Convincing the Boss (Getting Buy-In for a Branded Game)

Posted by Alistair on 15.10.2025

Convincing a B2B Boss to Use Branded Games

You’re in. You’ve seen how a branded game could transform your next trade show or campaign.

But now comes the real challenge: convincing the boss.

For many higher-uppers and senior leadership teams in the world of B2B, ‘marketing’ means keeping the website updated, sending a monthly newsletter, ensuring shareholders are happy, policing the brand guidelines, and maybe posting on LinkedIn twice a week.

Suggest something a bit more playful and you’re likely to get raised eyebrows in response. 🤨

But here’s the thing: a branded game can deliver real business results. It can drive leads. And once your boss sees it in action, they’ll start to get it.

Here’s how to make the case – with stats, benefits, and language that (hopefully) speaks to them. 😎

1. Games have broad appeal

Contrary to popular belief, games aren’t just the preserve of hoodie-clad teenagers sitting in a dimly lit bedroom and surrounded by snacks. Games today are mainstream, cross-generational, and globally embraced.

It’s no longer about being a ‘gamer’. It’s about creating experiences that feel interactive, fun, and rewarding. And this cuts across ages, roles, and industries (yes, even B2B!):

Hyro Trade Show Game with Controllers and Monitors

Visitors to Hyro Trade Show Stand Playing Branded Game

M247 Tech-Themed Maze Game for B2B Event

See branded games in action! 👇

View case study

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2. It’s fun, but not frivolous

Games aren’t just for killing time. They satisfy deep psychological drivers like:

Achievement – Progress, unlocks, rewards 🏆
Competition – Public leaderboards tap into healthy rivalry 🥇
Cooperation – Shared goals and team play 🤝
Escapism – A break from the daily routine 🌍
Fun – The most important motivator of all 😄

These are the building blocks of meaningful engagement. When your audience enjoys the experience, they interact for longer, remember more, and are far more likely to take action.

3. Games are built for measurable engagement

Unlike sending out the same old gifts to suppliers and partners at Christmas, or giving away the same old branded pens at a trade show, a playable experience creates direct interaction with your audience. What’s more, you get the data to prove it.

With average player engagement times, leaderboard submissions, and email signups, you’ll walk away with meaningful information about how your game campaign went down.

And don’t worry – everything is fully GDPR-compliant since players are asked whether they’d like to opt-in to your mailing list when submitting a score. Post-campaign, you can export your leaderboard data and import the contacts into your CRM.

4. You’ll get demonstrable ROI for the boardroom

Unlike traditional event giveaways or passive content formats, branded games generate measurable engagement, qualified leads, and marketing insights you can actually use.

Metrics for online game campaigns:

Average player engagement times (and therefore time spent with your brand) 🚀
Marketing opt-ins (i.e. mailing list sign-ups through score submissions) 📩
Conversion rates into demo bookings, webinar signups, or free trials 🎯

Learn more about the average engagement times of our different games.

“The Soccer Skill Shot game marked our third Christmas campaign with Peek & Poke, and as always, we were thrilled with the results!"

Eleanor Haley, Marketing Co-ordinator, Rhodar

“It exceeded our expectations because we didn’t realise how popular it was actually going to be, and how different it was to other stands!”

Annabel Seward, Marketing Executive, M247

Branded Games at Events and Exhibitions Video Thumbnail

6. It’s budget-friendly

You don’t need six figures or a dev team to get started. Our tried-and-tested, white-label, ready-to-games mean the heavy lifting is already done. Simply add your logo, messaging, and other image assets and you’re off!

We offer a range of packages and licence periods to suit different budgets, campaign lengths, and use cases – from one-off online campaigns to multi-licence event options.

Check out our collection of campaign recipes to see what different budgets could get you.

7. Get up and running quickly

Need something live by the end of the week? The next day? We’ve got you covered. 👍

In fact, you could have a game all set up and ready to go the very same day if that’s what you need.

Once you’ve purchased a game, you’ll be able to log into the editor and put everything in place for launch. This makes a game perfect for last-minute trade shows, reactive campaigns, or seizing an opportunity before it slips away.

"The game was great fun, simple to set up, and easy to play. We found the whole process really simple, which was key to the success of our campaign."

Simon Ellis, Digital Marketing Officer, F. Ball and Co. Ltd.

8. Satisfaction or your money back

We’re confident you’ll love your game. But just in case things don’t go as planned, we’ve got your back.

If your campaign doesn’t perform, or the game just isn’t what you expected, we’ll either give you your money back or provide another game completely free. No catch – just a few fair conditions (like promoting it properly and letting us know within a set timeframe).

It means you can pitch this as a low-risk, high-reward activation and buy with 100% confidence. For full details, read more about the Ready-to-go Money Back Guarantee.

Ready to pitch it?

If you’re thinking about using a branded game for your next event or campaign, or you’re just looking for the right way to pitch it to your boss, we’re here to help.

Whether you need stats, examples, creative ideas, or just a second opinion, drop us a line. We’ll make sure you’ve got everything you need to make your case with confidence.

👉 Book your free discovery call – we’re always happy to chat!

Blog

27 Reasons to Use Branded Games in Your Marketing

Keen to learn more about the what, where, when, and why of using branded games in your marketing strategy? Explore our super-duper list of reasons right here! 👇

Learn more