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05/12/23 Expert opinion

Maximizing Brand Impact: The Ultimate Guide to Harnessing Branded Games in Marketing

Let’s be honest. We’re exposed to consumerism with nearly 1,200 advertising messages per day. Subway, TV, social networks and every medium that the latest technologies have brought into our world are now effective outlets for brand communications. With the exceedingly growing clutter of advertising, companies are looking for an effective way of communication that will improve information retention of their target audience.

In this ultimate guide of branded games, we’re breaking down for you step by step with examples on how branded games can be a powerful tool to keep your customers’ attention on your brand.

Branded Games: A Powerful Marketing Tool

Gamification is an increasingly popular concept. 70% of global 2000 companies use gamification in some way. Its main advantage is that it’s easily adaptable. No matter what your business nature or objectives may be, you can always incorporate gamification into your strategy.

In fact, many companies have chosen this strategy to reinforce their marketing operations and give them a new twist. Branded games are video games developed in partnership with a brand or company as a marketing or promotional tool. The main objective of a branded game is to promote the brand, its products or its message, while offering an interactive and engaging experience for the target audience. In order to be accessible to as many people as possible, companies and brands leverage HTML 5 features in their branded games.

The Use Of Branded Games By All Industries

Many industries tout the virtues of branded games. Branded games are a way of delivering information in a different way, and sometimes even an opportunity to tackle complex and sensitive issues in a relaxed way. 

At a time when connectivity is their second nature, Generation Z is emerging as the digital native, shaping consumer landscape with an insatiable appetite for engagement. As the first consumers, they have redefined the way brands communicate. Games, with their unprecedented interactivity, are an excellent way of seducing this engaged but far-fetched target group. The games have the ability to capture the attention easily and build a deep, lasting relationship between brand and customer. Hence, the aim of branded games is not only to capture customers’ attention, but also to forge meaningful connection and to anchor the brand’s ethos in consumers’ minds. This is made possible by captivating game mechanics such as levels, virtual goods, points, challenges and leaderboard that keep players’ attention and enable messages effortlessly.

generation Z

One of the first industries who adopted the idea of gamification is fashion and luxury industry. Luxury brands have come to recognise that branded games serve not only as a source of entertainment for their customers but also as a means to strengthen the authenticity of their brand image, fostering stronger connections with their clientele.

Storytelling lies at the core of luxury brands and what is the best way to tell a story at our time? It’s no other than ‘Games’. With the advancement of technology and the shift in customer landscape, luxury brands opt to strategise their marketing games with full customisation. They entirely build the concept and objectives of the game based on their DNA which allows them to create their brand virtual world. It is an excellent way to expand the horizon of their brand awareness internally and externally. It is absolutely in line with one of the pillars of luxury brand codes: sense of belonging.

Along with luxury sector, gamification is heavily utilised by FMCG industry. Branded games are ideal for enhancing the shopping and user experience. They enable brands to present their products in a new way. Game mechanics enable them to increase engagement and time spent on e-commerce platforms, which increases the chances of conversion. Special sales and promotions linked to games create a sense of urgency, encouraging customers to make purchases.

The adaptability of branded games represents a major asset for companies, offering creative and attractive way to expand their market footprint. No matter what the sector may be, these games present a unique opportunity to establish meaningful links with consumers and fostering long-term loyalty through clever game mechanics. Game mechanics, such as rewards, challenges or social interactions, captivate users and encourage them to engage with the brand on emotional level. This playful approach generates authentic engagement, creating a strong emotional bond that goes beyond the act of purchase, forging real affinity and loyalty to the brand.

Examples of Branded Games

Gucci

Luxury brand Gucci recently revealed its gaming arcade. Indeed, the brand has decided to get into gamification, and not by halves, by revealing a series of some twenty mini-games. This genuine marketing strategy allows the brand to democratise and extend its influence on a vast amount of consumers while strengthening brand-customer relationship.

https://guccipineapple.gucci.com/ 

“Au Bureau”, a restaurant and pub chain of Groupe Bertrand, France’s largest restaurant group, has been utilising gamification as their strategic marketing tool. They have worked with one of the leading gamification agencies in Europe, Emeraude Escape to develop three marketing games in Cluedo Escape Rooms and mini mobile arcade game format. Au Bureau’s B2C marketing campaigns mainly focuses on customer acquisition and retention. Their latest collaboration is an interactive landing page for brand activation campaign in the events of Rugby World Cup 2023.

games

As mentioned earlier, gamification is for any kind of business, and here’s another example with fashion retail. Migos member Quavo has released an exclusive collection with ready-to-wear brand Bohoo for his first solo album release. And to activate and boost this collection, they created an exclusive arcade game. Results: more than 665,000 connections to the games and 41,000 unique players. 

Chupa Chups x netflix

Chupa Chups, the Spanish confectionery giant, teamed up with Netflix to create an immersive and fun B2C digital competition game inspired by the cult series La Casa De Papel. The aim was to showcase Chupa Chups products while keeping the viewers excited for the new season of La Casa de Papel. A real acquisition strategy! The game was a success, racking up tens of thousands of hits.

Kids

Lastly, Nickelodeon has tried its hand at gamification to target the younger group of their audience, immersing them in the world of SpongeBob SquarePants. The game was a hit with over 13,000 players and almost 250,000 games played.

Benefits for marketing campaigns and their different objectives

Product launch

Branded games can be a great leverage for a successful product launch. With constant innovation and thousands of new products appearing on the market every year, it’s important to generate public interest in your product. Opt for the branded games to:

  • Stand out from the competition and create storytelling about your product
  • Create positives associations between your brand and your customers that increase their engagement and understanding of your product
  • Create a gamified training that enables your sales consultants to better understand and provide exceptional customer service to your clients

Customer acquisition and retention

Using branded games strategically can help you achieve your customer acquisition and retention objectives. Create interactive experiences that captivate your audience, building strong and lasting relationships with consumers.

  • Stimulate customer interest with competitive games, challenges, special events and rewards
  • Integrate call-to-actions such as discounts and gifts to encourage purchase
  • Increase customer engagement and foster lasting relationships by building strong bonds with them

Lead generation

Branded games offer an advertising format that’s very different from conventional media. On the player’s side, it’s a more engaging format, where they’ll be asked to commit not only their time, but also to provide their data with their consent. Take advantage of this format to:

  • Enrich your database by collecting leads, to better understand the needs and preferences of your future customers
  • Increase your conversion rate by immersing and conveying your messages to players
  • Personalise your strategies, and improve the relevance of your communications thanks to the data collected

Brand awareness

Gamification is ideal for raising brand awareness, as it attracts, engages and entertains users, creating memorable experiences that are positively associated with the brand, thus encouraging sharing and interactions. Benefits as below:

  • Increase your visibility and brand familiarity with a wider audience
  • Enable your brand to reach new market segments and broaden your customer base
  • Strengthen your brand’s position in the market and distinguish yourself from your competitors

In short, branded games represent the perfect alliance between marketing and gamification. By capitalising on the natural engagement that games generate, companies can build brand awareness, strengthen customer loyalty, collect valuable data, and personalise their marketing campaigns. By harnessing current gamification trends and strategically integrating branded games into their campaigns, companies can significantly develop and enhance brand equity, ultimately leading to stronger customer loyalty and positive brand associations.

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