If you’ve been considering bumping up your bingo establishment’s reach and you’ve never considered Advergaming, you might be missing out on a great avenue to get your brand (and your sponsors’ brands) into customers’ hands and minds. “Advergaming” means exactly how it sounds: it’s a term used to describe the act of promoting your game and advertising at the same time, through the methods of gaming in which your players already participate. Advergaming is used to retain current players, and to also attract a wider audience of potential players through the use of things like promotional products and games.

There are a couple different ways Advergaming can be achieved, and it’s important to analyze which would work best for your bingo hall and/or player base:

Branded Products: Things like unique bingo daubbers that are designed to your specifications can be created and distributed at your bingo events. Company/Sponsor or charity logos, as well as other promotional designs can be printed on ink sleeves or labels. These are often an easy and budget-friendly method of promotion, by offering them as event-specific products, or as prizes. Click here to learn more about custom sleeves for ink daubbers.

Freebie Bingo: Consider using Pushout bingo cards as an Advergaming tool. Because these cards are sturdier material than the usual newspaper print bingo paper, players can take them home and save them up to bring back for a special “Freebie” game, in which players can only use the Pushout cards they’ve accumulated at your hall. The more a player visits your hall, the more cards they can collect, and the better chance of winning the Freebie game. These can be held once a week, once a month—whatever works best for your hall. Also, to make sure these cards came from your hall, stamp them in ink with your hall’s logo, or your sponsor/event logo—this allows you to simultaneously produce branded material and utilize a security feature for your game.

Reward-Based Loyalty Programs: Loyalty cards are very popular and can be found at almost any business that sells goods or services. These cards can be printed with your hall’s or your sponsor’s branding on it and offer players a free bingo game(s) or product from a sponsor after so many purchases (we all know how these programs work, so organize your loyalty program as it works best for your hall). Another option is to run ads with coupons in various local publications to achieve a wider reach. It’s very important to keep in mind, however, that different jurisdictions require certain methods of tracking for complimentary product or coupon bingo. Check with your regulator for rules/regulations and approval processes.

Advergaming is a useful option when building both brand awareness and loyalty from your player base (and beyond), and is a good tool to use when working with sponsors. Always remember, however, that your players and your hall’s interaction with them are top priority, so make decisions based on what will benefit your players. Consider conducting a customer survey to get a better idea of player expectations when it comes to your bingo establishment. Good luck!