Background

• Situation. The loyalty program has gone through a big restart with the complication of the bonus accumulation mechanic. This caused concerns about the outflow of customers and reduction of their involvement. It was necessary to develop a viral mechanics that would help to involve users in the program, as well as write off long-accumulated, but not used bonuses.

• Objectives: Increase customer engagement and spend bonuses. Encourage users to get involved in the loyalty program to receive bonuses from purchases and partner activations. Promote Bank’s partners’’ products.

The campaign is a gamified promotion where users made moved on a virtual map and opened cells of territories. Users could gain moves through passing small quests or by changing bonuses for them. In each cell, the user could find prizes or additional privileges in the form of increased bonuses. The participant had welcome moves at the start of the campaign and could receive new moves for completing tasks from the program and its partners after.

The company was the first to introduce gamification mechanics in the format of a long lasted time limited game promotion. In total, the global campaign included 3 gamification promotions, which became the hallmark of the Bank and the loyalty program and distinguish the company from all such programs.

The targeted audience mainly consisted of mass client segment (53% of all users) and had strong youth clients engagement (20%). Both sexes were represented in approximately equal proportions (M 52%, F47%). The campaign was extended to many Russian cities, with 20% of users localized in Moscow and 6% in St. Petersburg. The majority of users belonged to the 30-35 age category (20%), also the gamified campaign was popular among users aged 25-30 (18%). Despite possible expectations, the game concept attracted an adult solvent audience to a greater extent.

Map of the gamified promotion was adapted to the interests of users. It means that the participant received the most relevant prizes depending on his interests, gender, age, etc. The prize fund had more than 500 million bonuses, as well as gifts such as tickets to the Bolshoi and Mariinsky theaters, tickets for KHL matches. Also, participants were able to receive an increased rate of bonuses for transactions in specific categories and discounts from partners. The main prize was 3 million bonuses. The campaign gave out several main awards.

The gamified campaign had a separate web-site where users register and explore the map of the promotion. The campaign had several maps for exploring.

Activity and engagement indicators show huge involvement of the audience in gamification campaigns.

More than 66% of users who participated in the campaign received prizes from partners. 69% of all users received prizes in the form of bonuses from the loyalty program. 31% at least once wrote off bonuses during the promotion. 64% of users shared information about the campaign in social networks. 25% of users eventually installed a mobile application loyalty program.

As part of the campaign, users could receive prizes in the form of increased bonuses for 30 days in one of three categories. There is an increase in turnover in the prize category was up to 25%.

Users who won prizes made twice as many purchases from partners of the program as they usually do. During the period of the campaign transactions of the participants increased by an average of 40% or more.