media update’s Jenna Cook provides insights into the impact of gamification on marketing.
Gaming in 2018 has the world becoming more and more revolutionised by technology. And in order for you to get your brand ahead of the game, you need to play by your consumer's rules.
“Gaming is becoming increasingly important in the marketing mix,” says
John-Paul Burke, manager at the Gameloft, United Kingdom. “It will start to be seen in the context of entertainment – all entertainment is play, whether it’s gaming or the more traditional forms of marketing like TV, film and toys.”
Here are five reasons why gamification should become part of your marketing strategy:
1. Gaming brings consumers closer to the brand
Video games have the power to reach a truly engaged audience – an audience that totals an estimated
2.2 billion gamers worldwide.
Gaming is one of the world’s favourite pastime. This is because games now cater to a much wider range of interests – from sports to makeovers and everything in between.
“Game companies are the champions of interactive entertainment and are outstanding at stimulating social, creative and sharing behavior,” says
Emma McDonald, director of marketing at
Newzoo.
“As traditional media struggles to offer an interactive component around their content, game companies are quickly learning how to monetise video content and its millions of viewers.”
“This could ultimately lead to a media landscape in which game companies hold a key position as they master both skills. The
biggest game companies already entertain a far greater audience than most of the world’s biggest traditional media and entertainment companies.”
Marketing through gaming is a great way to reach your audience as it’s already a space where they spend most of their time and is done through a channel that they may potentially prefer.
2. Gamification has driven advances in technology
The gaming industry has been making major headway in the advances of technology. From live video, virtual reality and augmented reality to innovative inventions inspired by games. You can even use the technological capabilities of social media to
gamify your online campaigns.
An example of a company that’s making headway is Innovega. Based on the in-game display known as ‘heads-up display’ – a live view of your health, inventory contents and position on the game map – and the technology from
Google Glass – a wearable computer –
Innovega is creating augmented-reality contact lenses.
These contact lenses have similar benefits to Google Glass, but without the obstruction of vision. The lenses yield information, project data and even sync with your smartphone to visually alert you of notifications.
In an era defined by technology, aligning your brand and your advertising campaigns with new advances means staying relevant.
3. Games provide a platform for event sponsorship
Electronic sports, better known as eSports, is a form of competitive gaming. People who participate in these competitions are usually people who game for a living. eSport tournaments have been known to draw in millions of online spectators and take place in sold-out stadiums. And the platform is steadily rising in popularity on a global scale.
“The world of eSports mostly revolves around major tournaments, in contrast to the world of traditional sports, where casual matches and local competitions take place all the time,” says
Rebecca Sentance, deputy editor at
Econsultancy.
A key reason why
Coca-Cola decided to skip out on the Super Bowl and sponsor an eSports tournament instead is because “an eSports event like the ‘League of Legends Challenger Series’ comes much closer to its desired demographic than a traditional sporting event like the Super Bowl”.
Sponsoring eSports tournaments means aligning your brand with an audience that includes millions of gamers. This is a type of engagement that may even more accurately reach your intended target audience simply because of how well gaming covers even the smallest of niches.
4. In-game marketing is the new advertising
In-game marketing is an exciting way to insert your brand into a channel that has no clutter from traditional advertising – providing brands with the opportunity to execute
advertising campaigns within virtual worlds.
Here is a list of three different ways to promote your brand in and through video games:
Dynamic in-game advertising (DIGA)
DIGA places adverts inside a 3D game world. The adverts are placed on virtual billboards, posters and bus stops – places where you would generally expect to see them the real world.
Static in-game advertising
Static in-game advertising takes form through brand product placement. Brands can integrate their product or service into the storyline of a game, or as a feature that players can interact with or even as part of the characters image/clothing etc
Advergames
Advergames are custom built with the single purpose of promoting a brand or a product. These games provide entertainment and increase the amount of time your target audience spends engaging with your brand.
5. Gamers have the potential to influence new markets
Gaming comes with its own means of connecting with an audience. Many gamers have managed to build a huge following – by frequently posting gameplay videos to online platforms like YouTube – making them perfect candidates to be
influencers.
There are gamers who have been known to partner with brands and sponsors, like Korean
StarCraft pro-gamer, Kim Jung Woo. He has been seen partnering with sportswear brand FILA.
Including gamers in your marketing strategy may potentially open your brand to a whole new audience.
Capturing the attention of consumers can be difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. Read our article, Three reasons why you need fandom marketing.
*Image courtesy of Vecteezy