In 2026, marketing performance cannot be left to chance. The brands that will succeed are those that have managed to plan and pace their communication consistently throughout the year.

A well-planned 2026 marketing calendar ensures you capture your audience’s attention at the right moments while aligning budget and business objectives. Each key moment then becomes an opportunity to generate tangible results: data collection, engagement, conversion, loyalty, and more.

In this article, we highlight the key dates in the upcoming marketing calendar and explain how to make the most of their commercial potential.

SUMMARY

• Why the 2026 marketing calendar is essential for your marketing performance?
• Gamification to better engage and convert during key moments
• 3 examples of interactive mechanics to deploy throughout 2026
• Measuring and improving the business impact of your marketing campaigns
• Q&A – 2026 marketing calendar

A 2026 marketing calendar is not just a simple list of dates. It is a strategic tool that helps anticipate the key moments of the year ahead: sales, holidays, industry events, or important dates. This clear overview enables brands to identify the moments that matter to their audiences and ensures they don’t miss opportunities to engage and convert them.

Planning ahead also means gaining consistency. Campaigns find their proper place throughout the year and are structured around clear, measurable business objectives. The result is smoother, more effective, and more memorable communication.

The 2026 marketing calendar finally plays a key role in managing your marketing budget. By allocating budgets wisely over twelve months, it becomes possible to maximize each investment and avoid inefficient spending peaks.

Gamification involves incorporating playful mechanics into a marketing strategy. It relies on interactivity and game elements to capture the attention of a highly targeted audience. By making the experience more immersive, it boosts engagement and encourages action, whether it’s signing up for a mailing list, sharing an offer on personal networks, or purchasing a product with a discount coupon.

Another advantage of gamification for activating your marketing calendar: is its flexibility. Game mechanics (quizzes, instant-win games, battles, prize wheels) can be adapted to any key moment. Each format can be designed to fit the context of an event and the strategic objectives associated with it. A quiz to mark the back-to-school season, a wheel for Black Friday, or an Advent calendar at the end of the year.

This variety allows for communication that is always relevant, aligned with current expectations, and keeps campaigns engaging throughout the year without ever tiring the audience.

Each key moment has its own specifics: consumer expectations, purchasing context, and level of competition. Adapt the gamification mechanic allows addressing these challenges while maximizing business results. Here are three effective formats to deploy depending on the nature of the key moment and the objective pursued.

1. Collect customer data with a Quiz

The Quiz captures attention by sparking the curiosity of audiences eager to test their knowledge or learn more about themselves. For brands, it is an excellent data collection tool, with each answer enriching customer insights with precise information about participants’ preferences, habits, or purchase intentions. The first-party data then feeds into the CRM, refines customer segmentation, and enables the optimization of future campaigns.

Examples:

1. a “what’s the perfect gift for your partner?” quiz for Valentine’s Day,
2. “which destination suits you best?” quiz before the holiday season,
3. “what gift idea for Mom?” quiz for Mother’s Day.

2. Engage your audience with a contest

The contest helps reactivate your audience and boost participation by challenging them to complete a task with an attractive reward at stake. It maintains engagement around the brand and generates regular interactions during slower commercial periods.

Examples:

1. a digital Easter Egg Hunt (Hidden Objects)
2. a costume Photo Contest for Halloween
3. a back-to-school story Contest

3. Drive conversions during a key moment with an Instant Win game

The Instant Win game leverages the immediacy of the reward. It turns curiosity into quick action and fits perfectly with a promotional key moment in the 2026 marketing calendar. This format is ideal for driving impulse purchases and boosting short-term sales.

Examples:

• a digital scratch card during the sales period,
• a Wheel of Fortune to distribute discount vouchers during Black Friday,
• a Digital Calendar for Christmas

To boost the performance of their 2026 marketing calendar, brands need to rely on rigorous campaign tracking and content adjustments.

Here are three levers to use for measuring and improving the impact of marketing actions:

• Build on the results of previous years
  Track metrics such as the number of leads generated, conversions, re-engagement rate, or CRM impact. This data will help optimize new campaigns throughout the year.
• Select the most relevant key moments
  There’s no need to focus on every date. It’s better to choose those that resonate with your audience to reduce ad fatigue, optimize your marketing budget, and ensure campaign visibility, especially through paid media.
• Maintain annual consistency
  Establishing a regular schedule for publishing and engagement encourages immediate conversions and drives repeat purchases. This consistent thread enhances the impact of each activation and supports long-term revenue.

