Podcast Summary — The Digital Marketing Podcast

Episode: Gamification for Digital Marketing
Hosts: Daniel Rowles, Ciaran Rogers
Guest: Luke Santa Maria, PlaySpark
Date: April 6, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode explores the strategic importance of gamification in digital marketing amidst changing online behaviors, the rise of ad blockers, and shifts in how audiences interact with brands. The episode is split into two halves: first, Daniel Rowles lays out the case for gamification and practical frameworks for implementation; second, he interviews Luke Santa Maria from PlaySpark to discuss real-world examples, the evolution of branded games, and actionable steps for marketers.

Main Themes & Purpose

• Ad Fatigue & Platform Changes: Traditional digital marketing tactics (SEO, paid ads, social content) are yielding diminishing returns due to rising costs, AI-powered search results reducing clicks, and aggressive ad blocking.
• Gamification as a Solution: Engaging audiences through game mechanics, interactivity, and reward-based design creates owned engagement, builds brand loyalty, and incentivizes repeat visits—sidestepping the declining ROI of "rented" attention.
• From Passive to Active Engagement: Marketers are encouraged to shift from passive exposure strategies toward interactive experiences that create deeper emotional investment and stronger brand relationships.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why Gamification? (00:00–12:13)

• Market Shifts: "Click through rates are down, cost per click is up... the traffic that was flowing through to our websites is increasingly not even arriving." (Daniel, 01:35)
• AI Impact: AI-generated summaries on platforms like Google mean fewer users click through to original content, reducing organic traffic.
• Owned vs. Rented Attention: Gamification strengthens "owned engagement," comparable to owned email lists versus relying on social or search algorithms (Daniel, 04:00).
• Human Motivation: Game mechanics such as progress, rewards, achievements, and social competition tap into natural human drives (Daniel, 05:20).
• Examples of Gamification:
  • Loyalty programs beyond mere points (e.g., Bonvoy)
  • Interactive content: quizzes, calculators, leaderboards, onboarding experiences, educational certifications
  • Community features and user milestones

Notable Quote:
“Gamification is not just about making things fun for the sake of it. It’s a framework for designing experiences that keep people engaged.”
— Daniel Rowles, (03:00)

2. The Strategic Value of Gamification (08:30–12:13)

• Long-Term Brand Asset Building: Brands winning today are those developing their own audiences and habitual relationships via repeated, meaningful interaction.
• Maturity & Accessibility: Gamification tools are now more accessible thanks to low-code/no-code platforms powered by AI (e.g., Manus, ChatGPT, Gemini).
• Case Studies:
  • Learning platforms using progress markers (e.g., certification after course completion)
  • Ecommerce using “spend more, unlock more” mechanics (status, perks)
  • LinkedIn’s profile completeness meter
• Call to Action: Marketers should experiment with persona builders, user journey tools, and collaborative gamified content for brand engagement.

3. Interview with Luke Santa Maria, PlaySpark (12:13–30:04)

a. Gamification in Practice

Problem Addressed: Traditional ads are ignored or blocked; gaming worlds offer longer, active brand engagement (12:13).

• 67% of global users have ad blockers installed.
• PlaySpark was built to convert “passive advertising ecosystems” into “interactive ones.”

Notable Quote:
“Instead of being a passive viewer of an experience or an ad, we’re actually making you interact with that brand.”
— Luke Santa Maria, (12:44)

b. Results & ROI from Brand Campaigns

• Example: Australian beverage retailer “Thirsty Camel”
  • 10% of loyalty members played a branded football-themed game
  • Over 40,000 individual gameplays
  • 5-6 minutes average play session, 10–15 plays per user
  • 12% of players converted and redeemed in-store rewards (15:00)
• Games act as "supercharged promotions," with real-world incentives (prizes, discounts) driving up to 15x more engagement (16:18).

