Gamification in marketing: A model of marketing performance in case of gamified campaigns

Abstract

This paper is focused on exploration of the relationship between gamification in marketing activities and business outcomes of such activities. The goal of the research is to identify specific points where gamification can influence marketing performance of a firm and propose a general model for performance of gamified marketing actions. Thus, the main research question is how gamification can influence marketing performance of the company when applied in marketing campaigns? The research is based on cases of Russian companies, which have applied gamification in their marketing activities. Gamification, applied in marketing communications, can influence all the main constructs of company’s marketing performance: customer perceptions and purchasing behavior as well as market and financial performance. It can also potentially improve return on marketing investments by increasing customer lifetime value. Gamified campaigns are primarily used for driving sales through increased awareness and engagement with the brand. As a result of analysis a model for performance of gamified marketing actions was developed, which can be useful for companies for planning their future gamified campaigns as well as for evaluating their productivity afterwards.