Game Based Marketing

Advertising is dead. So how to you reach your elusive, media-cynical, social media-obsessed customers? With games. Game-Based Marketing makes professionals aware of how pervasive games are today, how large a role they are playing in business marketing, and how to better use "funware" to create an engaged and loyal customer base. Get into game-based marketing . . . and play to win! TV advertising has "jumped the shark." Online advertising and marketing promises to fill the gap, but despite enthusiasm for buzz-generation and the value of social networks, no one has outlined a workable marketing model that actually leads to reliable revenue . . . until now. Written by videogame innovator and entrepreneur Gabe Zichermann and writer Joselin Linder, Game-Based Marketing explores "Funware," a new model for incorporating and leveraging games and game mechanics to reach today's customers. Behaviorally based, Funware will give you strategic insight into the deep-seated impulses and habits that drive our socially networked marketplace. In this groundbreaking guide, you'll discover which game-based marketing programs have already generated millions in revenue and produced the world's most loyal and engaged customers. You'll get a firsthand look at how this powerful approach applies to the new world of social media. Most importantly, you'll see how to create game-based marketing plans that measurably increase both sales and profits. Game-Based Marketing gives you practical guidance on adding games and gaming concepts to your marketing toolbox, including: How to cut through the media noise to use games more effectively Why "free to play" designs are irresistible to customers and lead to long-term revenue How to leverage the passive games people are playing every day without even realizing it How to create virtual economies and link them to your real-world business objectives Who the different types of gamers are, and how to reach them—even when they're not "intentionally playing" How to use games internally to motivate employees and boost sales How to find the best game-based techniques for communicating with youth markets And much more Filled with case studies from leading brands such as NBC, United Airlines, the U.S. Army, and more, Game-Based Marketing examines how Funware delivers results today and will be an integral marketing channel tomorrow. Use the tools in this book to reinvent your marketing strategy, or you might be out of the game altogether. Harness the power of games to create extraordinary customer engagement with Game-Based Marketing. Gamification is revolutionizing the web and mobile apps. Innovative startups like Foursquare and Swoopo, growth companies like Gilt and Groupon and established brands like United Airlines and Nike all agree: the most powerful way to create and engage a vibrant community is with game mechanics. By leveraging points, levels, badges, challenges, rewards and leaderboards – these innovators are dramatically lowering their customer acquisition costs, increasing engagement and building sustainable, viral communities. Game-Based Marketing unlocks the design secrets of mega-successful games like Zynga’s Farmville, World of Warcraft, Bejeweled and Project Runway to give you the power to create winning game-like experiences on your site/apps. Avoid obvious pitfalls and learn from the masters with key insights, such as: Why good leaderboards shouldn’t feature the Top 10 players. Most games are played as an excuse to socialize, not to achieve. Status is worth 10x more than cash to most consumers. Badges are not enough: but they are important. You don’t need to offer real-world prizing to run a blockbuster sweepstakes. And learn even more: How to architect a point system that works Designing the funware loop: the basics of points, badges, levels, leaderboards and challenges Maximizing the value and impact of badges Future-proofing your design Challenging users without distraction Based on the groundbreaking work of game expert and successful entrepreneur Gabe Zichermann, Game-Based Marketing brings together the game mechanics expertise of a decade’s worth of research. Driven equally by big companies, startups, 40-year-old men and tween girls, the world is becoming increasingly more fun. Are you ready to play?