One-armed bandit is one of the most famous marketing games. This instant-win game is inspired by casino slot machines, and invites participants to try and get three identical visuals lined up on the reel.
Linked to an immediate reward, this mechanism is effective in boosting the visibility and attractiveness of a brand. It enables brands to showcase their batches and boost their lead recruitment and conversion strategies.
In this article, we share the marketing goals to pursue when creating an online One-Armed Bandit. Our step-by-step tutorial will help you design and optimiza your campaign.
What are the different objectives of an online One-Armed Bandit?
Do you know why this marketing mechanism is called that? Historically, slot machines had an articulated arm which engaged the roller. Since they only had one, they were considered “one-armed”.
Today, the One-Armed Bandit is not only played at the casino, but can also be integrated into online marketing campaigns in a digital format. This game enables them to engage and activate consumers at every stage of their customer journey, from discovering the brand to making a purchase.
1. Brand awreness and lead generation with an original one-armed bandit
The One-Armed Bandit is very much about rewards and winning. As such, it’s an effective instant winner to capture th audience’s attention and maximize engagement. The promise of a reward and the possibility of finding out whether you’ve won or not are two factors that enable the brand to gain visibility and generate new leads (via a registration form at the beginning or end of the game).
Example: Eurotunnel implements a Wait Marketing strategy (i.e. wait management), with gamified campaign aimed at drivers. Drivers could take part in the one-armed bandit game as they drove through the tunnel, after entering a code on their ticket. This captivating game enabled the company to recruit quality leads (5K new subscribers via Adictiz Ads) while reinforcing its communication with its target audience.
2. Promoting your brand community and points of sale
Well-known to the general public, the One-Armed Bandit can be a good format for animating a brand’s community online (on social networks or on its application) as well as physically (in points of sale, via an interactive terminal). The retailer maximizes the time spent with its audience by relying on addictive mechanics and attractive prizes.
Example: For Mother’s Day, Galeries Lafayette offered a 100% winning one-armed bandit in their stores via an interactive terminal
installed for 3 days in 6 stores in France. The aim was to liven up the points of sale during the peak season. The results exceeded expectations, with in-store participation
above average. The average playing time of 1 minute 20 seconds demonstrated real interest in the animation, confirming the success of this initiative.
The one-armed bandit animation was available online via a QR code displayed in-store. This omnichannel strategy boosted audience engagement and the campaign’s reach. Allowing the brand to animate all its stores.
This co-branding operation permited to collect opt-ins for Galeries Lafayette and its partner brand, Rosemood.
Boost your conversion rate and generate sales by creating a One-Armed Bandit
Finally, the online One-Armed Bandit is an effective way of boosting sales and increasing conversion rates. The prizes are discount vouchers that participants can use on their next purchase. Very easy to personalize, this mechanic makes it possible to
present its products in an original way by transforming them into symbols on the slot machine reel.
Example: The Crazy Days campaign, which took the form of an One-Armed Bandit online, enabled Showroomprivé to attract customers while giving the brand high visibility during the sales period. Here, the game was used as a sales generator, with the aim of stimulating conversion through the distribution of vouchers. Showroomprivé’s Crazy Days campaign achieved excellent engagement KPIs, with 27k prizes distributed, representing as many sales opportunities on the brand’s website.
6 tips for programming a One-Armed bandit game
To achieve these strategic objectives, you need to think carefully about the design and distribution of your One-Armed Bandit online
. Here are 6 tips to boost the impact of your campaign.
1. How to customize the one-armed bandit online ?
The key to the success of an online One-armed Bandit is to personalize the mechanics so that participants can immerse themselves in the brand’s universe and associate this positive experience with the brand.
With Adictiz, you can personalize your game’s graphics,
from the backgrounds to the symbols displayed on the slot reel, not forgetting the handle (or Start button). The idea is to standardize these graphic elements to offer a consistent experience.
2. How to set up a one-armed bandit online ?
The second step is to configure the mechanics
to ensure that the game’s course meets its strategic objectives. The One-armed Bandit consists of 6 pages, to which the brand can add stages and mechanics.
It can be a homepage or a teaser page to showcase your products. But the One-Armed Bandit can also
give access to a prize draw.
Winners receive a first prize and are entered into a draw for larger prizes.
With Adictiz, you can also select :
- The number of entries allowed (per day, week, month or over the entire campaign). We recommend a limit of one entry per day to encourage players to return to the campaign;
- The number of prizes a player can win;
- Number of rollers (up to 6).
The retailer can add extra stages to the game to boost its collection results. For example, it can add a push opt-in stage, or insert a customer data collection form after the game, before the participant discovers his or her prize.
3. How to manage the prizes for a Bandit Manchot instant win?
The appeal of the One-armed Bandit online lies in the prizes
. It’s therefore important to configure your campaign’s prizes. Otherwise, all users will be redirected to the “Lost” page, as there will be no prizes to be won.
Tips : prizes can be won based on the symbols displayed on the winning reel. The visuals of the one-armed bandit can match the prizes to be won.
4. What’s the checklist before sharing your One-armed Bandit?
Before publishing your campaign, it’s a good idea to run a few checks. By clicking on the game zone in the editor, you can preview the game and adjust its display (i.e. its dimensions to fit a mobile environment).
Once the Desktop and Mobile versions have been finalized, the retailer will be able to test it to check that the mechanics work. All that’s left to do is publish it on its personalized domain and
distribute it to its audience.
5. Can we take over my campaign?
Need help creating an online one-armed bandit marketing campaign?
Adictiz creative studio takes charge of all the programming for the gamified experience. From the design of the game path to the implementation of the graphic universe. We also configure the prizes and put the campaign online.
6. How to boost the visibility of your gamification campaign?
Adictiz helps brands distribute their Bandit Manchot via its Media Agency
. A dedicated team will take care of campaign design and publication. From audience targeting to tracking and optimization of Ads or emailing sequences.
Conclusion
The Bandit Manchot is the ideal format for boosting brand awareness and sales. Rely on this Instant Win to achieve your strategic objectives and energize your marketing campaigns with
our other interactive game mechanics!
