13 Reasons Why You Should Use A Video Game Marketing Strategy
Wednesday, July 25, 2018
In the modern marketing landscape, there are tried and true methods and flash in the pan strategies. The truth is, marketing is always evolving with the world it inhabits.
The 13 reasons to use a video game marketing strategy include:
With the ever-changing spheres of technology, culture, and business all effecting how marketing is received, marketers need to be willing to adapt their approach in order to increase their ROI.
What was once considered a buzzword, Gamification Marketing has stood strong since the term entered the sphere of marketing in 2010. With most agencies struggling to harness the potential of Gamification in its earlier days, the provision of software platforms much like Gamify's own along with the dedicated team associated, made for Gamification no longer being an enigma to most marketers.
For those that are still on the fence or just completely in the dark on the benefits of enhancing your next campaign with gamification, below is a list of some of the stronger qualities gamified marketing can provide.
#1 Fun
Let’s kick this list off with the obvious. Mini games bring fun and enjoyment to users, plain and simple, whether it be to pass the time or to earn an achievement, Games are a form of entertainment that speaks to the very fabric of humankind.
We as social creatures are deeply driven to adventure, achievement and triumph. All of which can be reached within the safety and convenience of a mini game. In short, games allow people to have fun, and fun is marketable.
#2 Engaging
Unlike most traditional marketing, games cannot unexpectedly pop-up in user feeds, arresting user attention, instead, users are provided with both an option and incentive to play the game which means any engagement from that point on comes proactively from the user, they are in control, they choose to interact with the company, this alone is a marketing win.
With engaging visitors with games and inadvertently interacting with businesses, there is an opportunity for businesses to display their messages and brand in a variety of ways throughout the time that the user is participating in gameplay. Game mechanics invoke a level of engagement that cannot be reached by the likes of video. Studies have shown that regular TV still has large viewership, unfortunately for stakeholders in the $72 billion TV marketplace, people are habitually looking at their phones during the airing of commercials.
When people access a screen during a moment of downtime, most people don’t see the games they’re playing as marketing at all. Games can offer participants that quick burst of exciting activity while also creating product awareness and collecting new lead information.
#3 Affordable
Most marketers can confirm that the required budget for traditional marketing can be astronomical, depending on the brand’s reach. The required resources in order to obtain expected results can become both a baffling and costly process. Whereas Gamify's award-winning software has an analytics system that allows businesses to keep track of their consumer traffic and leads.
The biggest reason for Gamification's slow start is due to marketers believing that creating a game is both expensive and time-consuming. This may have been true when smartphone technology first became popular, however, these days it has become increasingly cheaper.
Gamify's software helps create a one-stop-shop for all the required elements of a successful marketing campaign, saving marketers the hassle, time and money that can go into a minigame marketing campaign.
#4 Multiplatform
These days most people own multiple devices which all have access to the internet, social media and apps. Wherever these elements can be found, video games can be implemented. Whether it be mobile phones, tablets, laptops or desktops, games can fit each platform, increasing the reach of any Gamification campaign.
#5 Data Collecting
With marketing through games running exclusively via online servers, the platform has the ability to accumulate information regarding the user. To what extent the information field gathers is entirely up to the company and their objectives.
When the game gathers all player analytics, the company can utilise this information for other marketing strategies and business purposes.
#6 Wide Market Reach
Games are multi-generational and appeal to young and old alike. According to Forbes, in 2017, 42% of global gaming revenue came from mobile gaming, with over $50 billion in revenue.
To give you an understanding of why mobile gaming is so lucrative, 80% of smartphone users play games on their phone, nearly 50% of which play games daily, putting in approximately 1-2 hours of gameplay each day. The Demographic of Male and Female mobile gamers is almost equally split (48% Female to 52% Male), with the average gamer being 36 years old.
These numbers show that the market is vast and varied when you marry those figures up with the integration of smart devices into daily life, it becomes quite evident that whichever target market a business is aiming for is well within the reach of gamification techniques.
#7 Positive Association
The qualities of Fun and Engaging associated with games can help to create a positive user experience. Giving users an outlet to feel accomplishment and earn rewards reflects well on all related parties, helping boost sales.
Even consumers feeling in control when they play a game bodes well for brands. Having the choice to be a participant in an activity as opposed to a video which can leave consumers feeling somewhat held against their will, can go a long way in users having positive association towards a brand.
#8 Brand Awareness
Most users do no associate games with brand marketing, allowing most users to unconsciously be receptive to strategically placed branding. A perfect example of this can be found in the Wheat Thins case study, in which users have 9 seconds of gameplay, collecting falling chips before they are shown a page of Wheat Thins products, this happens every time they play the game. Ideally, while players try to beat their own high score, Wheat Thins aims to familiarise users with the company’s products.
This process of marketing can influence buyer behaviour, the next time a consumer finds themselves shopping for a product associated with the brand in the marketing campaign, they are more likely to purchase the marketed brand due to brand recall.
#9 Educational
Much like brand awareness, games disarm users from their aversion to marketing to successfully inform users of new products from a brand. The repetitious play in a campaign with branded imagery allows for users to unconsciously gain an understanding of what the associated brand is attempting to inform them of, whether that be a new product or service.
#10 Avoid AdBlocker Software
The increasing use of AdBlocker software has created billions of dollars in lost revenue for traditional banner and video advertisements. Gamification does not fall victim to this as an HTML game does not conform to traditional advertising.
This means marketing games have a greater chance than banner and video ads of even just being viewed online.
#11 Community-based
Consumers today want to do business with brands that they know and trust. When a consumer is able to engage with a company and other users through a game, this registers with the social drive within most consumers and in turn create a positive community outlook towards the brand.
Human-focused design elements in Gamification campaigns such as providing the option for social media shares, in turn, creates a space for the best form of advertisement; a happy customer who shares their experience with others.
If your game is interesting, fun, and engaging, then it can be expected that it will help create repeat customers and organic shares.
#12 Replay Value
Gamification has replay value, whether it be to beat high scores or to win bigger and better rewards. Games are known to excite consumers and prompt them into returning via rewards for their play.
Users wish to earn a prize as opposed to simply being offered one at the end of a video. It has been verified through an independent study from Gamify that consumers are 7 times more likely to value and use their mini game reward over being generically offered a prize.
#13 Increased Purchaser Intent
Gamification can increase purchaser intent comparatively from standard video advertisements by 169%. Games are known to excite consumers and prompt them into returning via rewards for their play.
While loyalty programs are still beneficial in the area of purchaser intent, when you can apply gamification to the customer experience, you’re more likely to see a greater increase in purchaser intent.
At Gamify, we partner with marketing agencies to help plan and perform gamification campaigns. If this extensive list of points has spiked your curiosity and you wish to inquire further, please fill out the information field to the right of the page to get in contact with one of our friendly team members here at Gamify.
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