The constant involvement of users in social networks and the active use of mobile applications have opened the door for marketers to the world of digital advertising. Today, the presence in the networks is no longer a novelty but rather a habit. Therefore, in the struggle for online attention, the one who will give more emotions to the consumer and force him to participate actively in the gaming process will win. Want to learn how gamification works in advertising but don’t know where to start? Then this article is just for you.
What is Gamification in Advertising?
As you know, advertising is the engine of trade. But what if this engine has low efficiency and does not bring the desired movement in the conversion. It becomes clear that it is important to convey the necessary information to the target audience and make it work for you – to create micro-conversions at each stage of the sales funnel. The easiest way to do this is to involve potential users in the game. The game will keep the client and make him return to using the product, again and again, providing loyalty. You need not only to transfer game techniques and embody scenarios in a digital plane but also to compile modern advertising techniques with advanced digitalization technologies. To begin with, let’s look at what gamification in advertising is and what its modern formats are.
Advertising gamification is the process of introducing game mechanics into an advertising product or service to increase its effectiveness. That is, it is a kind of digital marketing tool that brings fun, excitement, joy, and pleasure from winning, pushing the target audience to continue playing and improving the game result.
The goals of advertising gamification can be varied – from attracting attention to the object of advertising, increasing the activity and motivation of customers, to stimulating any targeted actions. And, of course, a nice bonus for a marketer is the viral effect of its launch!
As for the formats, the following will be discussed about the most requested of them in the digital advertising market.
Advertising Gamification Formats
Gamification in advertising is quite diverse and depends only on the imagination of its customer and developers. Here are just a few of them to help you achieve conversions.
- Banners – are the most common gamification format in ads placed on websites, mobile apps, or social networks. It manifests itself in clicking, scrolling, or other mechanical movements of the user on an interactive object (text, video, image) to redirect to the company’s landing page.
- Interstitial – is a separate format in banner ads. Scaled to fit the entire screen of the client’s digital device and is ideal for capturing attention with various play techniques). Digital agencies recommend using the format in conjunction with mobile gaming applications and only when the client is not involved in the flow of their main process. This will not annoy him and lead to a full conversion.
- Rewarded – a format that provides for the receipt of material and emotional rewards based on the interests and values of the target audience. It is important not only to support the desire of consumers to interact with the company but also to open new perspectives for them. So give users bonuses, coupons, discounts, use praise, and may the conversion be with you!
- Playable – Playable – how the format involves the promotion of the advertising object inside other applications. The advantage is that the member can test the product and, if interested, buy it or subscribe further.
Examples of Better Gamification in Advertising
Its results show the benefits of better gamification in advertising. Below are real cases of companies that could fully use it and increase their income by the right goals.
- Starbucks: advertising built on rewards and loyalty (Rewarded). It is based on the regular promotion “Summer game”, meaning that the client, participating in the mini-game, achieves goals and receives rewards for them. The game mechanics change a little every year, but the participant always knows that he will receive a discount without making much effort, with all the novelty of the graphics, the playing field, and the rules. As a result, Starbucks increases conversions, and the player has a daily seasonal game and the opportunity to purchase a product cheaper than usual.
- AliExpress: conversion through advertising for partners and sellers (Playable). AliExpress built its advertising strategy on the idea of providing merchants and partners with tools to create promotional games and win discounts. This approach allowed the company to increase conversion by increasing the site’s value. The partners and sellers, being co-authors of the game mechanics, provide loyalty. The innovation allowed AliExpress to gain another competitive advantage, thanks to its uniqueness and availability of modern digital technologies.
- Budweiser: motivation through gamification of advertising in social networks (Banners). Budweiser’s targeted ads targeted young people who could share a coupon for the company’s free product with their Facebook friends by clicking on an interactive banner. The recipient of the coupon had only to go to their Facebook account and activate it. Further, the mechanism was simple – come to the bar, show the coupon and get your free Budweiser. Needless to say, the virality of such advertising was ensured, and the company received its desired conversion in a matter of days.
Now, having lifted the veil on the world of advertising gamification, you can safely move towards its development and implementation in your company’s activities. At the same time, the benefit from such advertising will be mutual for all participants in the advertising process: the user will receive bonuses, points, or skills; you as an advertiser – a long-awaited conversion and loyalty; advertiser – income.
Checked by marketer Victoria Fedchenko
