Over the past few decades, we have witnessed how much the marketing world has changed and how much marketing strategies evolved. What drives these changes more than anything else is technological progress. From the world where every household had one TV at most to the world where every person has several devices and internet access. So, it is not a surprise that marketing campaigns shifted from TV to social networks and the internet. However, the new big thing has recently appeared on the marketers’ radar – Metaverse, a world that can completely change the way customers are reached.
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What is Gamified Marketing?
As it was discussed in the articles ‘Game On: Magic of Gamification In Advertising’ and ‘Exploring the Latest Gamification Trends’, gamification is about weaving game-like elements – points, badges, leaderboards, challenges, and dynamic rewards – into the very fabric of non-game contexts. In the world of advertising, this translates to transforming mundane interactions and tasks into exhilarating journeys that motivate desired actions from the target audience. Imagine interactive quizzes where real-time leaderboards spark friendly competition, or social media campaigns featuring scavenger hunts with exclusive virtual rewards for top performers.
Why Does the Metaverse Make Gamification Sing?
The metaverse is a perfect playground for marketing to achieve new heights. Even though users enter virtual worlds not for the sake of new advertisement campaigns but for the sake of entertainment, making marketing part of entertainment opens new doors of opportunities. Unlike traditional advertisements, advertisement gamification in virtual worlds offers several unique advantages:
Immersive Experiences: The metaverse goes beyond regular screens, giving brands the chance to build interactive and immersive experiences that really grab people’s attention. Moreover, users encounter ads while having fun in the metaverse, which creates a positive connection with the advertised product.
Enhanced Storytelling: The metaverse gives brands the power to craft detailed stories about their products and services. It’s not a passive experience for users; they get to be part of the story. Imagine solving puzzles, discovering hidden content, and even influencing which way the narrative goes. It’s like turning brand interaction into an exciting adventure where everyone plays a role.
Personalized Engagement: The metaverse generates rich data about user behavior and preferences. This data can be used to personalize gamification elements, tailoring rewards, challenges, and storylines to individual interests and motivations. This level of personalization fosters a sense of exclusivity and relevance, further driving engagement.
Community Building: Metaverses foster a strong sense of community, offering virtual spaces for users to connect, collaborate, and compete. Brands can tap into this vibrant fabric by creating in-world communities or hosting gamified contests and challenges. These interactive experiences encourage organic user-generated content, brand advocacy, and a sense of belonging within the brand’s ecosystem.
And, what is even more important, it is just one click away from users. Unlike in the real world, in the metaverse, the opportunities to create entertaining and unique marketing experiences for users are endless.
Metaverse Gamification Success Stories
Nike
Nike has launched a virtual world within Roblox called “Nikeland,” which allows players to engage in various mini-games and activities, such as tag, dodgeball, and “The Floor Is Lava.” The company plans to integrate in-play moments that emulate global sporting events, like the World Cup and Super Bowl, and will continue to update the virtual world with athlete and product integration. Users can use their real-world movements to power their online play, and a digital showroom allows them to dress their avatar in Nike products.
The metaverse offers a unique opportunity for Nike to connect with a new generation of athletes and test new products before launching them in the physical world. The company has filed trademarks for virtual Nike-branded sneakers and apparel, indicating its intention to expand its presence in the digital space.
Coca-Cola
Coca Cola also stepped into the world of metaverses in order to reach a broader audience in the web3 space. The campaign included billboard ads in popular metaverses such as Decentraland, The Sandbox Game, and Somnium Space and resulted in a significant success.
According to the results of the case study provided by Decentraland, Coca Cola’s campaign reached 110,000 impressions on Twitter and 90,000 views of the billboards in just one month. The event at MetaGami Mall was also a hit, with 6,364 total person-times in seven days and ranking second on Decentraland’s charts for most visited venues that day. It also boosted the organic reach and made people excited to create user-generated content. People posted about how much they loved their new Coca-Cola-branded digital wearables and that they are having a great time.
Through this campaign, it was established once more that virtual worlds offers a cost-effective way to reach a broader audience with a smaller marketing budget, as there is less competition and activity compared to traditional web2 channels. All the indicators, involvement and excitement of people demonstrated that web3 is a way to enter a new era of advertising.
The Future of Gamified Marketing in the Metaverse
As the virtual worlds keep growing and improving, so will the possibilities for gamified marketing. Taking into account a rapid advancements in technologies it’s expected to see even more creative and immersive experiences such as:
AR/VR Integration: AR and VR technologies develop at an unprecedented speed. Many businesses have already started using the power of augmented and virtual reality to demonstrate their products and make customer experience more entertaining. These technologies can also be integrated into gamified marketing campaigns adding a special touch to them, making the whole experience one-of-a-kind for potential customers.
AI-Powered Personalization: While the use of other technologies is predictable in a particular way, artificial intelligence takes a special place, because it is still difficult to imagine how much AI technologies are going to be integrated into our lives in the near future. Artificial intelligence can be used to personalize gamification elements on a brand new individual level, creating stories personally for each individual and their behavior.
Decentralized Ownership: No more paper coupons and random rewards in apps. Decentralized ownership is a revolutionized way of encouraging and rewarding customers. Just as a currency in the real world, virtual assets can be used in metaverse advertisements in order to provide participants of campaigns with rewards.
Gamified marketing in the metaverse is a brand-new way to connect with consumers. Even though it has just recently started being explored by brands, it has already proved its effectiveness, ability to attract the attention of people, create organic growth and show significant potential for the future.