What are the key marketing highlights to integrate in 2026?

Key highlights to anticipate in your 2026 marketing calendar include major holidays (Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day), sales events (summer/winter), Black Friday, Christmas, as well as industry-specific or ephemeral events like « Veganuary » or Earth Day.

What strategies can be used to engage audiences throughout 2026?

To energize your 2026 marketing calendar, use gamification at every stage: quizzes, instant win games, and interactive wheels. Adapt the format based on the objective (acquisition, conversion, loyalty) and use it for every highlight to maintain constant engagement.

How to choose the relevant thematic days for your brand?

Select dates that align with your brand universe and your customers, and do not position yourself exclusively on the most visible ones. This ensures good budget usage, avoids over-solicitation, and reinforces the coherence of your marketing strategy, with priority given to high-potential commercial events.

How to leverage unexpected or emerging events in 2026?

Stay on the lookout for trends (e.g., Awareness Day, viral phenomenon) to integrate them into your 2026 marketing calendar. These opportunities bring freshness to your communication and encourage spontaneous, agile, and engaging content.

Boost your sales performance in 2026 by planning your marketing calendar in advance. Adictiz supports you in setting up and deploying your campaigns throughout the year. Discover our interactive campaigns, which can be adapted to every highlight, and boost the visibility of your messaging thanks to our media promotion offer!

Inspired by a tradition deeply rooted in the minds of users, the marketing Advent calendar has established itself as a powerful engagement tool for brands. Initially designed to mark the countdown to Christmas, this interactive format quickly found its place in digital communication strategies.

Beyond the festive season, its use has expanded with the winning calendar, a version that can be reused throughout the year to promote key commercial events and brand communications. Easy to deploy and highly customisable, this tool can be tailored to specific objectives and adapted to different retail environments.

In this article, we explore best practices for designing an effective marketing Advent calendar. We will draw on concrete examples and practical advice to create an engaging and memorable experience.

SUMMARY

• The advantages of a digital marketing Advent calendar
• 5 best practices for a successful campaign

The marketing Advent calendar is a highly effective tool for engaging a community while promoting conversion. By creating a daily appointment with its audience, this mechanism generates valuable recurrence in a saturated digital environment. Each day becomes an opportunity to interact, capture attention and strengthen the bond between the brand and its audiences.

At the community level, the calendar helps boost digital presence in the run-up to the holidays, but also at other key times in the commercial calendar.

In terms of conversion, the digital Advent calendar allows you to highlight products and services in a gradual and contextualised manner. By associating attractive gifts (promotional codes, vouchers, exclusive gifts) with the different boxes, it encourages purchases while promoting the offer.

In summary, the Advent Calendar acts as a powerful marketing tool, complementing traditional tools such as:

• CRM, by enabling customer data to be enriched using the contact form;
• sales solutions, boosting conversion rates through promo codes, etc.

To maximise the impact of a marketing Advent calendar, it is essential to tailor the campaign to the brand’s strategic objectives and the audience’s expectations.

Every parameter, from mechanics to equipment, design and communication channels, must be carefully considered to optimise performance and results.

1. Identify the strategic objectives of the marketing Advent calendar

The first step is to define the campaign objectives. The marketing Advent calendar must align with a specific intention and be tailored to the specific characteristics of the sector.

Community engagement: Fashion industry.

Seasonality and peak sales periods are key. To maximise visibility and boost sales, Showroomprivé has integrated an Advent Calendar into its app. This redirects users to product pages using a promo code. The campaign, designed as a promotional relay, generated nearly 500,000 registrations, over 1.1 million boxes opened and 10.5 million page views.

Lead generation and data enrichment: Home sector

In this sector, purchasing cycles are longer. Lead generation is essential to feed CRM systems. To mark its 35th anniversary, Cuisines Références launched a competition to raise its profile.

Result: Over 500 people agreed to be contacted by phone. 5,000 clicks were generated to the offer page. The campaign enriched the database with actionable leads.

Creation of new customer accounts: transport/mobility sector

With the digitisation of services, account creation is important for user relations. MaGare+’s ‘1 Day, 1 Gift’ campaign used a Winning Calendar to boost engagement. Thanks to SSO login, the campaign encouraged account creation. It also generated an average play time of over one minute, indicating an engaging experience.

