🧠 Play Games With Your Customers

Hey there 👋

Welcome back to the third edition of Brandish

Your guide to crafting an iconic brand

In this week's newsletter, we'll talk about gamification

Why?

Because in a world full of sameness and boringness - gamification can help you stand out and engage with your customers in a different way.

There's a reason why big brands like Uber, Nike, and Starbucks are using it to engage their customers.

...And there's also a reason why smaller DTC brands (Like Obvi, True Classic, PetLabCo) use quizzes and games to acquire customers.

Can you guess why?

Because it works!

Alright, enough chit-chat.

Let's dive into it

Gamification in a nutshell

Gamification is all about incorporating game elements into your branding strategy.

For example - points, levels, and rewards

There are many creative ways to go about gamification.

Quizzes, reward programs, "shop for $X more to get a free gift."

…Those are all forms of gamification

Let's look at some concrete examples of how other brands have used gamification to inspire you.

And then let's dive into the psychology behind it + how we've used it at Obvi.

a) Starbucks Rewards:

Starbucks has mastered the art of gamification with its reward program.

Customers earn 'stars' with every purchase, which they can redeem for drinks or food.

Bonus stars for special promotions keep things exciting and incentivize regular purchases.

b) Nike Run Club:

Nike leveraged people's love for fitness and turned it into a game.

With its app, users can track runs, set personal goals, and even challenge friends.

Milestones and achievements are rewarded with badges, which then keep people motivated to continue running.

The Psychology of Gamification

Gamification is the art of blending humans' inherent love for games with their shopping experience.

There are 4 main psychological reasons why it works so well:

• Motivation:

  • People love winning. Whether it's points, badges, or levels, these game elements motivate customers to interact more with your brand.

• Competitiveness:

  • Leaderboards and ranking systems spark a competitive spirit, encouraging users to engage more often and outdo others.

• Progression:

  • Seeing progress (like unlocking levels or rewards) gives users a sense of achievement and encourages them to continue the journey.

• Social Proof:

  • Sharing achievements on social media provides validation, which makes the experience more enjoyable.

How we're using Gamification at Obvi and how you can do the same

There are three primary ways we're using gamification at Obvi

The first one is our quiz funnel.

Here, we create ads that invite customers to take a quiz to find out what the best supplements for them are.

This makes the buying experience more personalized (and fun) to them, both in terms of the product we recommend to them - but also our communication with them.

The second one is our cart-drawer

I could probably write an entire newsletter on our cart drawer (but that'll be for another time because right now it's under re-construction)

But normally, we basically say, "If you buy for X amount more, you unlock this free gift.

…And then when you buy for X amount more after that, you unlock this next gift, etc."

The third is our loyalty program.

This is pretty self-explanatory. Save points, gain status, and win rewards. This might be the easiest experience to gamify.

Time's up; gotta bounce.

Thanks a lot for reading along.

As always, I try to keep these newsletters short, sweet, and concise.

I hope you enjoyed this newsletter and will come back again next Sunday.

If you did, then make sure to share it with a friend too.

All the best

Ankit