Gamified packaging

The famous 18th-century German poet Friedrich Schiller once said: “Man only plays where he is man in the word’s fullest meaning, and only in playing is he fully man.” And it’s certainly true that playing games has acquired a very different value for today’s digital natives. Even the generation of 30-to-50-year-olds are largely familiar with computer and video games. No wonder, therefore, that business and industry are using man’s urge to play for the purpose of improving their marketing.

This new trend is known as gamification and has been around since 2002. It has become increasingly widespread over the last few years, not just at HR departments wanting to motivate the workforce, but also in marketing, for instance on packages. Using augmented reality or QR codes on packaging, customers are usually encouraged to play games that overcome the barrier between the real world and the digital world. This interactive channel between the brand and the consumer makes it possible to convey additional information on the ingredients, the origin of the product or environmental issues. It happens in real time and involves both games and advertising campaigns. Moreover, it continually enhances the customer’s shopping experience in a way that meets each person’s individual preferences. 

This playful approach with rewards, however, is by no means new. It goes back to the 1960s, when Weight Watchers began to leverage this play instinct for their diet programme, in the same way as various companies nowadays encourage their customers to collect miles or points. All of them use game mechanisms, even if the consumer does not always recognise them as such.

A certain type of behaviour is always rewarded. Climbing stairs, for instance, is far more pleasant with a bit of music. This has been proved by Volkswagen at various underground stations, where each step was made to look like a piano key. Most people were happy to ignore the escalator, giving preference to the fun factor and therefore a bit of exercise. However, gamification also makes it much easier to handle everyday tasks, for instance with a gamified to-do list such as Epic Win. To conclude, fun can obviously change our behaviour.