The gamification is one of the major trends in marketing in recent years , it can be defined as the process by which they integrate dynamic and game mechanics in non – recreational environments such as businesses, communities, web portals, campaigns … to increase participation and loyalty. Therefore, its main objective is to achieve greater customer / user commitment to the brand. We play?
More and more companies They are adopting gamification to their marketing strategies, they know that by nature we human beings have certain basic needs and concerns related to the field of play, such as: getting a status, having the desire to get a reward, being competitive, having the need to achieve an achievement, etc. If we apply game dynamics and mechanics to the business world and its marketing actions , we can attract and retain customers, create customer experiences that get them involved, or turn certain boring tasks into exciting, dynamic and attractive ones.
The main mechanics that gamification uses to integrate the game into the business environment are: points, levels, rewards, classifications, challenges, goods, missions.
-Points: are used to reward users for reaching certain goals or following certain behaviors in a game. Points have great motivating power as they provoke the drive to earn them and also to preserve them.
-Levels: they are another of the aspects that most motivate a user or player. The levels are established as milestones or objectives, and once they are overcome they grant a higher status or unlock new content.
-Classifications: they are a classic in games. Establish a classification or ranking by ordering the highest scores of the players from highest to lowest. It gives the user fame and emotional rewards, in addition to having the desire to be ahead of other users.
-Challenges: the objective in gamification of the challenges is for users to compete and challenge each other. It is typically used in multiplayer games that under certain circumstances need a more individual user experience.
-Goods: in many games there is an area within it to redeem the accumulated points for accessories, improvements, abilities … the goods cause the user to have to obtain and accumulate points to redeem them.
-Missions: without them a game would be meaningless. The player needs to find a target to fight for. Any game is made up of different missions and all of them together make up the complete game.
-Rewards: if the missions offer the player a goal to fight for, that goal is represented by the prizes, which are the physical or virtual reward for achieving it. Prizes may be visible to other players as it is a way of promoting competition between them. The most common rewards are gifts, trophies, achievements, medals, etc.
Examples of gamification:
BBVA GAME:
We could say that it is the biggest gamification success story in Spain. Thanks to marketing based on game mechanics and dynamics, the well-known Spanish bank has managed to increase and retain its customers, in addition to achieving a significant reduction in costs.
The idea of implementing a game-based process on your portal came from a need. After analyzing its website, BBVA realized that most of the services it offered were not used (transfers, account reviews, registration of new plans, paying bills, etc.). The main problem was the lack of knowledge of these services due to part of the user.
The solution to this problem was to apply gamification to your web portal by creating the “BBVA Game” marketing action, which consists of a very simple operation: users accumulate points simply for using the services of bbva.es, such as checking your bank accounts. The higher the use, the more points they get and therefore more prizes. When the user registers in the BBVA Game, they receive a guide with different scoring challenges. Some challenges are: carry out an operation on bbva.es, click on videos that explain the operation of the online bank and then access a test where it is verified that it has been understood. The BBVA Game also includes a well-known gamification mechanic such as the rankings. It undoubtedly fosters competitiveness with other users and self-improvement.
Magnificent results have been achieved, the figures speak for themselves . The BBVA game has captured more than 100,000 users in the first 9 months, video views on the website have multiplied by 15, the average user time on the web has multiplied by 1.5, followers on social networks They have multiplied by 5 and the user’s perception of bbva.es by 1.18. Furthermore, it should be noted that these numbers have been achieved without investing in advertising.
NIKE +:
Nike + is a platform that tracks and tracks your sports activity on a daily basis, using gamification. The Nike platform can be used through your iPod, mobile phone or even with special watches sold by Nike that have GPS and a motion sensor to install the application.
Nike + is a fun platform where you find gamification mechanics everywhere, from converting each step you take to practice sports into points to establish achievements, rankings or even provide us with established routes to run in your city with different games and rewards.
Nike + is based on self-improvement, since we can measure our steps, kilometers, times, calories burned and pulsations through the Fuelband bracelet, in order to overcome our own brands. In addition to self-improvement, Nike + manages to promote competition among users with the rankings and the crown prize for the best result.
On the other hand, Nike + allows you to set a daily goal or achievement, and track it with the Fuelband bracelet , which has two lights. If the light appears green you have met your daily goal, if on the contrary it is red you must put willpower to meet your daily achievement. Nike + also launches weekly challenges to its users to motivate them and continue their activity. Currently the Nike + community is made up of 30 million users around the world , Nike has achieved thanks to the gamification that going out to run alone, is something social.
MY STARBUCKS REWARDS:
Another success story of companies that have implemented gamification processes in their marketing strategies is starred by the Starbucks coffee chain with its “My Starbucks Rewards” program . Its objective is to increase sales and promote repeat purchases . This application uses points, levels, achievements and awards. Customers have an individual card, which allows them to accumulate points and reach levels depending on the purchases they make. When paying with this card they earn a star and the more stars they collect, the more discounts, gifts and free products they will get.
These three examples are a clear testimony to the different benefits of a strategy in which making others play is the right formula to win. Gamification has reached companies and their marketing departments, and it has undoubtedly made it to stay.
