Business-Focused Gamification: Case Studies on Game-Based Marketing

Earlier, in one of my newsletters, I talked about how to re-shape gamification so that it perfectly fits the business goals. Today, I would like to give a prime example by our friends from Dodo Brands of the diverse approaches to game design. Over the years, we had the opportunity to put a lot of involvement in working with Dodo Brands, and we were always blown away by the creativity they bring to game design. They are examples of how gamification can be put to strategic use to achieve business objectives.? Here are some standout examples of their innovative use of gamification.

Case 1: Campaign "Love Is" by Dodo Pizza

Objective: Emotional Engagement and Increased Reach

Dodo Pizza ran one such campaign, called "Love Is," which allowed the brand to emotionally connect with consumers by helping them relate to nostalgic experiences from the iconic "Love Is" gum. Of course, here, the challenge was to bring the vision of Dodo Pizza in line with the brand "Love Is," staying within copyright boundaries.

Execution and Results: Dodo Pizza and the creative team came up with a digital postcard generator game. Users could make their own greeting cards, which had a viral effect as the cards went on to the recipients. The campaign not only boosted emotional involvement but also reach. It reached more than 2.5 million users with 400,085 participants and a conversion rate of 15.9%. It accomplished 320,162 active users who generated 761,611 cards. This example, hence, suggests how gamification can be an effective tool to generate user engagement and elevate the brand reach.

Case 2: Dodo Brands' "Tails" Game

Objective: Brand Repositioning and Customer Retention

Dodo Brands had to issue the new brand manifesto, "Comfort Zone," around building a warm, comfortable space for customers. The task included repositioning from aggressive sales to storytelling.

Execution and results: Taking as a basis the Tamagotchi idea, Dodo Brands developed the "Tails" game. Users adopted and fed virtual pets, getting points due to active gaming and real purchases. More so, it was based on a charitable note, as the proceeds from the game would be channeled to support animal charities. Results from the "Tails" game: 16% upswing in revenue at like-for-like, and 50% rise in orders. In all, 456,000 people became active players in order to participate in this game for an average of 1.5 more orders than people who did not play. In addition to this, the campaign itself managed to raise as much as $25,000, which was pooled towards the support of animal charities, thereby giving a nod of the campaign towards its social impact.

Case 3: Dodo Pizza's Dodomania Campaign

Objective: User Engagement Improvement and Sales Lift

Dodo Pizza aimed to refresh their annual Dodomania sales promotion to make it more engaging and exciting. Traditional marketing methods were falling short, and there was a need for a new, dynamic approach.

Execution and Results: Dodo Pizza integrated a story-based puzzle game into their app's Stories feed. Users rearranged pizza ingredients to earn points and compete for weekly prizes, such as travel tickets and branded Dodo cars. This gamified campaign resulted in 315,000 plays from 162,000 unique users within four weeks. An impressive 71.6% of these users came directly from the Stories feed. The game also saw high repeat engagement, with the most active users playing over 90 times. On average, each player spent 250 seconds in the game, demonstrating deep user engagement and increased likelihood of conversion.

Key Takeaways for Creating Business-Oriented Games

1. Align with Business Goals: Clearly define your objectives and ensure the game's design and mechanics support these goals.
2. Engage Users Emotionally: Create experiences that resonate emotionally with users, encouraging them to interact and share.
3. Incorporate Social Impact: Integrate elements that support charitable causes to enhance brand loyalty and social responsibility.
4. Foster Healthy Competition: Use leaderboards and rewards to motivate users and encourage repeat engagement.
5. Leverage Viral Potential: Design games that can be easily shared, expanding your reach without additional marketing costs.

Incorporating gamification effectively requires a deep understanding of both your customers and your business needs. By focusing on these elements, you can craft experiences that not only entertain but also deliver tangible benefits. The innovative approaches from Dodo Brands highlight the potential for gamification to create lasting impacts, from increasing user interaction to driving social good.

For those who want to harness the power of gamification but may be short on time or resources, our InAppStory Game Center is designed with you in mind.? We've got a ready-to-use suite of games that come out of the box, really easily integrated into your app, and greatly simplifies everything so that you can start seeing the results faster. Don't hesitate to contact me directly if you are interested in discussing how our Game Center could evolve to accommodate your strategy, or to fill me in on whether you would be up for the possibility of creating custom, complex games finely tuned to your app. Let's explore ways we can bring your gamification vision to life.