With traditional forms of advertising losing effectiveness, improving customer engagement has become the target strategy for many retailers. According to an article on bostinno.com, game play is becoming an effective tool for brands to make an impact on the consumer.
Game play allows the consumer to focus on achievement and enjoyment, the article said, facilitating a positive brand interaction. In addition, the article discusses two psychological barriers that prevent people from taking action in their lives. When the barriers are overcome, the marketing magic takes place:
Lack of volition: People first need the will to do something. Behaviors, whether that's deciding to work out or deciding to upload a photo for a brand's campaign, must be 100% optional and authentic. Getting the person to decide on their own that they want to engage a brand makes game mechanics so intriguing in marketing.
Lack of faculty: Next, people need the necessary skills and tools to handle the challenge at hand. If they're overwhelmed or stressed, they'll abandon an experience or avoid it altogether. If something is too easy, such that their skill level or tools available guarantee a boring experience, then negative brand sentiment can also start to creep up in a consumer's mind. Well-executed campaigns that deploy game mechanics will instead strike the right balance ("flow") to challenge people ever so slightly and then trigger a sense of achievement.
Read more about consumer behavior.
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