Zamzee is a social enterprise on a mission to help kids and their families make physical activity a fun part of daily life. Originally developed by HopeLab, Zamzee is an activity meter and motivational website meant to increase physical activity levels and, in doing so, help fight the sedentary behavior epidemic in the U.S., a key risk factor associated with obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Bunchball’s Nitro gamification platform is a key part of the zamzee.com motivational experience. Zamzee’s gamified website--optimized through a series of scientific studies to initiate and sustain positive behavior change--allows kids to view their activity levels, earn points for movement, achieve goals, select rewards and customize their experience by designing their own avatar. A six-month study showed that the Zamzee program increased physical activity in kids by an average of 59% and had positive impact on risk factors associated with heart disease and diabetes.

1. Gamified Zamzee
Boosts Kids’
Physical Activity
by 59%
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2. Zamzee is a social enterprise on a mission to help kids and their families make physical
activity a fun part of daily life. Originally developed by HopeLab, Zamzee is an activity
meter and motivational website meant to increase physical activity levels and, in doing
so, help fight the sedentary behavior epidemic in the U.S., a key risk factor associated
with obesity, heart disease and diabetes.
Challenge
Bunchball’s Nitro gamification platform is a key part of the zamzee.com motivational
• Create a youth-focused,
gamified, online experience experience. Zamzee’s gamified website--optimized through a series of scientific studies
to initiate and sustain positive behavior change--allows kids to view their activity
• Inspire kids to participate and
stay motivated levels, earn points for movement, achieve goals, select rewards and customize their
experience by designing their own avatar.
• Drive increased activity levels to
improve health
A six-month study showed that the Zamzee program increased physical activity in kids
Solution by an average of 59% and had positive impact on risk factors associated with heart
• The Zamzee activity meter to
disease and diabetes.
measure movement
• The Zamzee motivational
website, featuring Bunchball’s
market-leading Nitro
gamification platform Challenge
• A combination of extrinsic and According to the World Health Organization, sedentary behavior is the fourth
intrinsic rewards to initiate and leading cause of death globally. Research shows that lack of physical activity is
sustain behavior change
a major risk factor for obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers,
contributing to 5.3 million deaths annually. Research shows that physical activity
Results
can have positive impact on physical health, as well as psychological well-being.
• 59% increase in participants’
moderate-to-vigorous physical At Zamzee, the company’s social mission is to get kids and families more physical
activity
active as a way to improve health. However, young people today often lack the
• Positive impact on biological opportunity and motivation to exercise, particularly as technology and media
risk factors associated with heart
disease and diabetes increasingly compete for their attention. Zamzee set out to create a program that
combined the fun of games and the science of motivation to boost physical activity
• An engaging, interactive
program that makes physical
levels in participants.
activity a part of daily life
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3. Solution
The Zamzee device is an activity meter worn on a belt or carried in a pocket that
monitors physical activity throughout the day. Users regularly plug their devices
into their computers and upload recorded physical activity data into their online
personal profile. The profile is a key part of the motivational, game-based website,
designed to initiate and sustain behavioral change based on scientific principles.
Through the site, kids may view their activity levels, earn points for movement,
achieve goals, and convert data into points that can be redeemed for virtual goods
and real-world rewards.
“This study shows that technology is not just part of the
problem; it can also be part of the solution in helping kids
to be more physically active.”
- Steve Cole, Ph.D.
Professor of Medicine, UCLA
HopeLab VP of Research and Development
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4. Results
The unprecedented success of the Zamzee program is a strong testament to the
power of gamification. Kids are inspired by the game mechanics (points, levels,
leaderboards, avatar) and game dynamics (rewards, status, competition) of the
program, and they work hard to succeed.
A study of Zamzee sponsored by HopeLab and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
enrolled 448 middle-school-aged adolescents randomly assigned to two groups:
Those that used the Zamzee activity meter and also received access to the motivational
website, and those that received a Zamzee meter but had no access to the site. The
study found that the kids with access to the gamified website showed a 59% increase
in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) over those that were only given the
meter. These results persisted throughout the six-month study period, and access to the
game-based motivational web experience was the crucial differentiator.
Significant increases in physical activity were seen across a number of groups
at risk for sedentary behavior, including a 27% increase among overweight
participants and a 103% increase among girls. In addition, study results also
showed the program had a positive effect on key biological factors associated with
diseases linked to sedentary behavior. Participants experienced reduced gains in
LDL or “bad” cholesterol, a risk factor for heart disease, and also showed improved
blood sugar control, a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes
About the Nitro Gamification Platform About Bunchball
Bunchball’s gamification engine, Nitro, is Bunchball is the market leader and visionary
the industry’s most scalable and reliable in gamification. Powering the Engaged
gamification platform, serving up to 70 million Enterprise, Bunchball enables organizations
unique users and 2.3 billion actions each to improve business performance throughout
month. Nitro’s flexible and easily implemented their ecosystem by creating highly active and
architecture enables businesses to create loyal customers, employees, and partners.
compelling, meaningful and enjoyable Bunchball’s comprehensive suite of innovative
experiences for consumers, employees, and cloud-based solutions empowers companies
partners that keep them interested, focused, to engage and motivate, leading to improved
collaborative and highly productive. Nitro employee productivity, customer loyalty and
delivers the industry’s most comprehensive ROI. Bunchball’s world-class customers include
set of game mechanics and is available as a Adobe, HP, Cisco, Warner Bros., Comcast,
platform for building customized gamification LiveOps, VMware and Hasbro. Based in
applications, or as a platform-specific solution Silicon Valley, Bunchball’s investors include
for leading enterprise systems including Jive, Granite Ventures, Triangle Peak Partners,
Salesforce.com, and others. Northport Investments, and Correlation
Ventures. For more information, visit www.
bunchball.com, our blog at www.gamification.
com, or follow @bunchball.
www.bunchball.com
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Copyright © Bunchball, Inc., 2013. All rights reserved. January 2013 4