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