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Are you ready for “advergaming”? Or is it ad gamification? Gamified advertising?
No matter what word or phrase is used, interactive advertising is here. Big brands like Disney, Amazon, and even the technology company Discord are embracing interactivity in their advertising formats.
If you think this sounds like something B2B companies have been doing for a while, you're right. Interactive polls, surveys, and even games have long been a staple of B2B marketing.
But interactive overlays on streaming media and other content platforms are taking this to a new level. So we asked Robert Rose, CMI's chief strategy advisor, what's going on. Watch this video or read on to hear his thoughts:
Gamification advertising for Hulu and other platforms
Several recent articles discuss the new trend of gamification in advertising as another type of marketing and advertising strategy.
In July, Marketing Dive examined how Burger King is embracing gamification and a more content marketing approach. The fast-food burger chain released a video game called Balloon Burst to celebrate its 70th anniversary. It replaced two other video games Burger King had developed to strengthen “the loyalty of our brand,” a spokesperson said.
I'm not sure I would associate the word “stickiness” with a burger brand, but then again, I'm not on Burger King's communications team, but I digress.
More recently, this type of gamification has also reached the area of paid media in marketing.
Disney, Hulu and others are offering brands the opportunity to use “advergames” on streaming media and other TV-like platforms. As Marketing Brew details, Disney has launched Quiz Show and Beat the Clock on Hulu and ESPN. Advertisers can engage viewers by hosting a quick trivia game or asking them to answer quick questions using their TV remote. Topgolf was the first to use the new ad format.
Amazon introduced advertising on Prime Video in May. Now it has added a new advertising format: interactive quizzes. Brands can ask questions or conduct a poll or survey. Viewers can request more information via email and win prizes, such as Amazon shopping credits.
You could see this gamification of advertising coming. The demand for video games, especially mobile games, is incredibly high. Sensor Tower's Digital Marketing Index shows that digital advertising spending on mobile apps reached $25 billion in the first quarter of 2024, the second highest since the record was set in the fourth quarter of 2023.
So advergames are here and are unlikely to go away.
Use “advergames” in your B2B marketing
B2B marketers should embrace it. They've long recognized the benefits of incorporating configurators, polls, surveys, and other elements of interactive applications into your marketing cycle. In fact, some of the best examples of B2B marketing are gamified. The HubSpot Website Grader has become almost legendary as an interactive method for generating new leads. Its success is so great that HubSpot has made it available as a tool that partners can white-label on their websites.
But not every example is a winning example.
The other day I saw an interactive survey on a technology company's website. “Take the survey to find out if you should buy now,” the ad said. The first question was, “Are you ready to buy now?” Then it asked, “If not, what would make you want to buy now?”
Stop doing that.
Don't create a playbook that's all about deal configurators or surveys that obviously try to determine the buyer's customer journey status.
Instead, think of clever ways to determine intent while adding value and entertaining. Look for ways to incorporate this strategy not only on your websites and social media channels, but also in your paid media strategy.
How could you incorporate polls and surveys to support customers on their journey and give your brand valuable first-party data to understand their intent?
I saw this happen with one brand that kept their surveys top secret. Instead of asking for first and last name, title and email address, they simply asked, “What questions would you like to answer?” and “Would you like to see how you compare to other colleagues?”
The ongoing survey is valuable to prospects because it tells them whether they are asking the same questions as their peers and whether they are asking questions they may not have thought of. It also gives the company insight into how and what content to deliver.
I've seen some incredible ideas, from quizzes to assessments to interactive resource guides. Now you can not only leverage them for your website visitors, but also incorporate them into your paid media strategy. It's a game worth playing.
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Cover photo by Joseph Kalinowski/Content Marketing Institute
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