Gamification is still a very embryonic and poorly understood phenomenon which I believe will have to shift away from the current focus on extrinsic motivators such as points, badges and leaderboards into strategies which develop intrinsic motivation based on self-management and an ability to take control of and responsibility for personal lifestyle. If the radio interview I heard yesterday about the pressure on GPs is anything to go by, retailers and suppliers involved in delivering lifestyle related products and services will play a vital role in shaping the future health of the nation in ways which leverage CSR to increase not only brand image but also long term profitability.

1. Gamification, Personalisation, Brand Loyalty and Profitable CSR in
an OMNI World
Personalised Incentives
Over a decade ago I was listening to Radio 4 in my car when I heard an interview with the newly
appointed Govt. E-Envoy, Alex Allan, talking about his mission to encourage small businesses in the
UK to use the potential of the internet in order to compete in a global economy. To illustrate his
point, he spoke about how Amazon was able to deliver the same kind of personalised service to its
customers as he used to receive in his local record shop where they knew him and his music
preferences and would suggest new releases he might like. Surprisingly for a politician, he
volunteered his email address at the end of the interview and the next day (around 7:00 am on a
Saturday morning) I took advantage of his generosity and sent him an email about the Govt funded
project called ComKnet (Community Commerce and Knowledge Network) that I had initiated in my
rural community in Leicestershire.
The substance of my message to him was that, whilst I agreed with his argument about the merits of
the internet and Amazon’s personalised e-commerce strategy, he should not forget that every
Amazon purchase is potentially a lost sale to the local community’s retailers. My email went on to
describe how the ComKnet project was designed to help local communities use web and other
technologies to support intra-community trading and knowledge transfer. I was somewhat

2. staggered and mightily impressed when I received a personal reply from him within an hour, leading
to an invitation to visit him in Downing Street to record an interview for the ComKNet project.
Alex Allan ComKnet Interview Shot
The Comknet Video is still accessible on YouTube at :-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hm4AkNbTlM
Today, I buy all my DVDs and many other items through Amazon, not because of their personalised
prompting, but because of the convenience, availability, accessibility and reliability of their service.
Although I have never been a loyalty card devotee, I have recently become aware of how the retail
sector are increasingly using the same personalisation strategies to support their Omni marketing
strategies and I am now a regular user of my Tesco Clubcard and have even changed my bank from
HSBC to Nationwide because of the loyalty incentives they offer.
In Tesco’s case, I use the vouchers I receive and recognise the fact that these voucher offers are
personalised to me based on my previous purchases linked to the ClubCard. I have also noticed that
Nationwide ATMs remember my typical previous cash withdrawal patterns and use that to assist my
new transactions.
Loyalty cards and the adoption of personalisation of Point of Sale activities are a good example of
the gamification strategies supporting brand development and marketing. My activities and work
with Gamification and Enabling Technologies lead me to predict that this combination of game
mechanics/methodologies/psychologies and rapidly maturing digital technologies such as the
internet of things, big data analytics and cloud computing will result in an increasing number of
strategic win-win partnerships and a focus on profitable Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) as a
differentiator in an Omni World.

3. Tesco’s Health and Wellbeing App
A good example of this trend is Tesco’s health and wellbeing application and support for Diabetes UK
which brings together a number of disciplines and stakeholders to deliver products and services that
use gamification strategies for societal benefits and link Tesco’s brand to worthwhile causes as well
as potentially providing incentives at point of sale to influence lifestyles.
Points, Badges and Leaderboards

4. Gamification is still a very embryonic and poorly understood phenomenon which I believe will have
to shift away from the current focus on extrinsic motivators such as points, badges and leaderboards
into strategies which develop intrinsic motivation based on self-management and an ability to take
control of and responsibility for personal lifestyle. If the radio interview I heard yesterday about the
pressure on GPs is anything to go by, retailers and suppliers involved in delivering lifestyle related
products and services will play a vital role in shaping the future health of the nation in ways which
leverage CSR to increase not only brand image but also long term profitability.
David Wortley FRSA
GAETSS
www.gaetss.com