An easy recipe for an effective motivation to regular physical activity? Gamification and a pinch of sense of humour
Everyone can exercise, especially in the summer – argued the well-known food critic, Robert Makłowicz, in the MultiSport campaign, encouraging people to take up physical activity in sports facilities. The “Get ready for sport” campaign used elements of gamification with prizes to increase the motivation of Poles to exercise. After nine weeks of promoting various sports disciplines, MultiSport card holders taking part in the “Summer Game” performed a total of 182,000 workouts, which translated into approximately nine million minutes of exercises with MultiSport.
During this year’s edition of the MultiSport “Summer Game”, every week between June and mid-August a different sport discipline was promoted under the MultiSport card – from swimming, through tennis to dancing. The promotion of individual disciplines and gamification itself was supported by the original “Get ready for sport” image campaign with Robert Makłowicz. The culinary critic praised, among others, legs dipped in the swimming pool, or a pork belly twisted on a bench in the gym.
Who was motivated by gamification?
Throughout the holiday season, the “Summer Game” mobilised Poles to be active in partner sports facilities. This year, they were visited by as many as 86.7% of users participating in the game (in 2020 it was 74.3%). Almost 40% of visits to the facilities were registered via the mobile application, which was additionally rewarded by the organisers. Ultimately, users participating in gamification visited nearly 3,500 sports facilities. One in four participants were also persuaded to train in a new fitness club and two out of five to train online. More women than men took part in the “Summer Game”. A statistical participant is a 33-year-old woman from a big city, practising sports 2-3 times a week (mainly cycling and working out in a fitness club). Her main motivation to exercise is the desire to take care of her health, and secondly, to keep fit.
Points for being active
As part of gamification, MultiSport users scored points not only for their training in sports facilities but also for online training or solving educational quizzes related to sport and health. The collected points could be exchanged for attractive prizes – sports watches or shopping vouchers. As in previous years, also this year users could spend any number of collected points for the implementation of charity actions under the Dobry MultiUczynek programme.
Motivation through play
All the activities carried out as part of the “Summer Game” resulted in high activity of its participants. This year, we managed to encourage 23% users more than last year, while for 29% of participants it was the first gamification with MultiSport. They were attracted mainly by numerous awards (42%), the willingness to play (27%) and the need for additional motivation to be physically active (23%). MultiSport cared for the latter almost every day for three months through regular communication with users via a dedicated website and in social media (Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn), where the brand was also supported by influencers from the fitness world.
– As many as 83% of the “Summer Game” participants admitted that during the last lockdown they had a break from activity longer than three months. For one in three of them it lasted longer than six months. At the same time, the vast majority of people (89%) admitted that after returning to exercise with the MultiSport card they feel the positive impact of training on their psychophysical health. As many as 80% confirm that physical activity supports their better wellbeing, 75% declare that it reduces stress and negative emotions, and 34% say that it lessens the consequences of prolonged sitting, which can be felt especially during the pandemic – says Michał Otocki, Customer Relations Director responsible for marketing activities at Benefit Systems.
Almost all MultiSport users participating in the “Summer Game” (96%) admitted that they now feel safe in sports and recreational facilities, and four out of five declare that they intend to be active in clubs regardless of the epidemic situation.
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The MultiSport Summer Game was created in cooperation with the company that designs comprehensive gamification and incentive systems, YesIndeed Sp. z o.o., which joined the Benefit Systems Capital Group in June this year. The purchase of YesIndeed is aimed at extending the Benefit Systems offer with digital solutions and know-how that fit into the Group’s long-term product development strategy.
The MultiSport Programme enables employees and their families to take up physical activity in sports facilities and at home. Thanks to the wide offer, its users can take care of themselves comprehensively, using the sports infrastructure and additional attractions, such as online training or sports challenges, which are available at www.kartamultisport.pl.
