The impact of gamified marketing on customer brand fit and engagement

Abstract

This study aims to explore the impact of gamified marketing on customer brand fit and engagement, to analyze how gamified elements (dynamics, mechanisms, and components) influence customer engagement and brand fit, and to investigating the mediating role of customer brand fit in this process. The study hypothesizes that gamified elements positively influence customer engagement and brand fit, and that customer brand fit mediates the relationship between gamified elements and customer engagement. A questionnaire survey was employed for data collection, with quantitative analysis applied to a sample of 392 users who have participated in gamified marketing activities. The results show that gamified elements have a significant positive impact on both customer engagement and brand fit. Dynamics, mechanisms, and components of gamified elements each significantly affect customer engagement and brand fit. Additionally, customer brand fit was found to have a significant positive impact on customer engagement. Furthermore, customer brand fit plays a mediating role between gamified elements and customer engagement, which was confirmed across all three dimensions: dynamics, mechanisms, and components. The findings suggest that brands should focus on customer brand fit when implementing gamified marketing strategies, using well-designed gamified elements to enhance customer engagement, thereby fostering increased brand loyalty. Gamified marketing not only boosts customer engagement but also strengthens the connection between customers and brands, leading to higher consumer loyalty