Conversion and activation upon purchase: food sector

In a competitive market, the ability to promote your offering is key. The Qui Veut du Fromage brand opted for an Advent calendar with a scratch card mechanism, including discount vouchers at the end. The campaign served as a lever for activation and lead generation, strengthening customer loyalty.

2. Selecting the appropriate interactive mechanism

The mechanics are crucial for a marketing Advent calendar. They must align with the objectives and correspond to the target audience.

Several gamified formats can be used depending on the level of interaction and the KPIs targeted:

• Instant wins: ideal for maximising participation and generating rapid momentum. This mechanism encourages repeat visits, enticing customers to come back every day to try their luck. It is suitable for high-traffic operations and campaigns focused on engagement or visibility.
• Daily quizzes: <a href="https://www.adictiz.com/blog/ludopedagogie-jeu-et-apprentissage/
  “>combining entertainment and education. Quizzes help reinforce brand messages and highlight products in a fun way.
• Exclusive promo codes: effective for supporting sales during peak consumption periods, measuring the impact of the campaign on conversion.

3. Select attractive prizes to boost participation

The prizes offered in a marketing Advent calendar play a role in engaging participants. The more desirable the prizes, the higher the participation rate and repeat visits will be.

Co-branding is an effective way to optimise campaign ROI while increasing its appeal. By partnering with other companies, it becomes possible to offer attractive prizes. This allows costs to be shared and visibility to be leveraged.

4. Opt for an omnichannel distribution strategy to increase reach

The distribution strategy maximises visibility and reaches all audiences. An omnichannel approach amplifies impact by activating touchpoints while ensuring consistency in messaging.

Deployment can include proprietary channels (website, mobile app, social media). But it can also include paid channels (display campaigns, social ads, influencers). This distribution encourages repeat participation by making the calendar accessible regardless of the entry point.

Showroomprivé is a great example of how effective this approach can be. By adding its Advent Calendar to its mobile app, the brand was able to engage its audience where they were active, while also promoting its partners.

5. Analyse performance to improve future campaigns

Setting up a marketing Advent calendar provides valuable data for refining digital strategies.

Brands are encouraged to:

• Define priority KPIs: participation rate, recurrence, conversion rate, volume of qualified leads, page views, account creation. The game can be designed to boost these key KPIs.
• Analyse and leverage insights to identify performance drivers and detect friction points in the user journey.

Conclusion

The marketing Advent calendar is a powerful strategic tool for engaging, converting and retaining your audience… Provided it is well thought out, personalised and distributed in the best possible way. To turn this key moment into a real success, it’s time to take action by creating your winning calendar with Adictiz.

Halloween has become an unmissable highlight for brands wishing to boost their communications and increase their visibility. Last year, spending on the holiday in France reached some 300 million euros, marking a 5% increase on the previous year. This trend testifies to the growing enthusiasm of the French for Halloween, with some 40% of them taking an active part in the festivities.

This holiday, once seen as purely commercial, has been transformed into a moment of sharing and conviviality, offering companies the opportunity to connect with their audience in a fun and original way. Brands can reinforce their image by offering engaging and entertaining Halloween experiences.

In this article, we explore the value of gamification in capturing consumers’ attention and actively engaging them. We’ll also share four examples of relevant marketing games to boost your Halloween communications.

SUMMARY

• Halloween, a key moment to engage your audience with fun mechanisms
  
• 4 examples of marketing games to boost your Halloween communications

Halloween is a strategic moment in an already busy marketing calendar, especially during the crucial fourth half of the year. It’s a time when brands redouble their efforts to capture the attention of an over-solicited public – and that’s precisely where gamification comes in.

The interactive, immersive nature of the game fits perfectly with the fantastic, offbeat world of Halloween. It allows us to create original, engaging and memorable experiences, totally in keeping with the festive atmosphere. Rather than blending into the mass of classic promotional campaigns, brands that rely on playful mechanics succeed in standing out from the crowd and forging a stronger bond with their audience, eager for unique experiences and the rewards on offer.

Gamification also offers great flexibility. It can be used to boost brand awareness, collect qualified data, generate traffic in-store or on an e-commerce site, or stimulate sales via prizes or discount vouchers. In short, it’s a powerful lever for achieving business objectives in the run-up to the festive season.

Brands communicating on Halloween can therefore target different strategic objectives, particularly in the run-up to other major commercial holidays such as Black Friday and Christmas. To capitalize on the strategic leverage of gamification, it’s important to clearly identify the results you want to achieve. Based on these key KPIs, companies can then choose the right mechanics to share with their audience and fine-tune their Halloween marketing strategy.

