Arçelik leveraged gamification to promote sales of its smart cooking devices.
The strategic objectives for the Arçelik's "Let's Cook" game application were to promote product awareness, user engagement, and sales.
Arçelik, a Turkish appliance manufacturer, sought to boost brand awareness by enhancing recognition of its advanced cooking technologies. Further, the brand aimed to enhance user engagement by increasing the time spent interacting with it through the game. Additionally, Arçelik wanted to drive sales by converting game players into buyers via in-game incentives like discount coupons.
Key performance indicators (KPIs) included game-completion rates, session duration, sales figures, and new customer registrations. To measure these indicators, Arçelik integrated Google Analytics tracking codes into the game, allowing it to separately track each attribution, such as log-ins and session completions. This comprehensive tracking ensured detailed insights into engagement and conversion metrics.
The Arçelik "Let's Cook" game application campaign was launched at the end of January 2024. This initiative introduced a new approach to using gaming and 3D interactive technology, which was a departure from Arçelik's previous marketing strategies for similar products that relied primarily on traditional advertising methods. The brand recognized that the integration of gamification and a 3D interactive experience would create a more engaging and educational user experience, leading to higher user-retention and interaction rates.
The intended target audience for Arçelik's effort consisted of young professionals aged 25 to 45 who valued innovation and quality in household appliances. This tech-savvy demographic, with medium to high incomes, enjoy cooking and seek practical, multifunctional kitchen solutions. They are characterized by a preference for engaging and interactive experiences, a high propensity to adopt new technologies, and an appreciation for efficiency and convenience. The audience included both men and women who led busy lives and were interested in smart home appliances that would save time and enhance their culinary experiences.
Arçelik's creative strategy focused on developing a 3D interactive game that demonstrated its cooking appliance's features in an engaging and educational manner. To communicate this effectively, the brand launched targeted social media campaigns on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube Shorts, which were highly popular among the tech-savvy, 25- to 45-year-old audience.
Arçelik managed its campaign communication by leveraging Google Analytics to track real-time user interactions, allowing it to adapt and optimize its content and targeting strategies dynamically. This approach ensured that the campaign's messaging remained relevant and engaging, maximizing user engagement and conversion rates across various markets. The approach combined creative content with precise media targeting to effectively reach and resonate with the audience.
The campaign allocated 100 percent of its budget to social media ad spend, strategically targeting the tech-savvy audience aged 25 to 45 who were predominantly active on platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube Shorts. This focus ensured effective reach and high engagement rates.
Enabling technology, such as Google Analytics tracking codes, played a crucial role in the campaign's success. By monitoring user interactions in real-time, including log-ins and session completions, Arçelik could continuously refine its strategy. This real-time data enabled dynamic adjustments to content and targeting, ensuring communication remained relevant and effective.
Before the campaign began, Arçelik operated in a highly competitive smart kitchen appliances market. Traditional advertising methods struggled to effectively communicate the advanced features of their products, particularly the Gurme Şef Pro. Consumer awareness of these sophisticated functionalities was low, leading to suboptimal engagement and sales. The market was saturated with various brands offering smart kitchen solutions, making it challenging for Arçelik to stand out. The need for a more engaging, interactive approach to demonstrate the product's value became evident, prompting the shift to a gamified digital experience.
The campaign successfully achieved its objectives and goals, delivering impressive results, with 8,482 users completing the game between January 30 and July 10. Out of these 8,482 users who completed the game, 976 registered on the Arçelik website to use the promo code they earned in the game. From these 976 registered users, 141 went on to directly purchase the product during the same period, representing a significant increase compared to the sales prior to the campaign. The result was a conversion rate of approximately 14.4 percent from registered users to actual purchasers.
The use of the game not only enhanced brand awareness and user engagement but also significantly boosted sales. There was a 36 percent increase in sales of the Gurme Şef Pro specifically, compared to the period before the campaign from January 1 to January 30, setting a new benchmark for Arçelik's marketing strategies.
