With budgets back in hand, new purchasing intentions and the sprint towards the end of the year, the strategic stakes are enormous… as long as you know where to place your efforts. So how do you get the fourth term off to a good start and maximise the impact of your back-to-school communications? In this article, we share some tips, inspired by examples of successful campaigns.

SUMMARY

• The major marketing challenges of the autumn
  
• 3 tips for a successful back-to-school sales operation
  

Here are the marketing issues that brands need to anticipate in order to maximise the impact of their back-to-school sales operation.

1. Boost brand awareness and generate new leads

After the summer, brands need to reconnect with their audience and capture new leads. This is a good time to launch brand awareness campaigns, via social networks, displays and influencer partnerships.

The statistic to remember: Nearly 4 out of 5 French people (79%) are planning to change their habits for the start of the new school year.

The marketing action to launch: a marketing campaign on social networks with an engaging format to maximise the brand’s visibility.

An example to follow: For its ‘Back to School’ campaign, SFR has used the Match 3 mechanic to promote the start of the new school year. This addictive game
recruited over 4,200 leads and generated 38 games played per participant. The Adictiz Ads media campaign generated 98% participation, a vital factor in the game’s visibility.

2. Refine customer knowledge to improve future marketing campaigns

September is a good time to collect customer data (via surveys or interactive quizzes). This enables brands to understand their audience’s expectations. They can target their future campaigns and maximise their return on investment (ROI).

The statistic to remember: 83% of consumers are willing to share their preferences with a brand in exchange for a personalised experience. And brands that exploit first-party data generate 2.9 times more revenue.

Marketing action to launch: Brands can share an interactive Personality Test to understand their customers’ needs. Customers will be redirected to product pages or retargeted by email with targeted offers.

Example to follow: The interactive quiz shared by Ma Gare+ as part of its back-to-school game enabled the company to collect data. It was able to identify station services likely to be of interest to its customers.

3. Capitalize on purchase intentions to improve conversion

With school and work starting up again, consumers are on a buying spree. Whether it’s for school supplies, clothing, electronics or services. Brands have a window of opportunity to convert these intentions into sales or account creation.

The statistic to remember: At the start of the school year, families spend an average of 304 euros per person.

The marketing action to launch: Consumers are likely to make a purchase or create an account in exchange for a discount or reward. Brands can boost their conversion rate by proposing a welcome offer (a discount on the first order) or by distributing discount coupons via a 100% winning instant.

An example to follow: For the back-to-school season, Kiabi launched a campaign focusing on lead generation and conversion, with attractive prizes including vouchers. Thanks to media coverage via Adictiz Ads, the operation achieved an opt-in rate of 68%, testifying to the brand’s commitment and the effectiveness of the campaign.

4. Build loyalty and prepare for the last three months of the year

The last quarter of the year (Q4) is crucial, with events such as Black Friday, the autumn sales and the festive season. Building customer loyalty from September onwards maximises sales over this period and reduces the budget for future campaigns.

The statistic to remember: A loyal customer spends on average 67% more than a new customer (Source: Harvard Business Review). Not to mention that attracting a new customer costs five times more than bringing one back.

The marketing campaign to launch: to boost your retention rate, there’s nothing better than an innovative loyalty programme. This will encourage consumers to buy again by giving them access to attractive discounts or previews of Black Friday offers.

A good example: In 2021, Decathlon has decided to transform its loyalty programme into an inclusive offer, enabling customers to collect points through various actions (their interactions with the brand) and no longer just when they make purchases. The catalogue of rewards has been expanded, giving programme members the opportunity to spend their points with partners.

To maximise the impact of their back-to-school communications, brands need to put the right strategy in place. Here are three tips for optimising your operation and achieving concrete results.

1. Identify your objectives and your target’s needs

A back-to-school marketing campaign therefore needs to be tailored to the audience’s expectations. To do this, brands need to collect data. Marketing games will enable them to analyse behaviour and qualify leads.

2. Stand out from other advertising campaigns

The back-to-school period is a time when consumers are in high demand. Brands need to rely on engaging formats and <a href="https://staging.adictiz.com/guide-dotation/
“>attractive prizes to capture their attention. Playing on emotion and storytelling is a way of resonating with the aspirations of their community.

3. Use omnichannel marketing to maximize the impact of your back-to-school sales campaign

Consumers are constantly moving from one channel to another: they consult a product on their mobile, read a review on social networks and then complete their purchase in-store. A coherent omnichannel strategy can support this journey and multiply the points of contact. To do this, brands can communicate online and in their physical outlets, offer drive-to-store operations and explore co-branding.

Conclusion

The key to a successful back-to-school campaign is a strategic approach that combines personalization, engagement and channel diversification. By properly targeting your objectives, you can create a much more effective campaign and maximize your chances of capturing and converting your audience. All you have to do is choose from our various marketing game mechanics!

