The hottest marketing trend right now (summer 2024) 🎢

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the growing trend of "Mini-Games Marketing" - the use of simple, engaging mini-games as a marketing strategy by companies. It covers examples of successful mini-game implementations by various companies, the benefits of this approach, and a step-by-step guide on how to create an effective mini-game for your own business.

🙋 Q&A

[01] The Rise of Mini-Games Marketing

1. What are some examples of companies that have successfully implemented mini-games as part of their marketing strategy?

• Toggl launched a "Startup Simulator" game that captured the pains and struggles of their target audience (startup founders and entrepreneurs)
• LinkedIn has launched a series of puzzle games that provide a short mental break at work
• YouTube introduced 'Playables' - interactive ads that let users play a mini-game before watching a video
• Netflix got into gaming with mini-games based on their popular shows
• The New York Times now has more people spending time on their games compared to their news content
• Wiz launched "Wizlympics" - a cloud security mini-game where players collect real cloud services while avoiding fake ones

2. What are the key benefits of using mini-games as a marketing strategy?

• Crazy engagement: Games keep users on your site or app longer than any other content, which is beneficial for SEO
• Brand love: Themed games can beautifully showcase your expertise and make your audience feel 'seen' and understood
• Viral potential: Great games spread organically as players share high scores, challenge friends, and talk about them on social media
• Memorable marketing: Mini-games stand out in a sea of traditional marketing content like white papers, e-books, and webinars
• FOMO retention: Regularly dropping new challenges (like Wordle and LinkedIn's games) can hook users and create a fear of missing out

[02] Creating an Effective Mini-Game

1. What are the key steps outlined in the article for creating a successful mini-game for your business?

• Find a proven game mechanic and twist it to fit your audience's specific lingo, pains, and inside jokes
• Inject your audience's DNA into the game by using industry-specific jargon, referencing inside jokes, and creating characters based on industry stereotypes
• Make the game impossible to play just once by incorporating daily challenges, progressive difficulty, unlockable content, and leaderboards that reset weekly
• Find a way to educate players while they're playing, so they feel productive even while procrastinating
• Build viral loops into the game, such as one-click social sharing, challenges to 'beat my score', and tiered referral rewards
• Consider partnering with thought leaders in your industry for limited-time character skins or levels

2. What are some examples of popular mini-game mechanics that the article suggests could be remixed for different industries?

• Wordle: The classic word-guessing game
• Housle: Guessing the house price by the photo
• Framed: Identifying the movie by analyzing a series of screenshots
• Worldle: Guessing the country based on its silhouette
• Waffle: Shuffling letters until they form valid words in a grid
• Chrome's Dino Game: The ultimate time-killer when your internet connection fails
• Knotwords: A fusion of sudoku and crosswords
• Connections: Finding the common thread linking four seemingly unrelated words
• Universal Paperclips: Managing a paperclip factory and aiming for global domination
• Coffee Golf: A new mini-golf course, daily
• Bandle: Guessing the song by listening to individual instrument tracks
• Travle: A geography game about bordering countries
• Episode: Testing TV show knowledge by identifying series from still frames
• LinkedIn's new brain-teasing games (Queens, Pinpoint, Crossclimb)
• Immaculate Grid: Identifying athletes from various sports in a grid-based quiz
• Summle: Arranging numbers and operators to create valid mathematical expressions
• CineQuote: Guessing the film by deciphering iconic dialogue, one line at a time
• Murdle: Solving a murder mystery
• Strands: Uncovering hidden words
• GeoGrid: Guessing the country
• Cinematrix: Guessing the movie
• Pedantle: Uncovering the Wikipedia entry by finding words on a redacted page
• Contexto: Guessing a word by guessing related terms
• Football Bingo: Testing soccer knowledge
• Box Office Game: Predicting the highest-grossing films
• Untitled Game: A mysterious blank page where you figure out what to do next