1. Develop your reputation

Halloween is a particularly interesting commercial holiday for brands wishing to reach a wider audience. By surfing the graphic universe of Halloween and offering experiences linked to this special time, they can capture the attention of new audiences and boost their visibility.

Which marketing game to choose?

Score-based modules (such as Flappy or Rattrape tout) are simple, addictive and viral. They are therefore ideal for capturing a wide audience, including users who are not yet familiar with the brand. The gameplay, based on repetition and challenge, encourages sharing and organic distribution, maximizing the brand’s visibility on social networks.

Practical tips

• Offer attractive prizes (e.g. high-tech prizes, gift cards, flagship products) to maximize participation.
• Adapt the design to the world of Halloween: dark backgrounds, pumpkin or bat-shaped obstacles, spooky music.
• Integrate storytelling elements to immerse the user in the party atmosphere.
• Broadcast the campaign on social networks with a dedicated hashtag to encourage virality.

Example : Sowee set up a campaign during Halloween to reinforce its positioning as a Smart Home player, while developing its brand awareness. The operation recruited qualified leads, in particular encouraging newsletter sign-ups. The campaign, supported by a Flappy game in Halloween colors, also played a key role in increasing traffic to Sowee.fr.

2. Collect new leads

Halloween represents an excellent opportunity to enrich your customer database in a fun, non-intrusive way. Through engaging game mechanics, brands can encourage participants to sign up for their newsletter, give their consent to receive communications (opt-in), or share valuable information about their preferences and purchasing habits.

Which marketing game to choose?

Instant Win is based on the mechanics of chance, with immediate gratification. It’s the perfect way to capture attention quickly and encourage users to share their personal data in a bid to win rewards.

Practical tips:

• Integrate an optimized entry form before revealing whether the player has won.
• Add an animation or visual surprise in the event of a win, to reinforce the positive emotion.
• Set up post-participation email follow-ups to convert the leads collected.

3. Generate traffic

Halloween is also an ideal time to generate traffic, whether in a physical store or on an e-commerce site. Gamified campaigns, playing on curiosity and the desire to win, encourage consumers to visit the point of sale or key pages of the site.

Recommended mechanic: Object hunt
With this mechanic, the player has to find items hidden in a setting, which encourages him to navigate between several pages of a site or explore all the shelves of a physical store.

Practical tips:

• Hide objects on strategic pages of your site to encourage visitors to view them (new products, bestsellers, high-margin categories).
• Provide clues or aids to avoid frustration.
• Couple the operation with a Google Ads campaign or push notifications to maximize traffic.

Gamification idea: A home decoration chain launches a “pumpkin hunt” on its website. Each day, a new pumpkin is hidden in a different product category. Players must find a total of 5 pumpkins to enter the final draw. The game is promoted on Facebook and via the newsletter, with a reward at stake: a complete Halloween decoration to be won.

4. Stimulate sales

Gamified communication around Halloween can also enable brands to trigger purchases in a natural and engaging way. By offering exclusive discounts, limited offers or gifts to be won via a marketing game, brands create a sense of urgency and encourage shoppers to go to the checkout or validate a basket.

Recommended mechanics: Wheel of fortune

The Wheel of Fortune ‘s appeal lies in its playfulness and randomness. As well as being easy to use, it can be used to offer discounts or strategic advantages to encourage purchases.

Practical tips:

• Integrate the wheel as a pop-up on the website or in-store via QR code.
• Offer rewards that trigger immediate purchases: discounts, free delivery, 2 for 1, etc.
• Add a time limit to encourage quick purchases (e.g.: the code is valid for 48 hours).
• Segment endowments according to purchasing profile or behavior for greater personalization.

Conclusion

Gamification is the strategic ally for your Halloween communications. It enables your brand to animate its audience by offering immersive experiences perfectly calibrated for this commercial highlight, and to reach the objectives it has set itself for the crucial end-of-year period. Discover our fun mechanisms and engage your audience for Halloween!

The simplicity and instantaneous nature of the scratch card game are deeply rooted in popular culture. Their engaging mechanics offer users immediate gratification, delivering a quick dose of dopamine that captivates and builds loyalty.

In this article, we explore the main uses of scratch cards in a marketing strategy. We begin by detailing the objectives they can achieve. We’ll also offer a comprehensive tutorial on how to easily create your own online scratchcard game, to boost your campaigns and effectively engage prospects and customers.

