Gamification: Practical Examples of Success in Companies

Being motivated leads to achievement, in every sphere of life and business. This is where the success of gamification comes from, which offers us several practical examples of success, also in Italian companies.

Motivating and retaining people becomes very simple: just make them play!

Of course, budget challenges and the risks of falling into the “novelty” trap are just around the corner, so it pays to get a clear idea of ​​the market before embarking on the gamification journey.

We see some practical examples of gamification use, from recruiting to marketing. But not only.

What is Gamification - Most Common Meaning

The meaning of gamification is well explained in this article by Forbes: the term "gamification" was first used in 2002 but remained rather obscure until 2010.

The meaning is, literally, "to make a game"; as you can imagine, gamification requires that some typical elements of the game are placed in a different context, in which you want to obtain greater motivation.

If you've seen the first Disney movie Mary Poppins, you'll remember the moment when the magical nanny teaches the children to tidy up their rooms by playing and singing. Likewise, Several cognitive psychology studies believe that gamification can involve the end user and build greater customer loyalty within the corporate landscape.

We have several examples of companies that put the principles of gamification into practice. Let's see which ones.

Gamification - Practical Examples in Use Around the World

• Gamification and Marketing: eMart's marketing campaign using gamification is very famous. The company placed a transparent panel on the street with unusual rectangular incisions and the words "Emart Sunny Sale". At midday, the shadows formed a scannable QR code, allowing you to see the company's products.

• Gamification and Recruiting: there are several HR sectors that use gamification systems to collect personal details from candidates, or for corporate training;
• Gamification and Fitness: the Nike+ platform was created with the aim of involving fitness enthusiasts to enhance their training, and then focuses on the Nike brand; 
• Gamification and Education: in addition to the daily work of our teachers, who invent different strategies for learning, we also have the international example of the Khan Academy.  
• Research and development: Quirky company uses gamification to gather ideas from inventors for product development.
• Play and democratic participation: The case of “This is Not a Game: The Game” is very curious, a fun question and answer game with a prize pool, which was created with the intent of increasing participation in democracy among the people who play. It is not exactly a corporate loyalty program, however. is one of the practical examples of creative gamification.

Gamification - practical examples in use in Italy

In our peninsula the examples of gamification are limited to the areas of recruiting and marketing, even if there is good potential for the future. In many cases, gamification in the company is supported by a chatbot able to interact automatically with customers, guiding them through the different stages of the game.

Gamification in recruiting/Human Resources

Mainly, the prospective candidate is subjected to a virtual quiz or game, in which he will answer preliminary questions from recruiters regarding his experiences and expectations, or give other technical information.

We can also interpret as gamification the team building games and events that involve work groups, projects or offices of different companies on Italian soil.

Training, as is already the case with education, can also be subject to gamification.

Gamification in Marketing

Gamification in marketing is still a field to be explored, which lends itself to the imagination of those who deal with making a company's communication unique. From quizzes to discounts offered to those who solve a riddle or a maze. 

Gamification was already happening offline, but the challenge today is to automate it as much as possible.

Conclusion: The Elements of Successful Gamification

However, there are some elements to take into consideration for gamification to be successful:

• Design: You need to communicate your brand, but keep the design focused on the player
• You need to evaluate your needs to outline a gamification strategy that produces a concrete return on investment. There are many examples of gamification that is expensive and very fun, but that fails to really resonate with customers.
• Need delegate the hard work to technology. Some Italian companies confuse the concept of gamification with “involvement”, and delegate a figure in the company staff to the task. It makes sense to do this for Human Resources. But for the other examples of gamification that we have mentioned, it is better to rely on an automatism that only technology can offer. 

Would you like to delegate some of your corporate gamification? You may be interested in our article on virtual influencers.

Or do you have a gamification project that you think could be a winner?

Then, contact the technology team of Pizero Design!