
How Much Involvement Is Required from Your Brand?
When brands consider incorporating gamification into their marketing strategies, a common question arises: "How much will we need to do?" Understanding the level of involvement required is key to making the collaboration between a gamification provider, like PlayAbly, and the client as smooth as possible. Gamification is designed to enhance your brand’s engagement, but the workload can be minimized by clearly defining responsibilities upfront.
The process generally begins with an understanding of what your brand will need to provide, and what aspects of the gamified experience are handled by the gamification provider. For example, brands are often responsible for delivering the foundational elements—such as brand guidelines, specific imagery, or any key messaging that needs to be maintained throughout the game. A good example of this is how Sephora provides consistent branding and product-specific information for their gamified quizzes on social platforms(Emplifi). This ensures that while the gamified experience is creative and engaging, it still feels in line with the brand’s core identity.
PlayAbly’s Role in Managing the Heavy Lifting
PlayAbly’s involvement is typically focused on the technical and creative aspects of game development. This includes everything from game design, coding, and functionality to the implementation of interactive elements, leaderboards, and rewards. By taking care of these details, PlayAbly helps minimize the brand’s workload, allowing your team to focus on higher-level strategic input rather than managing day-to-day project tasks.
For instance, when working with Domino’s, the game developers handled the creation of the "create-your-own pizza" game, which significantly boosted customer engagement and sales(Elegant Themes). In this case, Domino’s provided the branding and promotional elements, but the game’s mechanics and user experience were fully handled by the gamification provider. This approach allowed Domino’s to maintain focus on their core business operations without getting bogged down in the intricacies of game development.
Collaboration: What Your Brand Should Expect
While PlayAbly manages much of the game development process, some collaboration from the brand is still essential to ensure that the gamified experience reflects the brand’s vision and messaging. Typically, brands are involved in stages such as:
- Initial Briefing: Defining the goals of the gamified experience (e.g., engagement, lead generation, or brand awareness) and providing key insights into the target audience.
- Content Creation: Supplying assets such as imagery, logos, and specific copy that need to be incorporated into the game. This ensures that the game’s look and feel align with your brand.
- Feedback and Approval: Reviewing the game design and mechanics to ensure they meet your expectations and match your brand's tone. This is an important phase where you can fine-tune elements before launch.
Brands should view this as a partnership. For example, Sephora’s team likely provides ongoing feedback throughout the development of their Instagram-based quizzes(Emplifi). The process is designed to ensure that while the game offers an exciting and engaging experience for the user, it never feels disconnected from the core brand.
Minimizing Your Team’s Workload
One of the primary benefits of partnering with a gamification expert like PlayAbly is the ability to minimize your internal team’s workload. While your input is essential for providing brand-specific information, much of the technical work—including coding, game mechanics, and deployment—is handled externally. By leveraging PlayAbly’s expertise, brands can implement sophisticated gamification strategies without overwhelming their internal resources.
This collaborative yet low-effort approach ensures that your brand can reap the benefits of gamification—such as increased engagement, lead generation, and brand loyalty—without needing to devote extensive time or manpower to the development process.