• Businesses can include a “play a game” marketing strategy for multiple benefits. 
• Marketers can also get valuable information about various metrics by using this strategy. 

Sales can skyrocket if a brand engages the audience; interestingly, the “Play a Game” marketing strategy can be beneficial, in more ways than one. Experts believe this marketing strategy is not a single tactic but a comprehensive approach. It is implemented to attract potential customers and promote a product or service. 

When a marketing strategy reaches stagnation, and despite doing everything recommended in books, sales aren’t going up. Brands lean on the “Play a Game” marketing strategy. They incorporate this strategy to involve audiences in fun activities, making it a memorable experience.

IKEA’s #AssembleTogether Campaign: A “Play a Game” Marketing Strategy

The Swedish brand IKEA successfully incorporated this “Play a Game” marketing strategy through their #AssembleTogether campaign. This campaign successfully demonstrated how this strategy can be a win-win for both brands and consumers. This approach can increase customer engagement, boost brand visibility and awareness, and help surpass the competition. 

Understanding the Challenge and Adapting Accordingly 

IKEA traditionally targets families with its wide range of furniture offerings. However, a newer generation of millennials and Gen Z are less interested in traditional marketing strategies. They wanted something extra, something they can connect with, or in Gen Z terms, something they can vibe with. 

Whenever someone orders furniture from IKEA, it comes in pieces and needs assembling at the site. This practice made them meme material because only some individuals have the engineering skills required to construct them, even if they come with a detailed manual. IKEA thought that assembling furniture could also be a fun game. 

The Hidden Power of “Play a Game” Strategy

IKEA understood that millennials and Gen Z value experience and social connection over everything else. They would resonate with a brand that offered unique experiences and social connect opportunities. Hence, they gamified the mundane furniture assembly process, making it a valuable and playful challenge.

The #AssembleTogether Campaign

IKEA knew that everyone could not visit their store to play the game, plus organizing such games across different stores would incur heavy costs. Hence, they took the game to millennials and Gen Z. They heavily focused on social media and targeted platforms like Instagram, X (Twitter), Facebook, Snapchat, etc., as millennials and Gen Z are most active on such platforms. 

They rolled out a fun assemble the furniture game, and people filmed themselves while playfully trying to assemble the IKEA furniture. This game gave them a sense of relatability and fun, which are crucial for audience engagement. People shared these videos with #AssembleTogether, encouraging participation and creating a sense of community. 

After successfully assembling the product, participants were offered gift cards as an incentive. The videos showcased the relatability of IKEA as a real-life setting brand while highlighting its furniture’s functionality and design aesthetics. The campaign heavily relied upon user-generated content that fosters a sense of authenticity and trust. 

Moreover, the playful nature of the challenge and the focus on speed created a sense of lighthearted competition. Experts say millennials and the Gen Z generation are highly competitive; IKEA successfully boosted brand awareness and engagement by successfully boosting this competitive nature. 

Success Statistics

IKEA’s #AssembleTogether was a resounding success, helping the brand gain over 1 billion impressions. By successfully utilizing the #AssembleTogether, IKEA created a massive buzz on social media, allowing them to reach a wider audience. By successfully increasing user participation through video sharing, they also increased brand engagement. 

This campaign also resonated perfectly with the target demographics of millennials and Gen Z and fostered brand awareness and loyalty. IKEA’s success in using this campaign highlights a few key factors. 

• Understanding the audience & their preferences. 
• Transforming mundane tasks into playful challenges. 
• Leveraging the power of social media. 
• Using User-Generated Content (UGC). 
• Facilitating healthy competition in achieving impressive results. 

The “Play a Game” Marketing Strategy Explained

IKEA’s case study signifies the benefits of incorporating the strategy, potentially luring others to use this in their business. But before jumping on to the bandwagon, it’s crucial to understand the nuances and intricacies of the “Play a Game” marketing strategy. 

The core concept revolves around engagement over interruption. This strategy extensively focuses on organically grabbing audiences’ attention and not through gimmicks. Remember that people are more likely to connect with a brand if they’re having fun while playing a game related to it. Similar to how people related to IKEA after playing the game. 

Carefully Choose the Type of Game

You might have to choose from various games and formats that suit your business goals and objectives. They can be interactive quizzes or polls; while the consumer is solving intricate puzzles and partaking in polls, they provide valuable data while you showcase your product features in a playful and fun way. 

Contests and challenges help create a sense of competition; it’s useful, especially when the game mechanics are tied to your product or service. For instance, an ed-tech firm can have quiz contests to market its offering and provide incentives to successful participants. It can also be an avenue for creating user-generated content and excitement, both beneficial for brand awareness. 

Branded mini-games can be used to showcase the products’ functionality in a fun and immersive way. By using the cutting-edge technology of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), brands can provide a cutting-edge approach to showcase products or services to leave a long-lasting impression. 

Platforms and Benefits

Choosing the right platform for the market strategy is crucial for its success. Experts vouch for social media, websites, landing pages, events, and trade shows. Social media is a prime space for interactive content. If a brand successfully leverages the popularity of Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), etc, to run quizzes, host polls or AR filters like Lenskart, it can be beneficial. 

Marketers can also embed the games directly into the website to keep visitors engaged, increasing dwell time. Landing pages can also be strategically used to promote an offering, and incorporating interactive elements such as spin the wheel, quizzes, etc, can be beneficial. If the game is offline, brands can set up interactive booths or stations, similar to Oreo Station. They can also be involved in events to attract attendees and showcase the product or service memorably. 

Pros & Cons of “Play a Game” Marketing Strategy

Like every other marketing strategy, this has pros and cons, as discussed below. 

Pros

Successful incorporation of this strategy helps in increased engagement. Games are inherently fun and interactive, and correctly using them as a marketing tool can lead to higher user engagement than traditional marketing strategies. They further translate into better brand recall and a positive brand association. 

Engaging games can go viral on social media, boosting brand awareness and engagement. This viral value can also spread brand awareness organically through shares and participation. Help the brand reach a wider audience at a relatively low cost. Games can also be designed to gather valuable user data, which can be used to target the marketing campaign better. 

Unlike other marketing strategies, “Play a Game” offers clear metrics for success. Marketers can easily track the participation rate, completion times, and related conversions to understand the campaign’s effectiveness. Plus, a positive experience with interactive games can foster brand loyalty. Customers who have fun and memorable experiences are more likely to choose the brand over competitors. 

Cons

Creating high-quality, engaging games that are both fun to play and boost engagement can be expensive. It can cost even more if they are made for AR/VR experiences, showcasing that this strategy might only be suitable for some budgets. Ensuring the games function smoothly across different devices and platforms can be a substantial technical challenge. 

Even if the game can grab initial attention, the challenge lies here in sustaining user engagement over time. Also, users might lose interest if the game is not well-designed and lacks long-term value. Also, this strategy might only benefit some demographics or target audiences, as only some are interested in playing games. There’s also a risk of creating something fun but not communicating the brand message effectively. 
It can be said that the “Play a Game” marketing strategy is a powerful tool capable of boosting brand awareness, engagement and data collection. But despite all its benefits, brands must conduct proper research beforehand. Businesses should consider budget, target audience, and brand message before investing in the marketing strategy. Nonetheless, it’s a powerful marketing strategy with loads of benefits.