Gamification for brands: when it works and when it doesn't

Gamification is one of those terms that turns up in every marketing plan and delivers nothing in half the cases. A leaderboard with no audience, a quiz nobody finishes, badges nobody cares about. Below: why most gamification campaigns don't work, which mechanics do pay off, and how to measure ROI without fooling yourself.

What gamification is, and what it isn't

Gamification is the use of game mechanics in a context that isn't a game itself. The marketing textbooks list the classic ingredients: points, badges, leaderboards, levels and challenges. But the definition says nothing about when it works. It's like saying "a building has a roof" without saying anything about when a building is good.

Good gamification taps into something that genuinely motivates the user. Bad gamification piles mechanics on top of an experience that isn't engaging in itself, and hopes the game layer makes the difference.

Why most gamification campaigns fail

Four causes we see time and again:

• The reward has no real value: a badge on a platform nobody visits, a score with no audience, a discount nobody wants. People can tell straight away whether it's worth the effort.
• The rules aren't visible: if users don't know how they can win, they don't take part. A leaderboard without clear rules backfires.
• It's imposed, not chosen: gamification works when it's voluntary. Compulsory gamification (in training platforms, for example) leads to cynicism.
• There's no social component: game mechanics work best when they're shared. A lone player is a bored player.

Six mechanics that do work

1. Progression and levels

Visible progress is one of the strongest motivators. A progress bar that slowly fills, a series of levels with rising difficulty, a growth path the user can see. Works mainly for long-term engagement, such as learning platforms or customer loyalty programmes.

An example that works well in the Netherlands: the NS (Dutch Railways) lifestyle app with "walker levels", where you earn points by taking train journeys to go walking. The progress is visible, the level says something about your behaviour, and the rewards (nice route tips) fit the motivation.

2. Competition through leaderboards

A leaderboard with names works for groups with a bond between them: a sales team, a class, participants at the same event. For anonymous masses it works less well, because there's no frame of reference.

At trade shows, a live leaderboard on which visitors to that show see their score demonstrably works better than a general scoring system with no context. That's why multiplayer installations work so well on stands: people don't just want to score, they want to score visibly.

3. Quizzes and knowledge tests

A short quiz on a subject the user is interested in, with a personalised result. Works for B2B (professional knowledge), for B2C (lifestyle qualities), and for recruitment ("which team suits you").

The trick lies in two things: the question set has to be relevant (not trivial), and the result has to be specific enough that the user shares it. A generic "you're a leader" lands differently from "you're a visionary strategist who draws strength from X and Y".

4. Narrative game with choices

A short digital experience in which the user clicks through a story as the main character and makes choices that influence the outcome. Works mainly for brands with a strong narrative identity (sustainable food brands, travel agencies, fiction publishers).

We build this from €550 for a simple set-up, rising to over €1,250 for an extensive branded experience. At agencies, comparable work quickly costs €15,000 to €30,000.

5. Social challenges

A challenge people work on together, sometimes explicitly (reaching a shared goal) and sometimes implicitly (a hashtag, a trend). Works for brands with a sense of community. The Dopper bottle that people pick up on the beach is an example that works without much technology.

6. Collectibles

A series of items that users collect by performing certain actions. Works strongly in the physical sense (loyalty stickers, Albert Heijn mini promotions), but also digitally (the "I've caught all the Pokémon" mechanic). The strength lies in the feeling of completeness.

Practical applications for B2B brands

Five concrete places where gamification works for B2B brands:

• Lead generation at trade shows: a short quiz with a personal result converts three to five times better than a passive sign-up form.
• Customer onboarding for SaaS products: a progression path with levels, where each level unlocks an important product feature.
• Training and certification: a learning platform with levels and badges (provided the badges have real value within the organisation) demonstrably raises the completion rate.
• Co-creation sessions with customers: a set-up in which customers work together on a fictional case, with a leaderboard for the best solutions.
• Recruitment: a knowledge game or competency quiz that candidates complete before they apply, which leads to self-selection and stronger leads.

What a branded game normally costs in the Netherlands

Market prices for 2026:

• Standard quiz or game via a SaaS platform with branding: €2,000 to €5,000
• Custom quiz or game via an event agency (without a physical installation): €5,000 to €15,000
• Full multi-platform branded game campaign via an agency: €15,000 to €50,000
• Full-service interactive installation for events or festivals: €30,000 to €100,000

The difference between these price points is rarely in the technology, almost always in the agency's overhead chain. A custom game built in-house by two to three developers shouldn't cost €15,000.

Why you pay far less with us

With us, the concept, the software and the staffing come from one source. No agency chain, no subcontractors, no stacked margins. We build a custom branded game with a personal result and lead flow from €550 for the simplest form, and from €1,250 for an extensive installation with several stations. With an agency you'd pay on average three to five times as much for the same.

For the full range of options, the briefing process and what we've built before, see the business page.

How do you measure ROI on gamification?

Good gamification is judged on three types of metrics:

• Engagement: how many people start, how many finish, average time per session
• Conversion: how many players become a customer, lead or employee, and at which stage of the funnel it works
• Retention and sharing: do people come back, do they share their result, does it grow organically

A campaign that only scores on engagement ("fifty thousand players!") and not on conversion is a vanity campaign. For every gamification investment, ask beforehand: what concrete business result should come out of this, and how do we measure it.

Four pitfalls with gamification

1. Using gamification to rescue a mediocre experience: a dull content experience with a quiz added stays dull. Start with the experience, not the mechanic.
2. Rules that are too complex: if the user has to read three sentences to understand how it works, it's too complex. A good game is intuitive from the first second.
3. No social or visible component: a score nobody sees barely works. Make it shareable or put it in a context with an audience.
4. Rewards that have no value: badges on an empty platform demotivate. Make sure the rewards match what the user really cares about.

What you get from this

Gamification isn't a magic wand, and not every campaign benefits from game mechanics. But for the right use cases (lead generation, customer onboarding, training, event activation), it demonstrably delivers higher engagement and conversion. The key lies in the match between mechanic and target group, and in how much the game layer genuinely adds to the experience itself.

Are you working on a gamification campaign or interactive installation? See the options on the business page, or arrange an introductory meeting with no obligation.