Marketing, to put it simply, is working with people’s motivations to take action. Whether it is to buy a product, donate work-hours to an NGO, take an online course, or listen to a song. To do this, marketing experts have several resources under their belt, and gamification is one of them. Gamification is an important topic in the marketing world because, when used correctly, it is great for inspiring people to take action and continue doing it for the upcoming time. 

However, despite the fact that gamification is something humanity has been doing for centuries, the word itself is still strange for many people. Chess, for example, is a way of gamification to teach strategy, analysis, and other useful thought skills, but it is usually just seen as a game. And the word itself, “gamification,” is unknown. To prove this point, try the following exercise: enter to deepl.com and translate “gamification” from English to Spanish. The word is basically the same, but DeepL will change “gamification” for “gasification.” 

So, what on Earth is it? Gamification is integrating game elements into activities and contexts that are not games. And it is used to educate, entertain, and engage. When done correctly, the distance between the product and the gamification strategy becomes so blurry it is almost impossible to differentiate.   

Effective gamification is based on human behaviours that naturally make people want to return to a certain activity. The basis is motivation, which can be intrinsic or extrinsic. Motivation is extrinsic when it depends on the rewards you will get. For example, part of eBrightConnect’s gamified strategy is the event attendees’ rewards with the highest scores. Here, through extrinsic motivation, eBrightConnect encourages attendees to attend more sessions, access more of the Resource Center’s content, visit more sponsors’ booths, etc. On the other side, motivation is intrinsic when it comes from the joy you get from doing the activity. If you enter your first session encouraged by the awards you could win, but then discover the content was so interesting you are no longer worried about them, extrinsic motivation became intrinsic. 

Both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators are useful and necessary, though each one has its challenges. The nature of extrinsic motivation requires that the reward constantly changes either because you receive a different good or a greater one. Otherwise, you are inevitably going to lose interest. 

That is why the virtual, gamified events of the eBrightConnect platform have a system of points and badges, but also the possibility of claiming awards that range from Netflix gift cards to technology devices. 

Intrinsic motivation requires a different kind of support. Here, community becomes crucial as it will feed your interest in continuing with the activity you had already engaged in. Being part of a community, such as those built in the eBrightConnect platform, will give you a sense of competition and relatedness. 

Competition is vital because challenge is an excellent motor for people to push limits, make an effort to learn abilities, and inquire more. If an activity is not challenging enough, you will lose interest. If it overwhelms you, you will feel frustrated or anxious and most likely abandon. 

Relatedness is the sense of support you get from the community you belong to. When you feel integrated into a community, you are more likely to thrive through big challenges because people understand you and are willing to help. In the eBrightConnect platform, you will find this support through chats, Q&A sessions, Break Outs, and Meetups. 

An adequate gamification strategy will change the outcome of your virtual event, sales strategy, or loyalty program. Contact our specialists to learn how.  

Business Trends – Gami…what? What is gamification?
By: Ana Maria Enciso- October 2020