SUMMARY

• Why launch an online scratch game?
  
• Our tutorial for creating your own online scratch game
  

An online scratch game is a powerful marketing lever that achieves a number of strategic objectives. By combining interactivity and immediacy, it easily captures the audience’s attention and encourages them to spend more time with the brand. Here’s how it can serve the strategic objectives of retailers.

1. Brand awareness and branding – Boosting brand visibility

A digital scratch game is a fun, accessible format that easily attracts users’ attention. It offers an engaging experience that leaves a lasting impression and promotes brand memorability.

According to a recent study, interactive games increase brand recall by 33% compared to traditional advertising formats. In fact, they go beyond passive viewing, making it easier to retain the commercial messages conveyed by the campaign.

Example: For Chandeleur, the Lotus brand invited users to top their pancakes with its spread via an interactive display campaign (or Playable Ads). This fun and original format added a touch of deliciousness to the event.

2. Community engagement – Actively involving your audience

Scratch game encourage interaction and participation, particularly through sharing on social networks. The promise of a reward creates a viral effect that encourages users to invite their friends to play.

Example: After participating in the Lotus brand’s online scratchcard game, users were redirected to the brand’s Instagram account. This operation generated almost 200,000 clicks, boosting engagement with the company.

3. Generate traffic to your sales channels – Attract players to a store (online or physical)

By integrating discount coupons, special offers or loyalty points, the scratch card game can encourage participants to visit a website, a physical store or even download a mobile application.

Example: Sephora used gaming to drive traffic to Nuxe products on the website and app. The campaign aimed to increase sales of Nuxe products on Sephora’s marketplace. The integration of an interstitial highlighted product features.

4. Convert new customers – turn players into buyers

By attracting prospects with a fun mechanic and offering them exclusive deals, brands also facilitate their transition to the act of buying. It’s an excellent way to broaden your customer base while boosting your conversion rate. According to a recent study, competitions have an average conversion rate of 34%.

Example:For the back-to-school season, Kiabi launched a scratch-off competition focused on lead generation and conversion, giving participants the chance to win attractive prizes, including vouchers. Thanks to media coverage via Adictiz Ads, the operation achieved an opt-in rate of 68% and generated over 31K in sales.

5. Building customer loyalty – Rewarding and retaining existing customers

Offering a scratch game to loyal customers is an excellent way of thanking them and encouraging them to return. A well thought-out gamification strategy can extend the customer relationship and strengthen brand loyalty.

The marketing game is an excellent lever for data collection. For example, participants can fill in a form or give an opt-in before accessing the scratch card or finding out about their reward. This data can then be used by the retailer for retargeting with targeted offers throughout the year.

Example: Sephora and Nuxe’s co-branded scratch card game also collected data via the form. Sephora used this format to recruit qualified leads for targeting and retargeting campaigns.

Creating an effective online scratch game requires careful planning and the use of appropriate tools. Here’s a detailed guide to help brands gamify their marketing campaigns.

1. Choose the right mechanics

To design an online scratch card game, it’s essential to select a specialized platform offering appropriate functionalities. Adictiz, for example, is a complete tool for setting up, broadcasting and publicizing your scratchcard competition.

The gamification tool should, for example, offer a dedicated module for easily creating and customizing marketing games, to provide the most immersive experience possible for the brand’s audience.

2. Define your goals

Before embarking on the design of a digital scratch card game, it’s important to clearly identify the objectives of the campaign.

• Increase brand awareness: Attract new users and reinforce brand presence with original mechanics and/or attractive rewards.
  
• Engage your community: Stimulate the interaction and loyalty of existing customers by capitalizing on a marketing highlight, for example. Sharing the game on social networks also boosts its virality.
  
• Generate traffic: Direct participants to your website (Drive-to-Web) or points of sale (Drive-to-Store) by offering incentives for time-limited purchases or specific sales channels.
  
• Collect data: Obtain valuable information about users for future marketing actions. In this case, the retailer will need to integrate an additional step into its game experience by creating a data collection form.
  

3. Customize the online scratchcard game

Personalization is crucial to delivering an immersive experience, reinforcing branding and facilitating the memorization of the advertising message. To achieve this, advertisers can personalize several elements of their campaign:

• Visuals: Integrate images that reflect the brand’s identity. In the Adictiz module, for example, retailers can import specific backgrounds and graphic elements.
• Scratch effects: Choose from different effects (smoke, dust, confetti, images) to make the game more attractive.
• Custom cursor: Replace the standard cursor with an image in keeping with your brand’s universe or the campaign’s commercial theme/highlight.

