Game-Based Marketing: Inspire Customer Loyalty Through Rewards, Challenges, and Contests

Key Revelations from Game-Based Marketing:

• Everything Can (and Should) Be More Fun: From taking money out of an ATM (what if it behaved like a slot machine) to doing your taxes (rewards for finding deductions), everything could be made more fun through the use of Funware techniques.
• Traditional Advertising is Dying:  Tools like TiVo, Nintendo DS, Facebook and the iPhone have shifted consumers’ attention away from traditional ads to more game-like experiences.
• A New Generation is Coming, and It’s Called G: Today’s tweens are being raised on games,  expecting challenges, rewards, status and socialization with every activity they find interesting. This Generation – called G for their love of games – will change every aspect of our society.
• Adults Love Games, Too: Funware, or game mechanics incorporated into everyday activities, exist in the most unlikely places: at the coffee shop, on the subway and between competitive parents at the PTA meeting. Understanding, exploiting and shaping those games helps companies succeed at driving consumer loyalty.
• The Competition Is Heating Up: McDonald’s, JPMorgan Chase, Nike, Coca-Cola, small startups and even the US Army are getting into Funware – using game mechanics to inspire their audiences. Get on board or be left behind.
• It's Cheaper, Faster and More Social: A free cup of coffee as a reward might cost $.25, but virtual coffee is free and generates viral customer growth when given on Facebook or Twitter.
• Sweepstakes are Overrated: Giving away big big prizes can still be effective if you have millions to spend on a campaign, but virtual (and psychological) rewards are proven just as effective as cash - delivering user growth and engagement at a fraction of the cost.
• Airlines Lead the Way: Frequent Flyer Programs have been generating billions in revenue while airlines lost as much flying. Find out why well-crafted loyalty programs can often be more profitable than the business itself.
• Anything can be more fun: From media giants like NBC and it's hugely successful ICUE product, to Nike Fit and America's Army, examples abound of how to take rote activities and make them engaging (and profitable) using games.