A Conceptual Review on Gamification as a Platform for Brand Engagement in the Marketing Context

Abstract

With the impact of new technological advancement marketing strategies and tools have evolved significantly. Gamification is one of the trendiest tools which can be used to generate more brand engagement in the marketing context. Gamification has been used in different industries so far in order to generate brand engagement by targeting different sets of the target audience. Sometimes it has been linked with different types of platforms and mostly used to provide a better-gamified experience along with the brands in the marketing context. In many countries, this concept is tested in different platforms in order to use this more effectively in the marketing context. With the impact of severe problems and different circumstances, gamification has been used in the industry to generate better brand engagement and this notion has evolved and subsequently gained the attention of researchers. However, it is questionable what significant characteristics a firm needs to focus on gamification to have better brand engagement in the marketing context. As a result, the purpose of this paper is to attempt to review both empirical and theoretical arguments and aspects to consider in gamification as a platform and its impact on brand engagement in the marketing context. To objectively analyze the gamification components described by many writers, a thorough literature review is conducted by selecting both conceptual and empirical works mostly published recently in renowned publications. Based on the content, gamification components have been identified as mechanics & aesthetics, self-benefits, self-interaction, and self-achievement. A proposed model extends the findings into a conceptual realm by summarizing all these aspects.