How Gamification Can Strengthen Your Brand Identity

Gamification is nothing new. When well-known companies like Coca-Cola or Nike first started integrating gamification into their marketing strategies, it seemed odd, but it worked. "Gamified,” or transformed into a more lightweight and fun brand identity, resulted in increased sales and better advertising performance.

It doesn’t matter whether your brand relates to an industry adjacent to games or not; there are ways to make your brand identity more entertaining. On the contrary, gamification will help you learn more about your industry, whether it’s hosting or content creation, and discover its multi-layered nature, which you can later use to advertise your product or services.

Without further ado, let’s explore how gamification can help strengthen your brand identity.

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The Importance of Brand Identity

Brand identity is a part of a branding strategy and refers to all characteristics the brand is recognized by. It is not about how your brand is perceived by your audience (which makes up a brand image), but what makes your brand unique and what helps it stand out. In this context, brand identity is defined by the brand itself, by what the people behind it want you, the potential customer, to think about their business.

It is very important to have a brand identity and to take some time to develop it because this is how you get to be in charge of creating the narrative behind your brand. Plus, nothing can make you stand out from competitors more strongly than brand identity.

Having a well-defined brand identity makes your project:

• Unique. Your brand possesses unique qualities that set it apart from competitors.
• Clear. A brand identity gives your project a clear definition and differentiation in the market.
• Consistent. When you have a brand identity, you will always use it in your marketing strategy, and if not used actively, it will shine through anyway.
• Relatable. A developed brand identity makes connecting with your target audience more easy.

Understanding Gamification

According to K. Huotari and J. Hamari, gamification is a specific “design that attempts to bring about similar positive experiences as games do and consequently, affect user behavior and cognitive processes."  Gamification has been adopted by marketing with the purposes of customer engagement and brand value enhancement.

It is clear that gamification is an action to modify the brand identity by adding elements of game mechanics to it. Such can be integrated into various aspects that make up the brand, including the service or product itself or their representation, i.e., websites or ad campaigns.

As we all know, there are different styles and types of games out there; the same is applicable to gamification principles. Gamification can be based on and attract the users by achievement, immersion, and social interaction. The purpose of gamification is to push customers towards desired actions. Moreover, now there are specialized platforms and applications that can help with gamification, such as SCVNGR, Bunchball, and others.

Ultimately, the purpose of gamification is not to create something engaging but totally irrelevant to your project, but to present the product, achievements, or feedback in an immersive way for users.

Ways Gamification Can Strengthen Brand Identity

There are multiple benefits gamification can bring to your brand identity, some of which may not be even anticipated.

An Increase in User Engagement and Reach

User engagement is probably the most visible effect of gamification of brand identity. First, with gamified elements, users feel more in control when exploring your brand and develop positive feelings towards it in the process. Second, by using gamification, you make it easier for all sorts of people to discover and engage with you, especially those who are skeptical about traditional marketing practices.

More Brand Awareness

Using gamification does not guarantee you increasing sales, and, in a way, that’s the beauty of it. Gamified elements give a brand a more fun and relaxed vibe while affecting a person interacting with it similarly. This results in a user experiencing your brand without the unnecessary obligation to buy anything from you. Your brand gives people a free experience this way. Giving away free stuff often results in a brand’s increased awareness.

Potential Increase in Conversion Rates

When users engage with gamified elements and they win, for example, a discount, they are likely to use it by purchasing from you.

More Data for Improvement

It is a universal truth that the more you know about your ideal customer, the better you can market the product.

Gamification allows gathering more data. For example, you can give a reward or a gift for completing the quiz; this way, customers are happy to receive a present for such a minor thing as completing a questionnaire.

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How to Implement Gamification

There are many ways to implement gamification. For instance, you can:

• Create a gaming app related to your brand.
• Add a challenge to your website or app.
• Add more clickable elements throughout your website or emails.
• Provide users with rewards and gifts for completing something.
• Create occasional online games with limited duration.