Badgeville: Gamification 2.0

Badgeville is launching its Dynamic Game Engine today, which according to the social loyalty platform startup, is the most sophisticated gamification technology available.

Focused on increased brand loyalty and engagement, the patent-pending DGE lets marketers reward a series of interconnected behaviors based on multiple rules, including time-based mechanics, activity missions, and integrated game mechanics across virtually any digital property. 

“Gamification is the how, and loyalty is the why. We’re the Salesforce.com of gamification,” Kris Duggan CEO of Badgeville told brandchannel. 

“There is a shift taking place right now – from drive by visitors that are all optimized around Google search, SEO, and SEM – to a flight to quality. Brands, publishers, community managers are realizing they have to focus on the quality of their audience, and recognize/reward those who continue to matter the most. The value of a user is not equal.”

Badgeville won the Audience Choice Award when it launched at TechCrunch Disrupt in September. With $2.5 million in funding so far, its customers include Interscope Records and Island Def Jam (Universal Music), Bluefly.com (see a case study here), Major League Gaming, LiveMocha, The Active Network, and Moxsie. Deloitte Touche has used Badgeville’s features to reward internal consultants.

For a generation of users raised on social networks like Facebook, there's a huge challenge facing brands in digital, Duggan comments. “Users see the engaging, immersive experiences that happen on Facebook and other modern platforms. And then they go to your website. It’s a huge let down. They want to see what their friends are doing, who’s doing what, what has happened recently, and more. Websites will shift to leveraging technologies that create the same kinds of immersive experiences.” 

Social gaming, he adds, works when it's "about creating tighter relationships with consumers. It is about consumer engagement, but also motivating behaviors that align with business goals. And the best part is consumers want to be recognized for their loyalty and attention. So it’s a win-win – for the brand but also the user. The key here is making sure the interaction is genuine, and driven towards a long-term relationship between the brand and consumer.”

Paired with Badgeville’s Gamification Widget Studio, offering lightweight, configurable widgets such as leaderboards, live activity streams, mini profiles, and showcases, the new DGE tools exemplify the second-generation of gamification. Badgeville’s analytics identify where “behavior meets identity, rather than traditional analytic products which are page-view centric. We track actions, tie them to identity, and build loyalty profiles.”

“We are in the beginning stages of a revolution on the web," Duggan argues. "In the next 24 months, consumers will simply expect to engage with brands in this way. Social, modern, real-time experiences where you get rewarded for your loyalty and attention are becoming the norm.”