Oh no, not another digital marketing buzzword
Gaming or “Gamification” is  fast becoming one of the most powerful tools in brand building since the loyalty program, only difference is that it is less about the monetary rewards and more about the experiential rewards. Although, much like traditional reward programs, the concept of achieving status (or ‘leveling-up’ in gamer language) still applies. Think of any popular frequent flyer program, you go from silver to gold to platinum and receive special treatment and status amongst your fellow travelers. The true difference between the traditional rewards scheme and gaming is that it’s the joy of achievement that is the reward. This is not to say that you can’t combine the two concepts, driving engagement through gaming and keeping it through traditional types of rewards. This is the idea behind Foursquare and SCVNGR, both location-based social media apps that are used by businesses to reward customers who “check-in” to show their loyalty.

The difference between gaming and gamification
In our previous post, we discussed gaming and the type of games people play. Now, the difference with gamification is that it essentially turning some customer (or employees) interaction with you business/product/brand into a game.

Virgin America is using Topguest’s perks platform and the “appointment” game dynamic to offer customers frequent flyer points in exchange for their check‐ins