4. Manage endowments

Rewards are one of the key factors in the success of a gamification marketing campaign. <a href="https://www.adictiz.com/guide-dotation/
“>Reward management must therefore be well planned.

• Types of prizes: Offer a variety of rewards (discounts, free products, exclusive access) to motivate participation.
  
• Distribution: Use instant winners to determine when prizes are awarded. The advertiser must ensure that winners are properly authenticated to avoid fraud.
  
• Results pages: Create separate pages for winners and losers, with messages tailored to each case.
  

5. Launch and promotion of the scratch game campaign

Once the scratchcard is ready, all that’s left to do is distribute it. This last part is crucial, since it will ensure maximum visibility for the campaign and thus determine its success (ROI).

• Distribution channels: Share the game on your social networks, newsletter and website/app to reach a large audience. Media coverage of the game via an ad campaign can also reach a wider audience.
• Sharing incentives: Encourage participants to share the game on their networks by offering additional chances to win or specific rewards.
• Performance analysis: Track participation statistics to assess campaign effectiveness and adjust strategy if necessary.

Conclusion

Engage your audience and boost your sales by creating an online scratch card game. This fun and original experience will strengthen your relationship with prospects and customers, and help you achieve your strategic objectives. Adictiz will work with you every step of the way, from design to distribution, to maximize the impact of your campaign!

Consumers spend time on their mobile devices to interact with brands and make purchases. Last year, almost 50% of sales were generated via mobile devices, a trend that continues to grow.

In this context, a mobile-first strategy is essential to capture attention and win market share. To attract and retain customers, marketing gamification (i.e. the integration of playful and interactive mechanisms) is a powerful lever.

In this article, we’ll share tips and examples for optimizing your mobile strategy and boosting user engagement through fun, interactive experiences.

SUMMARY

• Mobile first: Definition and key issues
  
• The impact of gamification in a mobile-first strategy
  
• Which gamification mechanisms to use in a mobil first strategy
  
• 3 tips for a successful mobile-first campaign focused on gamification
  

“Mobile first” is an approach to web design and development that prioritizes the user experience on mobile devices. This strategy involves designing first for small screens (smartphones, tablets), then adapting content and design to larger screens (computers, televisions, etc.).

Adopting a mobile-first approach is essential for businesses, as the smartphone is the main gateway to the web for users.

For brands with an online presence, the challenges of mobile first are as follows:

Enhanced user experience

A mobile-optimized site offers fluid, fast and intuitive navigation that meets expectations. Users are looking for fast loading times, a clear, easy-to-use interface and content adapted to small screens.

Strengthening natural search engine optimization (SEO)

Search engines, starting with Google, favor mobile-friendly sites in their rankings. In France, 48% of searches are carried out via a smartphone, surpassing the 43% carried out on a computer. A mobile-first development strategy (to optimize loading times or display) increases brand visibility.

Increased conversion rates

A mobile-optimized experience reduces bounce rates and encourages users to make purchases or engage more with the brand.

The rise of mobile first has transformed expectations in terms of digital experience. Against this backdrop, gamification has emerged as a lever for capturing attention, improving navigation and prolonging engagement on a mobile application or site.

1. Improve user experience and navigation

Interactive game experiences make navigation more dynamic and immersive, adapting perfectly to mobile uses. Game mechanics not only make the experience more fluid, they also encourage greater interaction with the brand. Brands should therefore focus on games designed for mobile devices, whose tactile and instantaneous use encourages intuitive handling.

Example: An e-commerce site can integrate a Personality Test at the beginning of the shopping experience (which will be displayed on first connection after downloading the App). This quiz will identify the user’s preferences and guide them through the navigation process according to their needs.

2. Increase time spent on the application

By offering interactive and rewarding experiences, gamification encourages users to stay connected to the application or mobile site. Recurring games, such as daily challenges, encourage users to come back every day, strengthening the relationship between user and brand.

Example: to reduce its bounce rate and encourage users to return regularly, the brand can offer a recurring game (daily or weekly).

Gamification enables brands to meet their strategic objectives: awareness, engagement, conversion, retention, etc. By choosing playful mechanics, brands can move users up the mobile conversion funnel.

