The problem is, where do you show that purpose and how do you create those authentic connections with your customers? Brands are constantly competing for eyeballs and fractions of seconds of engagement on digital platforms like Instagram and through YouTube ads. What some brands fail to recognise is that a game is the perfect vehicle to cut through the noise and develop a new kind of interaction with their customers.
Classic holiday Christmas marketing campaigns are mostly superficial, based on messaging that is festive but lacks depth or meaning while pandering to trends that are quickly outdated. Push promotions, too, are an aspect of traditional festive season sales techniques, while all too many rely on clichéd imagery.
None of these campaigns offer consumers or companies real or long term value. Consumers want more than just a quick holiday fix. They don’t want to be shouted at and they don’t want a sales pitch. Rather, they want to feel like they matter to the brands they support and they want to connect with the campaign on a personal level.
For marketers, it is crucial to recognise that every interaction that a customer has with a business is part of building the brand. While most retailers continue to rely on traditional marketing campaigns, which are outdated and struggle to build brand affinity and brand loyalty, new technologies continue to emerge and are readily available to help companies level up their strategies and capture new audiences. The most powerful: gaming.
Games are rooted in stories and offer brands new and innovative ways to share their stories with their customers and communities in a way that invites them to become a part of that story. Positioning users at the very heart of the user experience allows brands to elevate their brand engagement beyond traditional channels. Moreover, games provide brands access to their own user data and granular insights into user behavior. As a consequence, games can pave the way for more informed strategic decision-making and future marketing initiatives.
A shift in marketing: Embracing gamification to enrich brand purpose
Integrating games into your marketing mix should be a high priority. Even more so if you intend to create a purpose-driven campaign. Games are a hugely effective tool to raise awareness about issues and causes, tell engaging narratives, and inspire real shifts in behaviour change.
In fact, there have been several examples of successful campaigns that have leveraged the power of games to drive brand purpose:
- KFCERO WASTE: KFC Mexico teamed up with Minecraft to launch an in-game mission to fight food waste, challenging gamers to take unsold food to the in-game Food Bank. For every in-game donation, KFC made a real-world food donation.
- Dove – Super U Story on Roblox: Dove partnered with Roblox to create an educational gaming experience designed to empower young women and build self-esteem, as part of their wider Self-Esteem campaign.
- Ronald McDonald House Roblox: The charity created a virtual playroom, avaliable to connect seriously ill children from over 60 countries staying in similar facilities, to meet and play together.
Impact games grab attention while offering a fun platform for consumers from all demographics, as gaming is no longer the sole domain of the stereotyped “gamer”, but is a medium that can appeal to all. These tactics succeed because they are immersive and engaging, offering a platform from which to tell stories and convey messages in a way that really resonates.
Getting closer to your target market also allows for the anonymous collection of data, such as the consumer’s behaviours, and preferences, which can then be used to inform future marketing campaigns. Tracking the results of a campaign allows companies to see how many consumers played the game, what they did in the game, and how they interacted with your brand.
If brands can get the delicate dance going between that exchange of value where customers voluntarily engage with brands for minutes (or, in some cases, hours) at a time in order to experience brands in a meaningful and entertaining way, the future of branded engagement will be entirely reimagined in a way that actively aligns with the demands and expectations of today’s consumers.
At Christmas time, everybody is pushing prices, shouting loudly, and giving away margins. There is no other way to create a real and deep connection with your customers that comes close to what can be achieved by leveraging the world’s favourite entertainment medium – games. A carefully considered and well-executed gaming strategy can bring value that will last so far beyond just this festive season by actively and effectively promoting long-term brand equity.
