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Introduction

What is gamification marketing? After we had run a successful campaign, one of my clients put it simply: “I cannot believe we just gave our customers the experience of a game in a campaign that had nothing to do with games.”

Gamification is when you apply techniques and concepts from games to any marketing campaign. Today, gamification is everywhere — for instance, companies rewarding their employees, teachers encouraging their pupils to compete for higher marks, and even parents rewarding their kids for washing the dishes.

It’s no wonder gamification has worked well for marketing campaigns, too. When any company, large or small, implements gamification properly, the campaign will meet the company’s marketing objectives. Why? Because humans have an innate desire to play and compete.

Gamification marketing can have the following end goals:

 To build brand awareness

 To increase engagement

 To drive conversions

 To boost customer loyalty

 To encourage brand advocacy

About This Book

This book is for marketers, not developers.

Most books, blogs, and articles on gamification are written for developers. So, I wanted to write this book for people like my clients — people like you! Reading this book should feel like I’m sitting with you in our conference room discussing how you can implement gamification marketing in your next campaign.

This book covers all aspects of developing, launching, and analyzing a gamification marketing campaign. You don’t have to read the book from beginning to end. You can use the table of contents and index to find the subject you want more information on. You don’t have to remember what you’re reading — there won’t be a test on Friday, and you can always return to the book to find what you need.

If you’re short on time, you can skip anything marked with the Technical Stuff icon, as well as text in gray boxes (called sidebars). This information is interesting (some might say fascinating!), but it’s not essential to your understanding of the subject at hand.

Within this book, you may note that some web addresses break across two lines of text. If you’re reading this book in print and want to visit one of these web pages, simply key in the web address exactly as it’s noted in the text, pretending as though the line break doesn’t exist. If you’re reading this as an e-book, you’ve got it easy — just click the web address to be taken directly to the web page.

Finally, within this book, you’ll find many examples of gamification marketing campaigns from companies around the world. Some of these campaigns will have ended by the time you read this book; others will still be running. For the ones that are still running, I encourage you to sign up and start engaging with them. Experience what they have to offer and try to relate how each gamification element will work with your own campaign.

Foolish Assumptions

This book is for people who work in marketing or are responsible for their company’s marketing. Therefore, I do not assume that you are knowledgeable in game design or game development. However, I do assume the following:

 You’ll be running a campaign for your company.

 You know the basics of marketing.

 You’re aware of and have experience in playing online games.

 You have access to your company’s analytics program.

 You have an in-house team or can hire a team of developers and designers.

Icons Used in This Book

Like other books in the For Dummies series, this book uses icons, or little pictures in the margin, to draw your attention to certain kinds of material. Here are the icons that I use:

Whenever you see the Tip icon, you can be sure to find something that’ll save you time or money or just make your life easier (at least when it comes to your campaign).

You don’t have to memorize this book, but when I tell you something so important that you really should remember it, I mark it with the Remember icon.

I’ve run loads of gamification marketing campaigns, and I’ve learned a thing or two along the way. If I can save you from the pitfalls I know are out there, I will! Whenever I warn you about something that could cause a real headache for you and your team, I use the Warning icon.

Occasionally, I dig into some information that’s a wee bit technical. If that sounds like your cup of tea, look for the Technical Stuff icon. If you’d rather stick to only the things you need to know, you can safely skip these tidbits.

Beyond the Book

In addition to the material in the print or e-book you’re reading right now, this product also comes some free access-anywhere goodies on the web. Check out the free Cheat Sheet for information on how games can change your marketing forever, tips on how gamification campaigns differ, and advice on data security for your gamification campaign. To access the Cheat Sheet, go to www.dummies.com and type Gamification Marketing For Dummies Cheat Sheet in the Search box.

Where to Go from Here

If you aren’t familiar with gamification at all, start with Chapter 1 — a very good place to start. If you already have a good understanding of gamification and you’re familiar with the basics, you can probably skip ahead to Chapter 3 and start learning how to kickstart your first gamification marketing campaign. If you’re all about the data, head to Part 4. And if you just want some inspiration, check out Chapter 15.

Wherever you start, you’ll find information you can use on your next gamification marketing campaign!