DreamGrow Social Media

Applying game mechanics to social media

Everyone likes games – your preference might be for the simple, like Solitare, or complex, like World of Warcraft.  If you think games are frivolous, think again – they help us accomplish the simple, like getting an infant to eat, and the complex, like warming up surgeons or disaster response.  But as in all things, moderation is key and some people have died when taking games too far. Here’s how game mechanics work.  My friend Max Kalehoff blogged about five keys of successful game design as communicated by expert Amy Jo Kim (no relation to me).  I’ll apply her framework here:

• Collecting things
• Earning points
• System feedback
• Value exchanges
• Customization and personalization

via Being Peter Kim: Applying game mechanics to social media.

Endorsement and why I like trains

I like trains. I guess there are many others who like trains but I know why I like trains. Like most people I didn’t have an extreme view of trains one way or the other. But then my son started to really like the trains. Every time we saw a train somewhere he was excited and happy. My mother even took him to train-rides to random locations and back just so he could enjoy the trains.

But I got some marketing insight out of it. One day driving my car next to a railway I saw a train coming. I thought, WOW! Trains are so cool! I started to think about why I had this reaction and everything pointed to my son’s “celebrity endorsement deal” with the trains. I was amazed how well that worked. I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical about sponsorships and endorsement deals. This experience opened my eye to how well these marketing tools can work.

Here’s a real life example from the olden days (not a specific person, thou). More Doctors Smoke Camels Than Any Other Cigarette.

I loved the habit-forming hook a 0:47 “change to Camels for 30 days…”