Gamified video: The trending cure for video fatigue

This post is sponsored by Pico.

Tired of watching yet another advertising or online event video? How about playing with one instead? The term “video gamification” has been popping up more and more in conversations between advertisers, marketers, and brands lately – but what exactly are the supposed benefits of gamified video?

The boom in digital marketing during the pandemic has left online consumers suffering from “video fatigue”, making them more prone to skip over conventional ads. What is needed now is a less passive, more engaging, and fun experiences.

Hence “gamification” has emerged as a popular way to maximise viewer engagement. In fact, the global gamification market was already worth US$10.19 million in 2020, and is projected to grow to US$38.42 million by 2026. Suffice to say that video gamification is becoming a major go-to style of marketing.

Take your audience on a memorable journey

In a nutshell, a gamified video is simply a video with integrated gameplay mechanics such as competitions or decision-making. Its interactive features can include buttons, hotspots, multimedia, and even questions which viewers can answer in a variety of ways. By encouraging viewers to “play”, videos can increase brand awareness, and leave a deeper impression on potential customers.

Not surprisingly, brands have been eager to capitalise on the idea.

Example: HP Indonesia launches new PCs with a gamified video journey

With the lockdown ruling out a traditional launch for the OMEN by HP 16, and Victus by HP 16, HP Indonesia appointed Infinity-Pico to activate a virtual launch. The outcome was an innovative interactive virtual experience for participants.

Taking its cue from the event’s “play to progress” theme, the launch video presented an adventurous journey through which participants would choose their own route. Other gamified elements included multiple-choice quizzes, AR experiences, and even a holographic emcee. Product commentary along the way made the experience as informative as it was engaging.

Thanks to its original approach to gamification, the virtual launch yielded an excellent overall turn-up rate, and feedback – a great start for HP Indonesia’s latest products.

Integrating video gamification and AR into social media tools

As social media becomes more ubiquitous, brands are all looking to capitalise on it to engage and cultivate customers. Some have found a powerful solution by combining Instagram with gamification.

Example: “The Fita Challenge” AR quiz

Fita, a popular biscuit brand in markets such as the Philippines, harnessed the social media app Instagram and AR effects to create “The Fita Challenge” quiz. Players received questions related to the brand and its product, and rather than tapping the answers on-screen, turned their heads left or right to “hit” an on-screen biscuit with the desired answer.

While helping Fita promote itself as a snack of choice and providing an opportunity for its users to learn about the brand, the quiz wasn’t perceived as a “hard sell” distraction. The fun gamified elements actually enhanced the audience experience.

As well as enhancing brand awareness, gamified elements such as quizzes can also yield some valuable information. And that leads us to the next benefit of video gamification.

Understand your audience on a deeper level

By creating a more engaging experience, video gamification can enable you to learn about audiences on a larger scale, and deeper level. Each decision the audience makes and every option they choose during their interaction can yield valuable information on their preferences, habits, needs and behaviour – and the performance of your own content.

Example: Learning lifesaving skills through interactive video

Resuscitation Council UK develops resuscitation guidelines and delivers courses to teach resuscitation skills to the public. In its e-lifesaver e-learning tool, interactive videos depict emergency situations, allowing viewers to choose their own responses, or press buttons in the correct rhythm to simulate CPR.

Viewers then see the consequences of their actions, whether good or bad. Since its launch, e-lifesaver has undergone multiple upgrades such as incorporating VR elements to fully immerse users in its gamified experience.

In this case, gamified elements not only boost viewer engagement, but enhance the content of the video itself. Allowing viewers to make their own decisions transforms what could be a mundane educational video into a personal experience, making it memorable and relevant to the audience.

This approach can also enable the Resuscitation Council UK to gain insights into the average audience’s emergency responses, which can subsequently be used to design more effective future content.

Conclusion

Gamification can transform videos into personalised and enjoyable experiences – counteracting audiences’ tendency towards “video fatigue”. Viewers gain a deeper, more memorable understanding of the brand or product through interaction, while the brand itself may gather audience data of high value for future marketing actions.