Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Consumer Engagement

Self Magazine has hosted an event named Self Workout in the Park for 19 years in New York and other cities, So it seems fitting that they’re now taking the event online and adapting services to reach an even larger audience and engaging consumers for longer than they’d spend simply reading the magazine – with an online game.

The game’s purpose is not only to engage but to educate and motivate players to do exactly what their magazine counterpart aspires to do—get people up and moving. While designing a game where a player sits in front of a computer to play may seem counterintuitive to that purpose, studies show just the opposite. “The game-playing experience is empowering,” Laura McEwen, vice president and publisher of Self says. She also adds, “the mechanics of the game are psychologically motivating…looking at an avatar can impact your real-world behavior.”

They’re following trends recently set by companies such as AXA Equitable with their Pass It On! Game. With the ease of getting information on the internet, Self, along with other types of traditional media, is finding a loss of subscribers. The statistics may hopefully be changing though. All eyes are on Self Workout now to see if they can be successful as well.

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