1. The digital Advent Calendar to build audience loyalty

One example of integrating gamification into a mobile-first strategy is the interactive Advent Calendar. This is an effective mechanism for engaging users during the month of December. Each day, the user opens a calendar box and discovers a promotion, a gift or a mini-game.

Showroomprivé launched an Advent Calendar on its app to maximize its visibility during this special time. Thanks to the promotion of partners, the operation generated a strong response from users, registering almost 500,000 entries. Engagement was also high, with 1.1 million boxes opened and 10.5 million page views, offering partners excellent visibility.

Note: Adictiz has enhanced the user experience of its Advent Calendar to meet mobile-first challenges. Brands can choose between two different displays: a landscape mode & a customizable portrait mode.

2. Playable Ads: interactive, engaging advertising

Playable Ads are ads integrated into applications or games, allowing the user to take part in a mini-game. These ads offer a playful, immersive experience that grabs the user’s attention, engaging them from the very first seconds. Adapted to small screens, Playable Ads are designed to be intuitive, encouraging fluid interaction.

3. Instants Gagnants on Mobile In-App: real-time rewards

Instant Win is a mechanism by which users can earn rewards after playing a game or completing an action. On mobile, these games are integrated into applications, encouraging interaction. They can be used to reward regular users and offer them benefits such as
(discounts, free shipping, etc.).

For the festive season, Sephora has launched a multi-country, multi-language game campaign (discounts, free shipping, etc.).

The aim: to generate traffic and boost awareness of the gift cards, while guaranteeing an engaging customer experience, via a form located after the game. This activation also acted as a recruitment lever, encouraging participants to download the Sephora app.

4. Story games: gamification on social networks

Story-based games are popular on social platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. Brands use stories to create fun and engaging interactions (in the form of a Poll or Quiz). The interaction takes just a few seconds, keeping the audience in touch without being intrusive.4. Story games: gamification on social networks

5. In-store QR codes: linking the physical and mobile experience

In-store QR codes are a way of gamifying the physical shopping experience while remaining mobile-first. Customers scan a QR code printed on the item label or receipt to unlock games, exclusive offers, or online competitions. This approach boosts the experience by creating a bridge between physical and digital sales channels.

For a successful mobile-first campaign using gamification, it’s crucial to master game formats while optimizing the user experience. Here are three tips to maximize the impact of your mobile games.

1. Deliver a fluid, immersive mobile experience

2. Create a sense of immediate reward and urgency

3. personalize the experience to reinforce engagement

Conclusion

For a successful mobile-first campaign, it’s essential to create a fluid experience, keeping users engaged. Gamification enables you to maximize interaction with your audience and strengthen their loyalty. Discover our fun, mobile-first mechanics and maximize the impact of your mobile marketing channels.

The holiday season is a strategic time for brands. According to a study by the CSA institute for Cofidis, the French spend an average of 323 euros on gifts. It’s crucial to capture their purchasing intentions and take advantage of the month of December to reinforce your presence in consumers’ minds. Broaden your audience and boost sales.

In this guide, we help you refine your Christmas marketing strategy. We explore what your brand can aim to achieve, and provide tips for creating impactful campaigns in the run-up to the holidays.

SUMMARY

• 1. Building brand awareness with a Christmas marketing strategy
  
• 2. Bringing in-app users to life over Christmas
  
• 3. Generate new leads with your Christmas marketing strategy
  
• 4. Boost conversions during the Christmas holidays
  
• 5. A Christmas marketing strategy to build audience loyalty
  

Christmas is a time when consumers are receptive to advertising messages, looking for gift ideas and offers. This attention provides an opportunity to increase visibility to a wide audience.

Gamification, or interacting with consumers through playful experiences, is an interesting way of building brand awareness. Games capture attention. They can encourage sharing on social networks, amplifying the reach of the campaign.

Our tips for an effective Christmas campaign:

• Create online competitions: offer Christmas-related challenges.
  
• Distribute a Quiz to present your brand in a fun, high-impact way.
  
• Encourage social sharing: Encourage participants to share their scores or experiences on networks to increase visibility.
  

Example: Crédit Agricole’s Christmas campaign

With “Les Jolis Comptes de Noël”, Crédit Agricole launched a solidarity campaign for the festive season. Each day, the Advent Calendar unveiled content highlighting the bank’s actions. More than just a simple operation, this campaign engaged the community. It was adaptable to the regional caisses, reinforcing the brand’s local roots.

