Level up your brand activations with gamification

Gamification marketing can open a whole new world of innovative activation ideas for your marketing strategy and engaging and memorable customer experiences.

In today’s fast-paced and digitally driven era, traditional marketing approaches are often overlooked or fail to capture the attention of digital-savvy consumers. This is where gamification comes alive, leveraging the power of games and interactive experiences to engage, motivate, and captivate audiences.

We’ve put together some of our favourite gamification marketing strategies and activation ideas to help you and your businesses connect with your target audience, drive brand awareness and customer loyalty, and ultimately achieve those all-important marketing goals.

But what is gamification marketing?

Gamification in marketing integrates game elements and mechanics into marketing campaigns to engage and motivate the audience. By applying game design principles such as points, badges, leaderboards, challenges, and rewards, we can create interactive and immersive experiences that capture the attention and participation of our target audience.

It seems like a no-brainer to increase customer engagement and brand loyalty, enhance customer data collection, and generate valuable insights into consumer behaviour and preferences.

To learn more about how gamification can increase customer loyalty, read our previous blog here.

6 activation ideas for your brand marketing strategy

1. Spin the wheel games

Imagine a world where marketing strategies aren’t just about selling but also about having a blast. Well, welcome to the realm of spin-the-wheel games! These nifty little activations bring a playful twist to your brand’s marketing strategy. With a simple spin, your audience gets a shot at winning some fantastic prizes, exclusive discounts, or special surprises. It’s like injecting a dose of fun and excitement into your brand’s presence.

But wait, there’s more! Beyond the laughs and thrills, spin-the-wheel games also help you gather valuable customer data. It’s a win-win situation where your customers enjoy the experience, and you gain insights into their preferences.

2. Get quizzical

Who doesn’t love a good quiz? Quiz games are an excellent addition to your brand marketing strategy, offering a delightful way to engage and interact with your audience. By creating quizzes that align with your brand or industry, you can entertain and educate your customers while subtly showcasing your expertise. These interactive games spark curiosity and challenge participants to test their knowledge, creating a sense of excitement and friendly competition.

Quiz games also allow you to gather valuable insights into your customers’ preferences and interests, as you can tailor the questions to align with your target demographic. Plus, sharing quiz results and comparing scores fosters a sense of community among your audience. So, if you want to add fun and engagement to your brand marketing strategy, check out our previous Heineken Sports Round quiz campaign here.

3. Chase those referrals

Referrals are the secret sauce of brand activations, and they’re a game-changer for your marketing strategy. Why? Because there’s nothing more powerful than good old word-of-mouth. When someone enthusiastically recommends your brand to their inner circle, it carries incredible trust and authenticity. People listen to recommendations from their friends and family.

You tap into this influential force by incorporating referral programs into your brand marketing strategy. Your satisfied customers become your brand advocates, spreading the word and bringing in new customers. It’s like having a team of passionate supporters cheering you on. Referrals generate leads and build a vibrant community around your brand. Jet2 is a perfect example of this: our Window Wonderland campaign generated 43% of website traffic via referral.

4. In-app activations

In-app activations are a vital component of your brand marketing strategy. By integrating interactive features and exclusive rewards within your app, you engage users, collect valuable data, and create a seamless brand experience that keeps them returning for more. It’s a game-changer for building customer loyalty and driving your marketing goals forward. We worked with the online travel agency Kiwi.com to develop a digital activation and competition to promote their holidays within the Uber app. This initially launched across Poland and Romania, (intending to upscale across other regions in the future) and generated a huge 12,000 database opt-ins! Find out more here.

5. Add a splash of competition

Competition activations are a dynamic addition to your brand marketing strategy. Introducing contests, challenges, or competitions ignites a spirit of friendly rivalry among your audience. This gamified approach captivates participants and generates buzz and excitement around your brand.

Competitions encourage active engagement, foster a sense of community, and can lead to increased brand visibility and customer loyalty. Take our internal Elympics for example, this type of healthy competition sparks our colleagues to participate actively, resulting in more money for our sponsored charities.

6. Tapping into the seasonal spirit

Seasonal activations bring freshness and excitement to your brand marketing strategy. By aligning your campaigns with specific seasons, holidays, or events, you can tap into your audience’s collective enthusiasm and anticipation. Whether it’s a holiday-themed game, limited-time offers, or special promotions, seasonal activations create a sense of urgency and FOMO.

It’s an opportunity to infuse your brand with a seasonal vibe and connect with your customers on a deeper level. One of our recent seasonal activations was the Ryobi ONE+ Cup campaign, specifically targeted at the World Cup event. This proved to be a highly successful campaign, scoring a huge 34,000 sign-ups!

Conclusion

Harnessing the power of gamification marketing ideas is a game-changer, but the key lies in executing them flawlessly. That’s where Engage comes in. With our gamification strategies and brand activations expertise, we’re your go-to team for turning those ideas into a reality.

We understand that timing, features, and user experience are crucial. Whether you’re eyeing spin-the-wheel games, engaging quizzes, powerful referrals, captivating in-app activations, seasonal campaigns, or other exciting concepts, we’ve got the know-how to make it happen.

If you’re ready to level up your brand activation game, contact us today and learn more about how we can bring your next project to life.