Customers Are Born Competitors

Everyone is a competitor, we are born that way. If you are lucky enough to be born with the gift of being able to rhythmically move your fingers across piano keys in perfect time, you will inevitably grow up to compete with other pianists. I know I’m generalising here, but whether people admit it or not, if they think they are good at something (whatever that may be) they will be competitive at it. Joey Chestnut probably isn't competitive when it comes to doing laps at the pool, but put him in a Hot Dog eating contest and it’s on like DK baby!

This is one of the reasons why brands have struck gold with Gamification. Everyone has the ability to be good at being a customer (provided they have the cashola to do so). Problem is, the customer doesn't always know this. They need to be given the opportunity. They need to be told and lead to believe they are a good customer first, because only then will they discover their drive to compete as a customer. We've all seen this before. Parents giving their kids gold stars and trying to force feed sport, art and music down their kid’s throats with the hope that one will stick and their child discovers a hidden talent - becomes competitive - and potentially makes them rich in the process. 

The other day my local barista randomly surprised me by giving me a free coffee. He offered it to me while I was reaching for my wallet and commented that I deserved a freebie for being such a good (loyal) customer. I didn't have to buy 10 coffees to get it or anything.  I was instantly as happy as Larry Edmur; much happier than I would have been if I had redeemed the boring loyalty card every coffee shop has. As I walked away I couldn’t help but think that the barista was right, I did deserve that coffee. I am a good customer. Since that day, my coffee intake has increased ever so slightly and on the off chance I stray and buy my coffee elsewhere, I feel like I’m cheating. A coffee, worth a meager $2.50, changed my consumer buying behavior. Imagine what a tailored Gamification strategy could do? - Oh wait, Starbucks already know...

In my next blog I'll continue the discussion about customers being competitors by doing a case study on the extremely popular global fitness trend CrossFit.

Now, out of 50 points, how did all of you score in my blog?

• 10 Points - You already knew who Joey Chestnut was, and often marvel at his brilliance
• 10 Points - You knew the Urban Dictionary definition for 'Cashola' (you gangsta you!)
• 10 Points - You saw what I did there with the 'Happy as Larry' joke, and know who he is
• 10 Points - You have a half-filled coffee loyalty card and can't be bothered with it
• 10 Points - You feel like smashing a Hot Dog after reading this blog

- Digital Goose

The Gamification of Movies - Part 2

continued from Part 1...

If Sardonicus was the first step towards the Gamification of movies, where are we now?

Last weekend I sat down with my girlfriend to watch 'Back to the Future' on Blu-ray. I'd just purchased the entire trilogy box set and was looking forward to seeing Doc Brown's electric white hair in stunning high-definition. Within seconds of loading the disc a huge 'THANK YOU' dropped from the sky and a booming voice thanked me for purchasing the disc and supporting the industry. I go to the movies every fortnight and purchase more than my fair share of Blu-rays and this was the first time someone had thanked me for doing so. I instantly felt good about myself, like I'd done the right thing... like I was a winner. It's funny how a little bit of positive feedback can make a huge difference. And when it comes down to it, this is what 'Gamification' is all about. People like to know they are good at something, even if that something is simply being a customer.

Also, it's worth noting that the aforementioned 'THANK YOU' is far removed from the classic, and now out-dated, 'Piracy: It's a Crime' campaign, that compared downloading a movie to stealing a car. Piracy might be a crime, but every single so-called "pirate" I know consumes more media and purchases more Blu-rays than all my non-pirate friends put together. The Jack Sparrows of this world are good customers. The industry doesn't want to, and will never, admit that pirates are their best customers. This is not just my opinion, it's a well-documented fact. The 'THANK YOU' is relevant because it represents a culture shift. Times are changing and Gamification is going to be a part of that change, whether you like it or not - so best just get on board now.

Are you a member of the Event Cinemas CINE BUZZ club, the Hoyts Rewards program or something similar? I am. In fact, in my draw at home I've got three separate CINE BUZZ cards and two HOYTS cards, all linked to different accounts. I can't even remember how I got them. I don't know how many points are on them. I don't even bother to carry them around in my wallet, despite my fortnightly trips to the local cinema. I'm aware that if I used them properly I'd get discounted movies, entered into various competitions and access to exclusive offers, but all of that stuff doesn't really motivate me to be a better customer. It's not just movies either. I'm literally going CARD CRAZY over here. Here's a few I prepared earlier...

Everyone has their stack of cards, and that's not even half of mine. This is ridiculous, it truly is. Until I got these out to take a photo I had actually forgotten about most of them. This is where we are today - in a state of loyalty overload. So where will we be tomorrow?

What would motivate me to go to the movies more often? Or more importantly, what would motivate me to drive out of my way, past the local cinema, to reach another brand of cinema just because I want to be a better customer?

This would.

In 2012, two of Canada's biggest brands, Cineplex and Scotiabank, will change the way Canadians go to the movies. They understand that traditional loyalty programs are just not working anymore and in order to find customers (fight piracy), keep them and motivate them to be better customers, they need to shake things up - cue Gamification.

Scene loyalty program already has an impressive 3.3 million members and their Facebook community is nearing 200,000. Because they already have a substantial engaged community on Facebook, it makes sense to use that as a foundation to launch the first stage of a wider Gamification strategy. In a matter of weeks they will launch a social game on Facebook called "Scene Trivia Stars" that allows members, and non-members, to battle it out in the ultimate movie trivia contest. Players can experience the game on their own or challenge others who are online at the same time. Playing the game earns you loyalty points, while non-members do it for the glory. What's really on offer here is bragging rights, and brands should never underestimate the value customers place on bragging rights. Deep down, everyone wants to feel like a champion.

