11 Mar Exploring the serious business of consumer products game-based marketing
Posted at 01:28h
in Category Management, Consumer Packaged Goods, CPG Education, Market Segment, Marketing strategy, Retailing
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In its infancy, advertising was an interruption. Ads were part of the price of watching TV or flipping through a magazine. More recently, brands have experimented with ways to make their messages desirable in their own right, via social engagement and branded content.
But at a Social Media Week event at the Time-Life Building in New York City this month, Gabe Zichermann argued that in the future, brands will use game mechanics to go beyond just getting a customer’s attention. Instead, they will make themselves a part of the rhythm of their customers’ lives. Games are “a process, not a destination,” Zichermann argued.
Zichermann said he defines “gamification” as the use of game mechanics and game-based thinking to solve problems and create user engagement. But more broadly, he explains, a solid game-based marketing program is really just the final incarnation of the loyalty programs businesses have been using for almost 200 years.
In the first phase of loyalty programs, customers were given free merchandise for buying a set amount of product. Think of those cards that promise you a free pizza after you buy nine pizzas at the regular price. These are still the most common form of loyalty program, he says, but they’re not the most effective. They tend to offer incentives
This post was written by SmartBrief technology editor Susan Rush.
If you think social TV is only for young, hip viewers, you are mistaken. Live televised events or TV series that have loyal fan bases are perfect candidates to add social TV elements — that was one of the takeaways from the “Social Television — .
Where will social TV work?
To open the session, panel moderator Richard Sussman of The Nielsen Co., pointed to the success the 2010 Oscars had with Facebook, noting that “Facebook was the winner of the Oscars.” Shows like the 
In Monday’s post, Jay Baer and Amber Naslund explained how to use social networks to respond to a full-blown communications crisis. They offered some great advice for handling a PR nightmare on a social channel. But how can you keep it from getting to that point? How do you diffuse conflicts before they turn into all-hands situations?
Having a social media presence means you will have social media fights. If you seek attention, some of your buzz will inevitably be negative. No brand is immune. But you can take steps to minimize conflict — and even turn a negative comment into a golden moment that wins your brand positive attention. Here’s how:
