Moving beyond the content: The role of contextual cues in the effectiveness of gamification of advertising

Extant studies in the domain of gamification of advertising examine the effects of content-driven factors (i.e., game and brand characteristics) of online games on consumer behavior. However, they mostly overlook the role of important contextual cues such as access platform (online channel to access these games) and gaming device. Effects of these cues on consumer behavior are examined in three experimental studies. Study 1 examines a 2 (access platform) × 2 (gaming device: mobile phone vs. PC) effect on brand memory. Study 2 investigates the role of elaboration likelihood (high vs. low) in improving brand memory in a poor scenario (brand website + mobile phone). Study 3 examines the interaction effects of these contextual factors on brand attitude mediated by consumers’ flow experience. These studies find that the interaction between access platform and gaming devices differentially affects brand attitude and memory of the consumers. Moreover, consumers’ engagement and flow experience are found to mediate the effects of these contextual factors on brand memory and brand attitude respectively.