming free drinks and prizes. Customers can either create an account online or download the app to collect their stars. Or, if they want to receive more stars at other retailers, they can use their Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Card or Starbucks® Rewards Visa® Prepaid Card.
The Beat The GMAT gamification program was started by an MBA student. It motivates current students preparing for the GMAT to achieve their goals by awarding them points and badges for completing different preparatory tasks.
The U.S Army uses gamification as a recruitment tool. Users can play military training games, like Proving Grounds, as a way to increase interest in joining the armed forces.
The Nike Run Club app lets you track your progress, stay motivated with custom playlists, get personalized coaching tips, and compare and compete with your friends and fellow runners.
The Stride Rite rewards program lets customers earn points every time they shop. Plus, they can also get points for following their Facebook and Instagram accounts and writing reviews.
Previously, Stride Rite also encouraged kids to try the new shoes in-store and dance in front of a screen to earn more points and coupons.
In the Loomly gamification program, users unlock badges and rewards (access to features, content, and online community, as well as discounts) when they create a certain number of posts.
Gamification introduces game principles to existing non-gaming environments to motivate user participation, engagement, and loyalty.
You can expect to see game mechanics such as points, badges, levels, challenges, and leaderboards used to trigger our human desires for status, achievement, and competition, and help make mundane tasks more fun.
When used correctly, gamification can have a positive impact on your brand, as it:
All of which help to build your brand awareness, relevance, and loyalty, and increase your business profits.