SUMMARY

• What are the different objectives of an online One-Armed Bandit?
• 6 tips for programming a One-Armed bandit game

Aujourd’hui, le Bandit Manchot ne se joue pas qu’au casino et peut être intégré, sous un format digital, aux campagnes de marketing en ligne. Ce jeu leur permet d’engager et d’activer les consommateurs à chaque étape de leur parcours client , de la découverte de l’enseigne à la réalisation d’un achat.

1. Brand awreness and lead generation with an original one-armed bandit

Exemple : Eurotunnel a mis en place une stratégie de Wait Marketing (soit la gestion de l’attente), en diffusant une campagne gamifiée auprès des conducteurs. Ceux-ci pouvaient participer au Bandit Manchot pendant la traversée du tunnel après avoir renseigné un code inscrit sur leur titre de transport. Ce jeu captivant a permis à l’entreprise de recruter des leads de qualité (5K nouveaux inscrits via Adictiz Ads) tout en renforçant sa communication auprès de son public cible.

2. Promoting your brand community and points of sale

Exemple : Pour la Fête des Mères, les Galeries Lafayette ont proposé un Bandit Manchot 100% gagnant dans leurs points de vente via une borne interactive, installée pendant 3 jours dans 6 magasins en France. L’objectif était d’animer les points de ventes pendant le temps fort. Les résultats ont dépassé les attentes, avec une participation en magasin au-dessus de la moyenne. Le temps de jeu moyen d’1 minute 20 secondes a démontré un réel intérêt pour l’animation, confirmant le succès de cette initiative.

L’animation Bandit Manchot était disponible en ligne via un QR code affiché en magasin. Cette stratégie omnicanale a permis de booster l’engagement de l’audience et la portée de la campagne. Permettant à l’enseigne d’animer tous les magasins. Cette opération en co-branding a permis de collecter des opt-ins pour Galeries Lafayette et sa marque partenaire, Rosemood.

Boost your conversion rate and generate sales by creating a One-Armed Bandit

Exemple : La campagne Crazy Days, qui prenait la forme d’un Bandit Manchot en ligne, a permis à Showroomprivé d’attirer des clients tout en donnant une forte visibilité à la marque lors d’un temps fort commercial, celui des soldes. Le jeu était ici utilisé comme générateur de ventes, avec l’objectif de stimuler la conversion grâce à la distribution de bons d’achats. La campagne Crazy Days de Showroomprivé a affiché d’excellents KPI’s d’engagement avec 27k dotations distribuées, soit autant de possibilités de ventes sur le site de l’enseigne.

Pour atteindre ces objectifs stratégiques, il faut bien penser la conception et la diffusion de son Bandit Manchot en ligne. Voici 6 conseils à suivre pour booster l’impact de votre campagne.

1. How to customize the one-armed bandit online ?

Avec Adictiz, il est possible de personnaliser les graphismes de son jeu, des fonds en passant par les symboles qui vont s’afficher sur le rouleau de la machine à sous, sans oublier la poignée (ou le bouton Start). L’idée est d’uniformiser ces éléments graphiques afin de proposer une expérience cohérente.

2. How to set up a one-armed bandit online ?

• Le nombre de participations autorisées (par jour, semaine, mois ou sur toute la campagne). On conseille une limite d’une participation par jour pour encourager les joueurs à revenir sur la campagne ;
• Le nombre de dotation qu’un joueur peut remporter ; 
• Le nombre de rouleaux (jusqu’à 6). 

L’enseigne peut ajouter des étapes supplémentaires à son parcours de jeu pour booster ses résultats en termes de collecte. Elle peut par ajouter une étape dédiée à l’optin (push optin) ou insérer un formulaire de collecte de données clients après le jeu, avant que le participant ne découvre son gain.

3. How to manage the prizes for a Bandit Manchot instant win?

Tips : il est possible de faire remporter des dotations en fonction des symboles qui s’afficheront sur le rouleau gagnant. Les visuels du Bandit manchot peuvent correspondre aux cadeaux à remporter.

4. What’s the checklist before sharing your One-armed Bandit?

Lorsque les versions Desktop et Mobile sont finalisées, l’enseigne pourra la tester afin de vérifier que la mécanique fonctionne. Il ne lui restera plus qu’à la publier sur son domaine personnalisé et à la diffuser auprès de son audience.

5. Can we take over my campaign?

6. How to boost the visibility of your gamification campaign?

Conclusion

Christmas is a magical time when the French want to please their loved ones and themselves. Consumers are therefore more inclined to interact with brand content, especially when it inspires them to buy gifts.

For companies, Christmas represents an average of 20% of sales..
Dans certains secteurs, ce chiffre peut même monter jusqu’à 35 %.
Il est donc crucial pour elles de create distinctive Christmas marketing campaigns to capture the attention of their audience and boost their end-of-year sales.

In this article, we’ll be sharing some ideas for interactive formats and games to help you achieve your objectives and energize your Christmas marketing campaign.

SUMMARY

• Anticipate the festive season to optimise your campaigns
• 5 trends to boost your Christmas marketing campaign
• 3 ideas for Christmas marketing campaigns to stand out from the crowd

E-commerce is booming. At Christmas time 75% of French people buy their gifts on the Internet.

