A communications challenge? Game on.

[This is an archived blog item written in October 2017, when I was working at 44 Communications.]

Games aren’t just something nerds play in dark rooms, or families squabble over at Christmas. 44’s Tom Ives explains why embracing games can help you top the comms leaderboard.

The best communications are tailored to their audiences so they make a lasting impression.
By taking into account how humans behave and what our decisions are based on, you can create a great, tailored experience and produce a successful product or service – whether that’s a mobile fitness app or an internal newsletter. And what better way to get them engaged in your offer than through games?

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Think about it. People use games as a way to learn and enjoy themselves – they’re fun, absorbing, challenging, educational and at times even addictive.
If you’re not convinced about the potential they have, consider when China’s Wing Gaming won The International 2016 eSports final in Seattle. Not only did they earn $9.1 million, but they drew thousands of fans to the arena to watch a video game.
The value of games has also been recognised by the medical profession, with the game Neuroracer. This medical experiment uses experiences, instead of drugs, to treat people with cognitive issues. By measuring players’ brain activity through an ECG cap as they play, it’s been proven that people aged 50+ could increase their working memory and sustained attention to the same level as a 20 year old over a few months.
Another great non-traditional use for gaming is reMission – a game created for children undertaking chemotherapy for leukaemia. The game allows them to fight off cancer virtually inside a body as a mini-superhero. Scientists observed increased joy, optimism and confidence levels in the players, which activated the brain circuits involved with motivation – the same parts of the brain associated with patients’ increased adherence to treatments.
Following clinical trials, reMission has helped more than 135,000 patients stick with their cancer treatments and gain a greater sense of personal empowerment and control over their disease.

Inspired yet?
Gamification is where typical elements of game playing – point scoring, competition with others, rules of play – are applied to other activities like marketing or communications to encourage engagement.
If you need to move up a level with your communications, here are three ideas:

1. Living the dream
When asked for ideas to raise awareness of a client’s business strategy, we suggested a game that put the players in the shoes of the organisation’s leader.
Like SimCity or Farmville, the employee has to find the perfect format for the ever-changing needs of customers within different locations, budget constraints, a competitive market and challenge supply chains. The result? Serious, complex process messages made simple.

2. Friendly competition
A great example we’ve seen in the industry is Albert – the learning and development game Virgin Media retail uses for its staff. Played on in-store iPads or employees’ personal Android and iOS devices, Albert keeps 1,200 sales execs in the know. Users complete three daily challenges about their roles and the business, receiving ‘experience points’ every time they play and boosting their personal scores every time they answer correctly. An employee leaderboard shows who knows their stuff.

3. Points mean prizes
Nudge is an app to reward employee behaviour. Frontline staff use Nudge on their personal devices to receive commercial updates and information, like daily offers and product news to help customer service. Employees who read the updates get a few points and those who act on it (upselling or pushing offers) are rewarded with more. This is a way to encourage engagement by turning points into actual rewards – money, benefits or products.

Hopefully you’ve now got your head in the game. And we’ll give you 44 points if you gamify your next communications project…