Gamification: What it is and why it makes your products irresistible

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Seymour Papert, a former researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology , insisted on the importance of gamification. The inventor and pioneer of artificial intelligence stressed that every child who learns must be involved in learning, and that playing is a form of involvement .

But it turns out that it's not just children who are drawn to the game. Adults are equally fascinated by them .

And while the most popular example of gamification is kindergarten (created by Fröbel at the beginning of the last century), gamification has been successful beyond education. Turn something into a game, and adults will be willing to try an app or any other service — as long as you can keep them entertained.

So, you might be interested in learning some facts about gamification, how it works, and the keys to successful gamification in marketing. They could help you market your products in a new and entertaining way.

What is gamification?
Gamification is the use of game mechanisms in a context different from the original .

For example, one of the goals of “I Spy” is to find something by guatemala phone number lead searching for clues . Gamification would take this logic and transfer it to a different context. And that’s precisely what Heineken did in its famous Crack the US Open campaign . The campaign featured a photo sequence on Instagram where users had to follow clues to ultimately find something — two free tickets to a match!

How does gamification work?
Trying to define a game is a difficult task . Try looking up a definition in a dictionary or website, and you'll see that it's not entirely complete.

For this reason, you may be interested in seeing some examples of gamification that have been successful and that have helped brands get closer to their marketing objectives .

In fact, gamification can serve as a novel way to market products, while also being a powerful tool for engaging audiences—with “Crack the US Open,” Heineken increased its total number of followers by 20% during the days of the campaign , and also increased its role as a sponsor of the tournament.

One of the most common gamification techniques is reward . This idea of ​​reward is a basic game concept that motivates behavior through the idea of ​​an exchange—if you do something, you will receive a certificate, some points, or a medal.
So when thinking about how to gamify a campaign or product, you'll need to brainstorm around this concept. Rewards should be intriguing—they should spark your potential customers' curiosity! For inspiration, you can read about Skinner's experiment with rewards .

Two other keys to gamification—and which you should include in your own strategy—are the fear of losing something and competitiveness .

Among the best-known examples of gamification in the world of marketing we can count the following:

Foursquare .
A few years ago, the Foursquare team developed a very useful and engaging social app that ended up becoming very popular. The app in question uses geolocation to recommend places and discover cities. As you visit places (and check in to them through the app), Foursquare gives you badges. For example, if you visit 10 museums, you get the “Warhol” badge . This social tool awards a prize to those who meet the guidelines it proposes.