Game Theory is a powerful force in business, as indeed it is in Life. But in terms of business in particular, it has proven to be a compelling element of a marketing mix, that results in higher and longer engagement with whatever medium the game layer is applied to. Used correctly, a game layer is a potential ‘game changer’.
SocialAir has a built in game layer in the form of the Rewards Program. This Mileage Points Rewards Program is designed to fully engage ‘players’ based on classic game theory.
- Members earn various point levels for different activity (see Business Model » Rewards Program)
- There will be clear steps to attaining known bonus levels
- Opportunities to earn smaller points (e.g. generosity) occur at intermittent intervals
- Random rewards are thrown in to break up patterns, according to standard game layer design strategy
- Members Rewards Factor will be prominently displayed in the Member Profile .
The Rewards Factor is a measure of how much you are paying for Jet travel. The higher your Rewards Factor, the more miles you get back every time you fly. And at $2/mile and 500 MPH, those numbers add up fast. So the Rewards Factor is a number of definite financial significance. But beyond that, it is a status symbol as well. It is an indicator of a Member’s contribution to the SocialAir Community. Whether it was by just buying a bunch of miles, or recruiting a lot of new Members or just being really, really flexible, a Member’s Rewards Factor says something about who they are in relation to SocialAir.
So the Rewards Factor is the Grand Prize, but in between there are limitless opportunities to strategically plant rewards in order to increase engagement. For example, when Members pass the 35 Bonus Factor level, it could trigger a free catered meal on board their next flight.
In later stages, this game layer could get even more advanced. The reward can be set so the recipient is either notified in advance or surprised, as well as to whether the Member knows why the received the reward or not.
Member engagement through the game layer is enhanced by the Social engagement built into the system. Members can begin comparing performance or even cooperating to boost their Bonus Factors. For example, two people thinking about taking a trip to the same place at around the same time decide together to list times that are as far apart as possible so that they can both get maximum generosity points added to their Bonus Factors. Of course, that sounds a little like cheating and we may want to plug that hole at some point, but the point is that Members got engaged enough to try to beat the system, and that engagement level is the most valuable commodity in this game.