Gamification is also for SMEs. No matter the size, if executed properly, any company can launch a gamification campaign aimed at achieving greater customer bosnia and herzegovina email list loyalty to achieve good results. Let's see what the keys to gamification are, taking as a reference the great masterpiece by Roberto Benigni, "Life is Beautiful" .
Objectives are needed, both short, medium and long term.
The game must pose a challenge that leads to a final goal that is valued by the customer. If the customer sees value and sees that the effort required is reasonable, the initial barrier to the customer agreeing to participate will be overcome. But it must be taken into account that motivation comes and goes because it depends on personal factors that can vary from one day to the next, so much so that a customer stops participating.
This is why intermediate milestones must be taken into account , which are important during the game to maintain motivation and lead the client to the final goal:
«Every day we will read the classification over that loudspeaker over there, and the last-placed person will have a sign hanging that will say: Donkey. Here on the back.»
Motivation can come in the form of a reward or a negative punishment. Depending on the game, it may be more interesting to apply a motivation that subtracts rather than adds, for example, eliminating players who are at the bottom of the ranking or, as in Life is Beautiful, highlighting those who are further behind. Obviously, hanging a sign of a donkey on the back of customers is not the best idea in the world, but solutions can be found that help redirect and encourage participants to take up the game again.
Positive motivation can also be very useful, even when sending messages as simple as those of Roberto Benigni to his son in Life is Beautiful:
"With willpower, anything can be done."
A plan is needed, which will not be fulfilled…
When launching a gamification campaign, it is necessary to design a plan that is as precise as possible, but without becoming obsessed. As with all marketing planning processes , the only thing that is known for sure is that a plan will not be fulfilled, although an effort should be made to ensure that reality resembles what was planned and good results are achieved.
In the film “Life is Beautiful”, the plan of the father of the family, played by Roberto Benigni, was for his entire family to get out of the concentration camp alive. That was their constant struggle during the entire time they spent there, and I won’t tell you how it ends in case you haven’t seen the film. If you have seen it, you will know whether or not the plan outlined by:
"This is a simple story, but it is not easy to tell. Like a fable, there is pain, and like a fable, it is full of wonder and happiness."
The game needs simple rules
In the film "Life is Beautiful," the brilliant Roberto Benigni discusses the rules of the game he sets for his son to play in order to survive the horror of his days in the Nazi concentration camp. They are simple rules , which are explained in a few words:
«The game begins. Anyone who hasn't made it is out. 1,000 points are needed. The first place winner will win a new armoured car. What luck! Every day we'll read out the rankings over that loudspeaker over there. The last place winner will have a sign hanging on his back that says: Donkey. Here. We're on the team of the super bad guys who scream incessantly. Anyone who is scared loses points. In three cases, all points are lost: one is lost by those who start crying, two is lost by those who want to see their mother, three is lost by those who are hungry and ask for a snack.»
Simplicity of rules helps players feel more comfortable playing, and therefore, it will be easier for customers to be encouraged to participate in a gamification campaign. In addition, the clearer and more transparent the game mechanics are, the fewer complaints or confusing situations will be generated, which lead to the exact opposite of what you want to achieve with the customer when running a gamification campaign.
