Let’s be honest. Lately, every day can feel like Groundhog’s Day. We’re living in a pandemic, stuck in a routine, yearning for distraction, looking to be entertained. But what if your brand could give its audience a chance to win something, right on the spot, from the convenience of a smartphone? What if you could help boost a customer’s mood, or even their outlook, just by spending a moment to engage with them?

Well, you’re in luck! Those of us at Merkle Promotion & Loyalty Solutions (P&LS) are pioneers in the phenomenon called “luck.” You could say we make it feel like St. Patrick’s Day all year long. We customize interactive moments within the digital space to drive purchase and deepen brand loyalty. With over two decades of architecting consumer engagement experiences, we’re experts in the luck factor, knowing how and when to reward within the consumer journey. This is the art of gamification.

Giving people a gamified experience and a chance to win sparks joy and preference for a brand. These are welcomed mini moments of escapism. Lucky winners will forever talk about “that one time” they won cool prizes, a dream vacation, or cold hard cash. Any win scenario, even an unexpected “surprise and delight” offer, can make an impact and build an emotional connection with your brand.

Here are some gamification tactics that can manifest luck:

• Instant Win Games: Immediate gratification to win a prize on the spot drives excitement and incents participation.
• Grand Prize Sweepstakes: Dangle the carrot with entries into one large prize drawing at the end of the promotion. The chance for additional entries motivates repeat visits and increases time spent with your brand.
• Collect & Win Experiences: Drive daily engagement and reward repetition by giving consumers opportunities to collect items/badges/patches. Once their collection is complete, unlock a guaranteed prize or award entries into a Grand Prize Sweepstakes. 
• Social Hashtag Contests: Build awareness, create buzz, and encourage creativity with social media postings and other user generated content (UGC).

Feeling lucky empowers the consumer. So much so that they will automatically associate your brand with happiness, good luck, and joy. In exchange for consumers’ time, effort, and data, we use the luck factor to reward people for engaging with brands. With so many win-win benefits, for both your brand and the consumer, why not make every day feel like St. Patty’s Day?