Men are more competitive, so winning at a game amongst strangers is the best profile to tap into these dynamics- badges, points and other cumulative trinkets seem to work. So developing "achievements" with tangible and sustainable benefits is the challenge.
The one thing that stood out is that Gamification can lead to deep engagement if the social benefits are thought out at the onset. That is, the achievement has to provide an authentic value beyond winning the "cake". The "cake is a lie" according to McGonigal and people will see this and the game dies fast. Developing games for specific devices is a bad idea- iPhone apps are doomed in the cloud as we know Android devices already outnumber them.
Done properly, a gaming framework can not only deeply engage customers and prospects superficially, it can create this fertile breeding ground of collaboration and ideation. This is being done with community dynamics which Lithium does well with big brands. This is the inflection point of payoff where context and marketplace can start organically. Loyalty then becomes a prepaid benefit to participants.
Any other strategic blueprint is simply a sales or marketing push campaign skinned in a gaming paradigm. So points, badges and "game up" tactics do not deliver the benefits of curiosity, movement creation or the development of a "brand nation" in terms of a successful community.
I am looking at adding a layer of gamification into our destination marketing framework to allow passengers to particiapte in an "unbranded" self defined experience which is challenging and provides "meaningful goals". This is predicated on our content marketing services strategy, where we already have provided a service passengers can trust and engage with on an opt in basis.
This is something we are making available to more horizontal markets beyond travel. If you want to find out more just email me.
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