Press Start (PDF)

Shortlisted for the 2020 Business Book Awards

Do you know someone obsessed with a mobile game like Candy Crush? Have you ever felt a rush when you completed a task... and perhaps another when you crossed it off your to-do list? Or maybe you have that one running-obsessed friend who has to log everything on their fitness app?

The fact is, these obsessions and 'highs' affect all of us, and they can be powerful drivers in terms of how we behave. In an increasingly commoditized world, marketers are always looking for new ways to influence or motivate us to be better engaged with their products, services, and brands. This is marketing gamification: the practice of taking the motivational elements of games (like challenges, achievements and teams) and applying them intelligently in real-life situations to improve engagement and performance.

With many success stories from the likes of LinkedIn, Delta Airlines, Starbucks, and Duolingo, marketing gamification is already a well-established practice, but many businesses are wary of jumping in without a guide - especially as there have been so many high-profile failures.

Written specifically for marketing professionals, Press Start explores the benefits and uses of gamification, and ties together motivational psychology and case studies with popular game mechanics and design principles. More importantly, the book will provide readers with a step-by-step guide for successfully designing their own marketing gamification solutions.