SpectrumDNA's gCommerce Strategy Supported by New Primary Research From Interpret

PARK CITY, Utah, Nov. 4, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Interpret, a leading entertainment, media and technology market research firm, released an Interpretations report containing primary research that found gamers, even using the broadest definition, are more likely to be online shoppers and opinion-leaders and are more likely to buy in gamified environments. The report fuels Spectrum's (OTC Bulletin Board: SPXA) longstanding advocacy of gCommerce, or "gamified" transactional behavior like ecommerce.  The gCommerce process has emerged to help transaction-oriented companies leverage the rapidly coalescing landscape of web, social media and mobile, and integrate disparate social and mobile media marketing and transaction-oriented activities into next-generation social loyalty programs.

Whether its Farmville on Facebook, World of Warcraft on the PC, Solitaire on the iPhone, earning frequent flyer miles through American Airlines, or shopping through social commerce services like Groupon or Gilt, our online and offline experiences are already being "gamified." Spectrum is helping its clients understand that gamification (or "gameification") does not mean, "Make a game." Gamification means to take the underlying game mechanics and dynamics that make modern video, social and casual games so engaging and addicting and integrate them into everyday customer behavior to drive transactions and build loyalty.

Interpret's New Media Measure™ data highlights the power of the gamification paradigm showing that a gamer is 20% more likely to be an online shopper than the average non-gamer and 50% more likely to be an influencer among his or her friends. The report further found that "shopping-gamers" are 70% more likely than the general population to buy within a gamified environment.  

The gamification process Spectrum employs with its clients is based on the gCommerce cycle: API-->Appify-->Gamify. It employs third party social APIs ("application programming interfaces") and client-proprietary APIs, often in conjunction with Spectrum's proprietary APIs, to create engaging client-owned applications ("apps") for a single platform, or multiple apps coordinated across several mobile, social and web customer touchpoints with the same underlying customer experience and rewards system.  Spectrum can also "gamify" the marketer's online and offline presence by designing and integrating game mechanics to increase loyalty and transactional behavior.  Gamification is frequently benefited by the design and deployment of a virtual economy which creates "sources" and "sinks" where customers can "earn and burn" value. These advanced loyalty dynamics let players earn some type of currency and array of awards for browsing, buying, checking in to locations, completing missions or sharing all the details on their social graph, for example. The successful execution of the gCommerce cycle turns the marketer's social graph into a lead generation and a loyalty engine, instead of disparate marketing programs.

"Most loyalty programs focus only on the 'earn' and 'burn' of acquiring and spending points," says Vincent Beerman, Spectrum's Director of Development.  "But geo-aware and gamified apps let us add a powerful 'yearn' component where companies can engage and reward customers far beyond their customary touchpoints and well into the everyday life of customers and potential customers, in the context of their daily activities.  There is substantially greater relevance for a loyalty program that can do that."  

B2C apps like Foursquare, Gowalla, Shopkick and others are proving that shoppers want to play games that are active and social.  These apps reward users with offers and discounts that are timely and relevant, but they essentially only amount a location-based coupon book.  They don't create any lasting value or loyalty for the brand or retailer, only for the builder of the app.  With Facebook, Google and Apple all competing for the location-based marketing space, and all providing an API or a software developers' kit, retailers and brands can now add location-based games to their owned strategy without relying on, or being intermediated by those third-party platforms.

"Don't outsource loyalty," added Jim Banister, CEO of SpectrumDNA and co-author of the gCommerce report.  "There's simply no reason to intermediate your company or brand behind a third-party app, unless you're using them as lead-generation to pull customers into your own appified geo-social loyalty program. More often than not, your customers' loyalty will be stronger to you than to a social utility.  Integrate game mechanics into your existing loyalty program, or build a fresh one that recognizes and rewards customers for doing what they do in their everyday life and within their social graph, versus just in your store, on your airline, at your ticket booth or on your website."

About SpectrumDNA, Inc.

SpectrumDNA, Inc. is an innovation agency and digital studio focused on creating high-engagement web and mobile applications that enable marketers to drive transactional behavior, and empower their community members to take an active, measurable, and monetizable role in the extension of their brand.

About Interpret

Interpret is the leading cross-media market research firm. The company applies proprietary, cutting-edge methodologies and extensive category knowledge to help clients plan, test, and measure business strategies in the fast-evolving media landscape. Interpret's innovative focus on evaluating and measuring the intersections of content, technology, advertising and consumer behavior has attracted significant players across the media and entertainment landscape, including leaders in the home entertainment, consumer electronics, video game, digital media, mobile content, theatrical and advertising industries.  Interpret's unique combination of syndicated measurement products and custom market research services provides a common language across media for the key stakeholders of the digital age.  Based in Los Angeles, New York and Dallas, with partners worldwide, Interpret's "on the ground" staff, strategic partnerships and strong vendor relationships give the company global reach throughout North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific. www.interpretllc.com.

SOURCE SpectrumDNA, Inc.