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10 Examples of Companies Using Gamification to Ramp Up Content

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10 Examples of Companies Using Gamification to Ramp Up Content

Adding game-like elements to your content motivates consumers to participate. It can also help extend engagement, increase retention to improve learning, boost brand loyalty, and generate more user-generated content. 

From reward points and challenges to leaderboards and spin-to-win campaigns, gamification in content is now used by nearly every corporate department, finding its way into recruitment, manufacturing, sales, learning and development, marketing, and customer service. In fact, around 70% of the 2,000 biggest companies in the world are using gamification and the gamification market size is predicted to reach $30.7 billion by 2025

If you’re looking for examples of companies and brands using gamification to ramp up content, check out these 10 leaders doing it well. 

  1. Duolingo

American educational tech company Duolingo is known for its fun language-learning app, but the company also uses gamification in its social media content. On the brand’s Instagram account, for example, followers can click on various outfits as they fall from above to dress up the Duolingo mascot, a green owl named Duo.  

  1. Mentos

Candy and gum-maker Mentos played off the trending “9 Moral Alignments” chart with its version featuring nine items from its product line. The engaging Instagram post was paired with text asking not only about friend groups but also “Who is the Chaotic Rebel of your group?” to encourage the brand’s followers to tag friends in the post.

  1. Napa Valley Wine Academy

Designed to help consumers gain knowledge of wine, beer, and spirit, Napa Valley Wine Academy’s programs use gamification in their content to engage social media users. In this Instagram quiz, for example, followers are tasked with guessing the wine region based on clues from swiping on the post.

  1. Rawbite

Organic fruit-and-nut bar company Rawbite wanted to showcase its many flavors and give consumers a chance to win branded merchandise. Instagram followers were enticed by this post, which encouraged them to spin the wheel on the company’s website for their chance to win branded tote bags, socks, and hats. 

  1. Reese’s Candy

On Superbowl Sunday, top-selling Hershey Company brand Reese’s shared a customized “Big Game BINGO With Reese’s” sheet—complete with the Reese’s brand colors—on its TikTok account. The printable game included things followers might see during the Superbowl, such as interceptions, touchdown dances, screaming coaches, and foam fingers.

  1. Disney

Multinational entertainment and media company Disney is all about keeping superfans engaged and entertained. They frequently use gamification in their content, like this Instagram post testing brand loyalists’ knowledge of Disney movies and series. 

  1. Sephora

Beauty and personal care retailer Sephora has a devout following eager for interactive content. This fun TikTok post highlighted an in-app game that assigned products to alphabet letters, encouraging the brand’s loyal fans to spell out their names.

  1. Starbucks

Knowing that many of its customers are readers and that brick-and-mortar stores often host book clubs, Starbucks shared this fun game on Instagram, asking followers to identify “Which book club member are you?” with five potential character traits.

  1. M&Ms 

Candy-maker M&Ms tested brand loyalists by asking who really knows their M&Ms in this game, showcasing pieces of various sizes, shapes, and colors. The company ran the content on Instagram and TikTok.

  1. McDonald’s

Fast-food behemoth McDonald’s gave its Instagram followers the chance to win 250,000 points toward free food with this gamified persona quiz. Followers had to swipe to choose between five fan personas — CEO, Carpe All Day, Insider, Newbie, and Low Key — each bearing a description of using their free McDonald’s points for food.

Caveats for Using Gamification in Content

While gamification can help companies and brands boost engagement, loyalty, and sales, you must follow all laws, rules, and regulations. Without legal advisors reviewing your content and campaign plans in advance, you risk violating the law or facing consumer lawsuits. 

Concerns ranging from platforms’ terms of service non-compliance to data privacy violations, deceptive practices, and gambling laws can all put your company or brand in jeopardy. 

Working with a small team that needs help with content gamification? ContentMarketing.com offers content strategy and production services at scale. The team of experts has produced content for the world’s largest retailers, brands, and publishers and can help you create, manage, and analyze gamified content that more than pays for itself in ROI.