QIAGEN is a German provider of sample and assay technologies for molecular diagnostics, applied testing, academic and pharmaceutical research. The company operates internationally in the B2B molecular testing world, where research moves quickly and information is subject to constant change. QIAGEN’s challenge was to engage, educate and inform their audience of clinicians, lab professionals and researchers, while at the same time managing communication around sensitive and complex topics like health issues and novel testing technologies. They also wanted to explore the strategic potential of gamification to enhance their customers’ knowledge and experience at different points across their learning journey.

“Gamification is fantastic for B2B campaigns, and the best way to educate and to inform about complex topics. In our industry, you always have to navigate new learnings and developments, and gamification helps us to provide this information in a quick and playable way.”

– Esra Cam, Senior Global Campaign Manager, MDx

A game for every goal

QIAGEN worked with Playable to create a series of diverse, adaptable games to achieve two primary goals: to educate, and to raise awareness. They quickly discovered that different games suited different customers, channels and objectives. For example, polls and skill games performed best for raising awareness, but quizzes were better at providing a deep dive into complex information, while still being engaging and fun.

Deep-dive quizzes cut through the noise

QIAGEN needed to efficiently convey complex, technical data to their international target audience. The format they chose couldn’t be too dry or time-consuming – aimed as it was towards medical professionals with demanding schedules – but it couldn’t be flippant, either. Playable’s quiz format was the perfect solution. It offered the scope for technical, specific content, without being too ‘boring’. There was also a competitive element, where players competed for the highest scores, with the result that they were more likely to encourage their colleagues to take part and drive participation organically.

“Learning will always be a part of our lives. Why not do it in a fun way?”

– Esra Cam, Senior Global Campaign Manager, MDx

Simple games are great for awareness and top-level content

For less sensitive topics, QIAGEN wanted a top-level solution to use at their events, after webinar presentations and on their website. For these occasions, they chose polls, drop-games (where the aim is to catch or avoid objects falling from the top of the screen) and simpler quizzes. These games came with beautiful visuals, and often involved an element of luck, or at times the chance to win a prize.

Why does gamification work for QIAGEN? Responsiveness is the name of the game

QIAGEN had used gamification in the past, but despite the encouraging results, they found the process time-consuming, difficult and expensive. They needed an agile approach so they could easily update campaigns in response to fast-changing information. Playable’s platform was the ideal solution: fully customisable, straightforward and simple-to-use. As it’s easy to make background changes, and add or remove questions, a single game can be repurposed to fit a new campaign strategy or event. This meant QIAGEN could run multiple international campaigns to cover different topics, and update them whenever they wanted. And the feature to add campaigns within an iFrame on their webpages was a big plus for them as well.

“It was so easy for the web designer to work with campaigns in the Playable platform. Everything is pre-created in the platform – all we needed was a designer for the assets, and then we felt ready to go.”

– Esra Cam, Senior Global Campaign Manager, MDx

Differentiated formats mean support across the whole customer journey

“It’s important to have gamification in your marketing strategy. People want to engage with your company and compete.”

– Esra Cam, Senior Global Campaign Manager, MDx

QIAGEN’s multi-game method enabled them to fine-tune their approach to the customer journey – offering the most appropriate games and campaigns for each stage in their audience’s learning. Because of this, the games did more than just meet the goals they were designed to achieve. They also acted as vehicles to encourage further learning and interaction with QIAGEN’s brand across other channels.

By offering in-game messaging, for example, QIAGEN could invite players to continue their learning via alternative means, such as following a link to a webinar or new guidelines. And it’s easy to add a quiz to an email about a complex topic, to test whether people know the answers.

The next step: making gamification part of the strategy

The success of QIAGEN’s current campaigns identified exciting future possibilities for more strategic audience interaction. For example, an easy-play, big-screen game at their forthcoming expo event could be an immediate attraction for the people who attend, particularly if they are not familiar with the company. Better still, it means instant, in-person feedback, as QIAGEN could judge how keen players are to interact by the time they spend trying to complete the game.

“When you see people playing your game to the end, you know you have the right questions for the right audience.”

– Esra Cam, Senior Global Campaign Manager, MDx

The adaptability of Playable’s platform means QIAGEN now has the freedom to move away from ad hoc campaigns, and instead, make gamification a part of their long-term marketing strategy.