‘Gamification’ – the concept of using game design techniques in marketing campaigns, has become a popular buzzword, but do marketers really know what it means? According to a survey of over 100 marketers, the term leaves two-thirds of marketers in the UK stumped.
The study, from global marketing technology and solutions company UpStream, found that three quarters (78 per cent) of marketers believing that customers are more likely to respond to game-based marketing mechanics.
However, only a quarter (27%) have actually used gamification tactics in their campaigns, the poll found.
The research, conducted at digital marketing conference ad:tech London 2011, which surveyed delegates on their understanding and use of game mechanics in marketing strategies, found that two thirds of marketers (66%) did not fully comprehend the term gamification.
Once respondents had been briefed on its definition, 64 per cent of marketers stated they felt game mechanics would improve relationships with their customers.
The findings also revealed that the jury is out over which rewards prompt the best response from gamified marketing campaigns.
The most popular response from marketers was free products, which 34 per cent said would be most engaging. This was followed by cash (25 per cent), a high value single prize (24 per cent) and points (17 per cent).
The research also highlighted a rise in budgets available to marketers to innovate campaigns, with 87 per cent stating that they would be increasing investment in marketing technologies over the next twelve months.
Guy Krief, Senior Vice President of Innovation, Upstream, who gave the seminar ‘Gamification and Mobile: Press Start’ at ad: tech said: “With customers being bombarded with promotional messages from brands on a daily basis, we need to help marketers make intelligent use of real-time gamification – moving it from the latest buzz word to the reality of influencing consumer behaviour. Gamification can make a key difference to any marketing campaign, making it more interactive, engaging and exciting for the consumer and more profitable for the brand. Although the concept is increasingly on marketers’ radar, the majority of marketers are stuck on the first level and not yet confident about incorporating gamification into their communications strategies, resulting in potentially millions of individual responses to marketing campaigns being lost.”
Source: www.upstreamsystems.com.