In the digital age, capturing quality leads has become a priority for brands looking to expand their customer base. Traditional marketing strategies are becoming increasingly saturated and users tend to ignore intrusive ads. Faced with this scenario, brands have begun to explore more creative alternatives to capture the public’s attention, with the advergame being one of the most innovative solutions.
An advergame is a video game developed specifically to promote a brand or product, achieving in an entertaining and non-invasive way that users interact with the brand. By integrating an advergame into your marketing strategy, you not only offer an interactive experience to users, but you can also capture valuable leads in a creative way. In this article, we explain how to use an advergame to capture leads and leverage it as a powerful marketing tool.
1. Offer a Unique and Fun Experience
The first step in engaging users is to offer a game experience that is fun, challenging and unique. The game should be aligned with your brand’s identity and values, but without coming across as blatant advertising. To achieve this:
- Attractive design: An advergame with eye-catching graphics and smooth gameplay captures users’ attention and keeps them engaged.
- Fun before selling: Make sure the game offers genuine entertainment. The main goal is for players to have fun and enjoy the experience, while subtly introducing the promotion of the brand or product.
Example: A health food brand could develop an advergame where users must collect healthy ingredients to prepare delicious dishes, linking the company’s products in a fun way.
2. Offer Incentives to Register or Play
An effective method to capture leads through advergames is to offer attractive incentives that motivate users to register or leave their contact information. You can offer:
- Physical prizes: branded products, free samples, or discount coupons.
- Virtual rewards: In-game points that can be redeemed for in-game benefits, access to exclusive levels or customizations.
It is important that in order to obtain these benefits, users must fill out a short form where they provide you with their contact information, such as their email, name, and phone number.
Example: An online clothing store could offer 10% discount coupons or early access to collections if users complete the game and leave their email address.
3. Gamify the Registration Process
Instead of simply asking for contact information directly, you can make the process part of the game, i.e. gamify the registration. Some examples of how to gamify the lead capture process include:
- In-game progress: registration may be required to unlock new levels or special in-game skills.
- Achievements and rewards: Players can earn achievements that are only awarded for completing their profile or subscribing to your newsletter.
- Ranking and competition: If the game includes a ranking or leaderboard, you could request the email for the player to see their position and compete with others.
Example: A technology brand could launch a game in which players build a technology city. To unlock new buildings and get higher scores, players must register and compete against other users online.
4. Integrate Landing Pages or Pop-up Formats
Although the advergame is the main tool, you can integrate traditional marketing elements such as landing pages or pop-ups that do not interrupt the game experience, but invite players to leave their data to obtain rewards.
- Smart pop-ups: Upon passing a level or completing a mission, a pop-up appears requesting the user’s email to receive their prize or bonus.
- Personalized landing pages: At the end of the game, redirect users to a thank you or reward page, where they are asked to leave their contact information to receive additional content or a special offer.
Example: A bank could develop an advergame about financial education, where at the end of each level, users receive personalized recommendations on a landing page about how to manage their finances. To access these recommendations, the user must provide their contact information.
5. Use Competition and Ranking as Motivation
People love to compete, and leveraging the competitive element within the game can be a great way to get contact information from players. Some ideas include:
- Leaderboard: post a list of the highest-scoring players in the game. To enter the leaderboard, users must register.
- Weekly challenges: Offer periodic challenges with prizes, such as gift cards or exclusive products, that will only be available to those who leave their details.
Example: An advergame for an energy drink company could include weekly competitions where players with the highest scores receive product boxes as prizes, motivating them to register to participate in the tournaments.
6. Promote the Game on Social Media Channels
Take advantage of the virality that advergames can generate through social networks. Users, excited to share their achievements or invite friends to play, can help you capture more leads indirectly. Some tactics you can use include:
- Challenges to share on networks: Offer additional prizes or unlockable content if players share their score or the game link on their social networks.
- Referrals: Implement a system where players receive additional points or prizes if they invite friends to play, who in turn must register to participate.
Example: A travel company could create an advergame where players pretend to be tourists around the world. If a user shares their experience on social networks or invites friends, they can receive discounts on airline tickets.
7. Capture Useful User Information
An advergame not only serves to capture leads, but also to obtain useful information about the audience’s interests and preferences. Depending on the type of game, you can include subtle questions or surveys that allow you to segment users based on their interests or behaviors.
For example, you can ask at the start of the game what products or services the user is interested in or allow the user to select in-game preferences (such as product types, colors, styles, etc.). This will allow you to send more personalized communications later on.
Example: An appliance store could launch an advergame where players customize their ideal kitchen with branded appliances. This information will allow you to know which products users prefer and segment future marketing campaigns.
Conclusion
Advergames are a powerful tool for engaging leads in a novel, interactive, and entertaining way. By integrating game mechanics with a non-intrusive data collection strategy, you can turn casual players into valuable leads who are genuinely interested in your brand. The key to success lies in designing a fun game with thoughtful incentives, a friendly registration process, and personalization that makes users feel like they are participating in a unique experience.
By implementing these tactics, you will not only improve lead acquisition, but also strengthen brand loyalty and generate a greater impact on your audience.
Digital Technology Consultant | Digital Project Manager | Consulting and Training | Gamification and Advergaming project design.
He has 16 years of experience in marketing, administration, and project management for the design and development of websites, custom web systems, mobile apps, advergaming, and gamification. Course facilitator and university professor, in subjects, focused on web design and development.