HighCo Data and Media Marketing Delhaize partner together to launch the “game of the month” concept Play&Win

(advertorial) Gamification creates an interesting new promotional tool on many different levels. In essence, gaming allows mass retail brands to differentiate themselves. In combination with a customised multimedia package offering online as well as offline visibility, gaming has proven to be a powerful marketing tool, capable of significantly increasing the emotional capital of a brand.

This new, simple and efficient means of positively involving the consumer has led top distribution players such as HighCo DATA Benelux and Media Marketing Delhaize to enter into a partnership in order to launch an innovative turnkey product known as ‘Game of the month’ PLAY & WIN for consumer goods.

HighCo DATA Benelux and Media Marketing Delhaize partner together to launch the “Game of the month” concept PLAY&WIN

Both companies believe strongly in gamification for brand promotion. They’ve joined forces to create an innovative turnkey product designed for consumer brands.

The right product with the right media: a perfect match

Over the last two years, HighCo DATA Benelux has built expertise in game development for consumer brands whilst Delhaize has expanded its own media network.

“Our experience in gamification has shown that games really do work: they are very attractive to consumers. We have had great results on engagement these last few years, but we saw brands struggling to get the right media activation behind their game. Now, in partnership with Media Marketing Delhaize we can offer an end- to-end solution for brands that combines game and media package in one,” says Kevin Kielbaey, Chief Commercial Officer at HighCo DATA Benelux.

Media Marketing Delhaize (MMD) manages advertising within the Delhaize ecosystem. With 800+ stores all over the country, the media network offers multiple on- and offline touchpoints for brands that wish to increase their visibility towards consumers.

“HighCo DATA Benelux’s technical expertise means that we can now offer our clients gamification solutions that are easy to set up and deliver” adds Olivier Degrez, Director MMD. “And their broad experience with brands in different channels makes them the right partner for us as we bring our turnkey concept to market”.

Gamification as a promotional strategy: original and effective

Brands need to bring variety in the way they communicate to consumers. Both companies believe that gaming enhances the way brands engage with their key audience.

Kevin Kielbaey: “At HighCo DATA Benelux we predict that in 2020, 50% of brands will put gamification in their marketing plans. A brand can either offer a game online or through social media or choose to add the game to its promotions strategy as an alternative to regular price cuts. It is a new dimension.”

Olivier Degrez: Olivier Degrez: “Gamification really makes sense in a media and marketing strategy. It brings originality and innovation. Alongside text, image and video, we think that gaming is a fourth platform to communicate with consumers. Gaming is a very natural language that evokes emotion. And emotions drive attention and engagement. This is indeed the essence of marketing. As a marketeer, you want to get consumers emotionally involved with your brand! Studies have shown that everyone is able and willing to play: the average age of players is 35 years old. Introducing gaming into the media mix is obvious”.

Better still: the average time spent on a game is two to three minutes versus less than 30 seconds for a ‘regular’ promotion. In other words, gaming enables brands to maximize the duration of contact with their customers and therefore positively reinforces their image. And given decisions are driven by emotion, gaming also has a high potential impact on purchasing behaviour.

PLAY & WIN “Game of the Month”

The end-to-end concept “Game of the month” comprises a game for each event in the consumer calendar (e.g. Easter, First of May, Summer, Back to school …) combined with the proven reach of the MMD media network.

The “Game of the month” promotion opportunities are sold in a fixed calendar. Brands can choose to buy the slots either exclusively or in combination with other (complementary) brands.

Kevin Kielbaey: “We wanted to propose a product that is easy to understand and easy to set up. Brands can choose their slot in the calendar and make a selection from a number of games. Further on, the whole promotion strategy is set in advance for them. The solution is packaged so that implementation is effortless for the client. It needs no preparation and guarantees a high ROI. Simple and effective!

MMD offers a two-week media package starting with dedicated emails to a custom-targeted audience defined for the brand to drive awareness of the game. At the same time, the audience is reached through the Delhaize e-shop and physical stores in an omnichannel media proposition that maximizes the chances of engagement.

Olivier Degrez: “The combination of different media touchpoints (mass and personalised coverage) really makes the difference! In addition, we can measure every single step of the customer journey, tracking the entire marketing funnel; including who played the game, who purchased products or returned to a store to redeem the coupons that they won. The effectiveness of the solution is driven by actual data. With the new product Play & Win “Game of the Month”, both HighCo DATA Benelux and MMD want to show consumer brands that gamification is a highly effective data driven marketing tool.

Interested to find out more?

Surf to https://welcome.highco-data.be/mmd of contact us via welcome@highco.be