That's not all. The second stage of the Gamification strategy involves motivating customers to visit in groups, more often, and making those groups compete against each other - because, as Katherine Dimopoulos (Scene's Head of Marketing) wisely states "Nobody goes to the movies alone". Obviously this excludes all the "nigels" out there! They call this "Scenetourage" and it's a strategy aimed specifically at digitally savvy social 18-34 year olds who have a passion for entertainment; which is important to note as Gamificaiton is definately not a one-size-fits-all approach and this particular strategy may not work for your brand.

Here's how "Scenetourage" works. Members create their own Scentourages (groups) and then compete, as a group, for bragging rights and points. The strategy will evolve over time to include award badges and increasing levels of competition. Getting a badge for filling up an entire row of seats, or God forbid, the whole cinema, is just the tip of the iceberg. Remember what it felt like to be part of the 'cool group' at school? Or, remember wanting to be a part of it? Take that and apply it here. Everyone wants to be in the cool group, whether they admit it or not.

Only time will tell if Cineplex is onto a real winner, but if the success of Gamification strategies in other industries is anything to go by, customers will be filling up their cinemas in droves, trying to be the biggest movie buff/s in Canada!

Good blog, eh?

Now, out of 50 points, how did all of you score in my blog?

• 10 Points - You know the name of actor who plays Doc Brown in 'Back to the Future'
• 10 Points - You got the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' reference and clicked the link
• 10 Points - You can name which Rocky movie the 4th image is from
• 10 Points - You knew the last image was from the hit TV show 'Entourage' and saw the irony in the inclusion of an image from a show about the movie industry
• 10 Points - You knew 'nigel' meant 'nigel no friends' & got the last terrible Canadian joke

- Digital Goose

Mr. Sardonicus & the Gamification of Movies - Part 1

Who is Mr. Sardonicus, and what the hell has he got to do with "Gamification"?

I'm a self proclaimed movie buff. I hear about movies long before you do, thanks to all the hours I waste invest checking out sites like ComingSoon, AintItCool and FirstShowing. I let the Tomatometer sway my cinematic outings and I can't help but check BOM every Monday morning to get the latest box office results. If I haven't gone to the movies in the last fortnight, I feel like I'm falling behind in a race, almost as if I'm missing out on something. If you've seen a movie and I haven't, for some reason I feel like I've lost because I can't be involved in that particular conversation. I acknowledge that I know way too much about movies and sometimes forcibly try and weave movie chit-chat into almost every conversation.

Why do I do all of this? I don't know, I guess I just love movies. Visiting all the news sites, reading all the blogs, watching all the trailers, consuming all the content - for me, that's not wasting time, that's training. I'm preparing for all the conversations and "movie moments" I'm going to have in the future. I'm biding my time waiting for questions like - Who's that actor? - Will they be doing a sequel? - Was that stunt real? - Should I go and see that movie? - because somewhere deep down answering these questions makes me feel like I'm #winning.

You see, for me, and for millions of other people like me, "Movies" are a game.

 

William Castle may not have made history as a silver screen heavyweight, nor will I vouch for his cinematic brilliance, but he will forever be known as the man who made movies fun, like a game, using a variety of marketing gimmicks. One of those gimmicks was used to promote Mr. Sardonicus, a horror film produced and directed by Castle back in 1961. This is, as far as I know, the first example of what could be considered prehistoric "Gamification" in the movie industry.

The film tells the story of a man (Sardonicus) who decides to rob his father's grave to steal obtain a #winning lottery ticket. Upon taking the ticket his face freezes into a horrifying grin (shown earlier). Sardonicus tries his hardest to use the money to be cured, but sadly dies when he succumbs to not being able to eat or drink.

Castle (not the writer) cleverly led audiences to believe that Columbia Pictures had forced him to shoot a second ending for the film, one that allowed Sardonicus to live. Upon purchasing a ticket to see the film, audiences were given the unique opportunity to participate in a "Punishment Poll" (Cool, right? The SAW franchise should take notes). Each patron was handed a glow-in-the-dark card that featured a hand with a thumb sticking out. Then, when prompted by Castle himself, the audience would raise the card with the thumb pointing up or down, making everyone in the cinema feel like an emperor determining the outcome of a gladitorial battle.

As you can probably expect, and as legend has it, no audience ever offered poor Sardonicus mercy and as such, the alternate ending was never screened, which led to industry speculations that Castle never even shot it in the first place - and who really cares if he did or not, that's not the point.

Now, for a bit of fun, take the Sardonicus "Choose Your Own Ending" gimmick and apply it to some of Hollywood's biggest movies and then write about it in the comments. A particular movie that is soon to be re-released in 3D springs to mind...

With Sardonicus, what did Castle achieve?

• Press, PR and "Virality" - before it was even a word!
• Interactivity & Group Participation - EVERYONE voted!
• Conversations - "Should he live?" "Nah, LOL"
• Customer Feedback - The audience felt like their opinion mattered!
• Differentation - The "Punishment Poll" was enough to sway people to buy a ticket!
• Fun, fun, fun - The audience walked out of the cinema smiling and happy, despite the fact the movie probably sucked balls!

If Sardonicus was the first step towards the gamification of movies, where are we now and where will we be? All this and more in part two of this blog.

Now, out of 50 points, how did all of you score in my blog?

• 10 Points - You found the two Charlie Sheen references
• 10 Points - You can name the actor pictured in 'Gladiator' & spell it correctly
• 10 Points - You know the first names of the characters pictured in 'Titanic'
• 10 Points - You got the reference to the TV show 'Castle' without clicking the link
• 10 Points - You knew BOM was an abbreviation for Box Office Mojo

- Digital Goose