Does gamification affect brand engagement and equity? A study in online brand communities

Gamification has become a popular technique in marketing. Many companies believe that gamification can potentially increase the engagement, awareness and loyalty of consumers with respect to the brand. However, there is current dearth of empirical evidence supporting these beliefs beyond the pervasive hype. In this study we investigated the relationships between gamification, brand engagement and brand equity among consumers (N = 824) of two online gamified brand communities. The results showed that achievement and social interaction -related gamification features were positively associated with all three forms of brand engagement (emotional, cognitive and social). Immersion -related gamification features were only positively associated with social brand engagement. Additionally, brand engagement was further positively associated with brand equity. The results imply that gamification can positively affect brand engagement and further increase brand equity, and that gamification appears to be an effective technique for brand management.