Mobile app purchases account for half of all online sales. It’s crucial to attract consumers to this channel, and animate users to maintain their interest for the holidays.

Gamification provides brands with features that encourage visitors to return and stay longer on the app. This increase in engagement translates into more purchasing opportunities and a higher average shopping basket.

Our tips for an effective Christmas campaign:

• Integrate time-related games: Add themed mini-games (like an Advent Calendar) to keep users entertained and loyal over the long term.
  
• Offer rewards: Offer promotions or products accessible via the application.
  
• Energize the in-app purchase journey at every stage. Brands can integrate a quiz at the beginning of the journey to collect customer preferences and offer better recommendations. At the checkout stage, they can propose a Winning Instant and put discount coupons into play. Offer rewards: Propose promotions or products accessible via the app.
  

Example: Showroomprivé’s Christmas campaign

Showroomprivé launched an Advent Calendar on its app to maximize its visibility at Christmas time. Thanks to the presence of numerous partners, the operation attracted a high level of response from users, with almost 500,000 registrations. Engagement was also high, with 1.1 million boxes opened and 10.5 million pages viewed, offering partners excellent visibility throughout the game.

As the holiday season approaches, consumers are on the lookout for bargains. This makes it easy to collect customer data and generate leads. Playful mechanics encourage users to provide their contact details or give their opt-in in exchange for an entertaining experience or prizes.

Our tips for an effective Christmas campaign:

• Organize contests with registration: Ask participants to sign up to a mailing list or fill in a form for a chance to win Christmas gifts.
  
• Offer personalized tests: Share quizzes to discover the “ideal gift”, in exchange for an e-mail address to receive the results.
  
• Use engaging pop-ups: Implement playful pop-ups on your e-commerce site to encourage visitors to sign up for your newsletter (in exchange for a bonus).
  

Example: Electrolux’s Christmas campaign

Electrolux launched the Atelier des saveurs de Noël campaign with a Match 3 mechanic, with more than two games played per subscriber. An opt-in push was integrated to maximize collection, reinforcing the effectiveness of the campaign. The distribution of prospecting emails via Adictiz Ads enabled us to reach affinity segments targeted according to consumer profiles and verticals, optimizing performance and lead collection.

Buying intentions are high during Christmas, making consumers inclined to finalize their purchases to receive their gifts before the 25th. Game mechanics can boost brand conversion by sharing incentives (such as discount coupons). They are excellent tools for guiding users through their experience (via targeted recommendations). They make the customer journey fluid and memorable.

Our tips for an effective Christmas campaign:

• Use competitions to generate UGC and reassure customers. Authentic content, shared by customers, is more effective in boosting conversions.
  
• Personalize the experience: Use the data collected (via a Survey, a Battle or a Shopping List) to propose product recommendations tailored to users’ preferences.
  
• Create time-limited offers: Use counters or daily challenges to encourage consumers to complete their purchases.
  

Example: Showroomprivé’s Christmas campaign

For Christmas, Showroomprivé launched a Grapple game aimed at increasing its visibility and boosting sales with vouchers, by collecting telephone numbers and opt-ins. Nearly 49% of registrants provided their numbers, demonstrating their interest in the brand.

Last but not least, Christmas is a key marketing period for strengthening ties with customers by offering them memorable experiences or exclusive rewards. Fun and games increase the amount of time spent with the brand. They boost brand loyalty and encourage customers to come back for more.

Our tips for an effective Christmas campaign:

• Launch interactive loyalty programs: Propose challenges or missions to complete in order to accumulate points.
  
• Organize a digital Advent calendar: Brands create recurrence by offering a surprise or promotion from December 1 to 25.
  
• Encourage co-creation: Invite customers to participate in product design or vote for the best proposal to reinforce their sense of belonging.
  

Example: Starbucks’ Christmas campaign

Every year, Starbucks offers limited-edition gift cards designed for the Christmas season. These cards, decorated with festive motifs, are intended as gifts and rewards for loyal customers. This initiative enables Starbucks to keep its customers engaged over the festive period. It also enables Starbucks to boost sales through card refills and reinforce its brand image by associating itself with traditions.

Conclusion

By integrating gamification into your Christmas campaigns, you can achieve a variety of objectives by offering your customers a unique experience. Create playful experiences that reflect your image and engage your audience across your channels: e-commerce site, app, social networks and stores!