Notable Quote:
“With a prize, it’s probably 10 to 15 times more engagement... Prizes are quite important.”
— Luke Santa Maria, (16:20)

c. The Future of Gamified Marketing

• Playable Ads: 10–15 second games embedded as ad units, especially effective on platforms like Meta and within mobile games (17:24).
• Personalization: Dynamic in-game elements tailored to user data (e.g., featuring products a user likes within the game, unique reward systems per user, 18:00).

d. How to Start: Practical Steps

• Start Simple: “What are you trying to achieve, and how does that map to a game? Usually, it could be a trivia, spin-to-win, or branded mini-game.” (18:54)
• Audience Fit: Select genres appropriate to demographics (e.g. puzzle games for older audiences, arcade/social for younger).
• Metrics:
  • Game metrics: play rate, completion rate, dwell time, repeat engagement (20:16)
  • Business metrics: data capture rate, coupon redemption, conversion to sale

Notable Quote:
“We always talk about split it into business objectives and game objectives—then you can track that full funnel all the way through.”
— Luke Santa Maria, (21:10)

e. Integrating Games into Campaigns

• Easy Integration: Swap out static creative (images/video) for a game URL in campaign; adjust copy for “play to win” offers (21:51).
• Case Study: Quick service restaurant swapped a static ad for a game, achieving 10x impressions and higher conversion to in-store sales.

f. Creative Principles

• Keep It Simple to Start: “You want them to understand what to do within two seconds... easy to play, harder to master.” (23:16)
• Brand Storytelling: Brand assets, themes, and marketing messages can be seamlessly integrated within gameplay and reward popups (24:28–25:30).
• Rewarded Interactions: Players engage with brand content for in-game benefits (e.g., watch a video to get a second chance).

g. Game Lifecycle & Repurposing

• One game can be adapted and distributed in various contexts: ads, email, in-store kiosks, seasonal rebranding (26:06).

h. Getting Started & Costs

• Traditional Agency Route: Costly and time-consuming ($40-50k, 4-5 months).
• No-Code Platforms: Solutions like PlaySpark allow anyone to create, brand, and launch mini-games within 30 minutes, starting at ~$199 for 30 days (27:31–29:20).

Notable Quote:
"Brands can just try it out, get something live, launch it at a pretty low cost."
— Daniel Rowles, (29:20)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• "Attention is the new currency... an interactive game, we’re seeing play times up to three or four minutes."
  — Luke Santa Maria, (13:13)
• “Every click is harder to earn. Building experiences worth coming back to is one of the most commercially sound investments a marketing team can make.”
  — Daniel Rowles, (11:40)
• “You might create the same game across summer... then for Easter you change the feel. You can just repurpose it for all sorts of objectives.”
  — Luke Santa Maria, (26:20)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:00–08:30: State of digital marketing, impacts of AI, defining gamification, and tactical advantages
• 08:30–12:13: Strategic advantages and call to action for testing gamified content
• 12:13–17:24: Interview begins; PlaySpark’s founding, user behavior shifts, and campaign results
• 17:24–20:06: Future trends: playable ads and personalization
• 20:06–21:36: Metrics—measuring game and business objectives
• 21:36–24:01: Creative integration and case study on swapping ad creatives
• 24:01–27:10: Brand storytelling in games, game lifecycle, multiple use cases
• 27:10–29:20: Getting started, practical steps, and pricing models
• 29:20–30:01: Contact info and wrap-up

Resources & Next Steps

• Play the Sky Stackers game and see real examples: Target Internet podcast
• Explore PlaySpark’s no-code game creation platform for campaigns
• Share your own examples with the Target Internet community for feedback
• Connect with guest Luke Santa Maria via LinkedIn

Final Takeaway

Gamification is rising as both a tactical and strategic lever for marketers to differentiate, foster engagement, build owned customer relationships, and increase conversions. The barriers to entry are lower than ever, making now the ideal time for brands and marketers to experiment with interactive content and branded gaming experiences.