More and more we’re seeing the world of marketing and gaming mix. From the latest location-based social networks like Foursquare, to the digital “tree” that “grows” in response to fuel efficiency in new Ford Fusion, making marketing a game is becoming a sure-fire way to reach customers. In a world where most advertising and marketing gets ignored, what can you do to build game play into your marketing messages?

We’ve all been told (and all know by experience) that people are overwhelmed with information and have limited time to pay attention to anything new. Getting a piece of their attention is the hardest job a marketer has. But in an apparent paradox, people will invest hours and hours playing simple games online like Farmville, check in repeatedly to earn points (worth nothing more than bragging rights) on Foursquare and even change their behaviors to win at games that have little perceived value. What Ford and Foursquare have done is used the elements of gaming to create enjoyable interactions that reward users and provide brief periods of escape while surprising and delighting them with unexpected changes based on their use.

The idea of putting game elements into marketing isn’t anything new of course. Les Wunderman famously used the hunt for the gold box in Columbia House Records advertising to drive direct response sales that crushed traditional advertising campaigns. McDonald’s runs Monopoly year after year for a reason. But it seems every time game play is introduced in a new way it means success for the marketer that incorporated it into their awareness campaigns.

Here are a few ways to incorporate gaming into your marketing:

• Make the game easy. Ford makes the game of fuel efficiency in their new Fusion by allowing the driver to “grow” a digital “tree” on the dashboard in response to their fuel efficiency.  It rewards driving in a manner that improves efficiency and highlights the “green” elements of the car to people attuned to that message.
• Reward people for taking actions beneficial to you and them. For example, checking in on Foursquare earns users points that give them bragging rights among other users and can become the “mayor” of locations for repeated check-ins.  Foursquare benefits by repeated use.  Advertisers benefit by presenting localized offers to users in the area.
• Make the rewards visible. Foursquare uses badges, Ford uses a tree image.  By making the rewards visible the players help you market the game by proudly displaying their accomplishments to their friends inside and outside the game.
• Make the game part of a bigger community. Playing a game individually is fun, but its an experience that can’t be shared.  By providing a way for others to compare themselves to one another you make them part of the community that plays the game.  This makes them more likely to stay engaged and playing by tapping into the competitive and communal nature of our beings.

So what can you do to put game elements into your marketing or product or service? I’m working to figure out how I can do it in my business, but I haven’t figured it out yet. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this strategy of building awareness and engagement with your product/service/message in the comments.