The French are more inclined to spend online and, above all, to plan their purchases in advance so as to spread them over several months and take advantage of the promotional periods that precede this marketing high point (such as Black Friday or Cyber Monday, for example).

For brands, this means anticipating their marketing campaigns as far as possible Christmas. By planning events in the weeks leading up to the festive season, they can multiply the points of contact with their audiences, and the chances of them making purchases on their e-commerce site (or in-store).

The marketing highlights leading up to Christmas (Halloween, Black Friday, etc.) can also be excellent opportunities for collecting leads. and customer data. Companies will be able to activate them over the festive season by creating personalised marketing campaigns that are more effective in converting prospects into customers.

Speaking out in advance also allows you to position yourself before everyone else. Brands that start earlier can boost their visibility and reduce their media budget by communicating at a time when competition is less intense and consumers are less affected by ‘advertising fatigue’.

To create an effective Christmas marketing campaign, it’s important to take account of your audience’s expectations, and market trends as a whole. Whether linked to advertising, marketing or new consumer habits, these trends will enable companies to capture the attention and better engage consumers during the festive season.

These include :

• Made in France. 1 consumer in 2 would prefer local products, Made In France, for Christmas presents. As well as highlighting the provenance of their products, brands can also capitalise on this trend to offer competition prizes that are more in line with their customers’ values;
• The end of third-party cookies and proprietary data collection. Brands need to focus on implementing zero-party data collection and opt-in tools to maintain contact with their audience and refine their customer knowledge.
• Influence marketing remains a powerful lever for engaging communities. Consumers are sensitive to partnerships between brands and content creators. These campaigns are particularly effective in collecting leads and generating new conversions.
• Short content is recommended to captivate your audience and communicate effectively. Companies need to take account of consumers’ attention spans and offer striking animations that will encourage users to stop scrolling.
• Native advertising (i.e. one that respects the format and codes of the channel on which it is broadcast) is crucial to optimising your presence on social networks and on your website. It makes for a smoother, more immersive browsing experience.

By capitalising on these trends to capture consumers’ attention, brands can create effective Christmas marketing campaigns, specifically targeting their strategic objectives.

To inspire them, here are 3 ideas for animations and interactive campaigns to engage and convert your audience at Christmas.

An engaging speed game to boost brand awareness

Gamification (i.e. incorporating playful elements into sales promotions) is an excellent way for brands to capture and hold the attention of consumers. One of the most effective formats at this time of year is an engaging mechanic like Tiny Wings.

This speed game was used by household appliance brand Electrolux for its ‘A Swedish Christmas’ campaign. The campaign aimed to The main aim was to highlight the company’s Swedish origins through a fun, viral game, and thus raise its profile over the festive period.

The engaging and addictive nature of the marketing game also enabled the company to capitalise on the interaction with participants to collect opt-ins. With an engagement rate of 92% and game sessions lasting an average of 1 minute and 18 seconds, this activity helped to strengthen the brand’s appeal to consumers over the Christmas period.

SFR Réunion also relied on this mechanism for its Christmas marketing campaign. Focused on lead generation, the campaign was a great success during the recruitment phase, thanks in particular to a media strategy based on native advertising.

Thanks to an attractive prize fund, the company was able to attract more than 10k new visitors. on its website. And with an average of more than 7 games played per subscriber and an average playing time of over 3 minutes, this interactive activity generated a high level of support for the brand among participants.

2. Instant win for Christmas coupons

Instant winners are also very effective during the Christmas period, when users are looking for good deals and discounts to save on their gift purchases.

The 100% winning Claw machine, for example, enables companies to distribute discount coupons to all participants. Showroomprivé.com banked on this Christmas marketing game during the festive season. 7,000 vouchers were distributed during the campaign, helping to convert prospects into customers and boosting the brand’s sales.

This animation can also be used as part of a Drive to Store campaign during the Christmas period. McDonald’s franchisees in the North of France have chosen to set up a campaign combining a Flappy and a 100% winning claw machine. These events enabled users to win discount vouchers to be used towards the purchase of a Maxi Best Of menu in participating restaurants, boosting traffic in the brand’s points of sale.

3. An omnichannel Christmas campaign to engage consumers

It takes an average of 8 interactions between a brand and its prospect before they are ready to buy. If brands want to to boost their Christmas sales, they need to multiply the points of contact and the incentives to buy with their audience.

This is what brands can do by implementing an omnichannel Christmas marketing campaign. Companies will deploy a marketing game tailored to this marketing high point (such as the Shopping List for example) across all their communication channels. Adictiz’s customisable form can be used in engaging interactive formats across 4 distinct channels: the e-commerce site, blog articles, live shopping sessions and native advertising.

Brands will be able to engage their audience across all their channels, multiplying interactions to convert as many prospects as possible and boost their Christmas sales.

Conclusion

To create an impactful Christmas marketing campaign, your brand can rely on engaging game mechanicsthat will capture consumers’ attention. Create differentiating brand experiences to boost your brand awareness, collect leads and generate more conversions during the festive season thanks to interactive marketing activities!