We know that Christmas this year is going to be different. We might not be able to experience the festivities that we would normally indulge in, from the office party to the client gifts and corporate celebrations (and of course all the booze and festive food!).
But what does remain the same, is the need to spread some festive cheer – and maybe even more so in these uncertain times. No doubt we will all be looking forward to waving goodbye to 2020 – but that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun. No Scrooges here!
This is where branded online games come into play – they’re a great way to share a little Christmas spirit and engage your audience or client base while keeping your brand front of mind! Games can also boost morale and help to engage remote teams – they can even add a little fun to the virtual office party.
Lets break it down, here’s four ways branded games can help you stay connected this Christmas.
1. An alternative to e-cards or physical Christmas cards
Many offices may be closed but you can still send your clients and prospects some festive cheer, albeit virtually this year. So why not stand out and give your clients something that they’ll remember? An off-the-shelf game featuring your logo and messaging enables you to send Season’s Greetings with a fun, interactive twist.
Branded games can also help you stand out in email inboxes, especially at Christmas, and its not as expensive as you might think, sending something digitally is often more cost effective than the postage on physical cards. This is something that insurance brokers, Beazley have found over the last few years!
2. Engage customers and clients, directing traffic to your money pages
Yes, branded games are a fun way to spread some joy, but you might be looking for something more from your game, such as measurable ROI. And that’s okay – games are a great way to engage customers and clients, capture their attention (often in excess of 20 minutes, per player!) and present them with special offers too.
Or you could direct them to specific offer areas on your site, only accessible via links from within the game so you can directly attribute ROI, just like DFDS.
If you’re looking to capture leads, offering a free prize draw competition with a leaderboard means that players who wish to submit their scores, to be in with a chance to win, need to leave their details, with an option to opt-in to marketing.
We’ve found this to work well – with a 60% opt-in rate for one of our B2C clients, and a 58% opt-in rate with our own B2B audience through our 12 days of NOT Christmas campaign!
3. Add some fun to the virtual office party
Most importantly, games provide some much-needed FUN. As much as we wish it wasn’t the case, the annual Christmas bash probably isn’t going to be anything like the usual extravaganza. So if you’re getting together to Zoom, Meet or Teams it this Christmas, add an element of fun with a branded game employees can play from their devices.
With friend leaderboards, employees can compete against each other for the top score, getting those competitive juices flowing! Whether they’ll be totting up points in a Rooftop Runner, Match 3 or PAC man style game, or even a Christmas general knowledge quiz! And with a 30 or 60-day license, you can use the game to engage your employees throughout December, not just at the party! 🎉
4. To engage remote teams, boost morale and spread festive cheer
Over the winter, many of us will continue to work from home, and lockdown restrictions have so far ruled out the possibility of the traditional office celebrations. Staying connected has never been more important.
Games, in general, are a great remote team-building exercise, helping to spark conversations amongst remote staff. A branded Christmas game can help lift morale and engage remote teams whilst spreading some much needed festive cheer.
Used with an advent calendar and a bundle of games and different prizes behind each door, you’re on to an interactive winner to keep conversations and connections going on a daily basis.
Sound like something that would work for your brand?
If you think a branded Christmas game might work for your brand this Christmas, take a look at the festive games available at our off-the-shelf games service, Piknik. Prices start from just £695, making them a great way to test the waters with your audience if you’re looking to venture into branded games.
If you’ve got something in mind and not quite sure where to start or what type of game could work best, just get in touch – our account manager can talk you through the process and help you bring your idea to life.
