At the end of last year, Balcia took a bold and unconventional step for the industry – creating a unique Fortnite map, “Balcia Mega Mansion,” becoming the first insurance company in the Baltics to enter the metaverse’s 3D digital world.

Balcia’s game map was developed by the creative gaming agency "Be Loud" from Poland, with extensive experience in game development, campaigns in the metaverse, and creating creative solutions to engage Generation Z audiences.

Head of Marketing for Latvia & Group Brand lead at Balcia Insurance SE Kristiāna Valbe-Uzrauga spoke with Be Loud’s Lead Game Designer Wojciech Wróbel to explore how gaming and the metaverse can be valuable tools for brand image building and marketing. They discussed what companies need to consider when using gamification elements and what the future holds for this industry.

Why should gamification be part of a brand strategy, and what is the main benefit for companies?

It depends on the company’s main focus. But in short, gamification works because we are all players. We all want to have fun and participate in engaging activities. We like to play. Right now, there are many players worldwide, a large user base that can be targeted. Moreover, once you earn their trust, they can become very loyal to your brand.

It’s essential to remember that gamification increases brand recognition, drives engagement, and ultimately leads to monetization, boosting profit potential. Who wouldn't want that?

What are the key elements that make gamification a great tool for brand visibility and recognition?

The key elements are those that make gamification appealing to users. Brands use gamification tools like competitions, creating a sense of progress, and most importantly, building communities. The community you build around your brand and product is the most important part.

You've had the opportunity to work with Balcia, creating our Fortnite game. Tell us more about this collaboration!

We have significant experience with games, gamification, and the metaverse, and working with Balcia was a unique experience. Balcia had a strong foundation to use gamification and integrate into the gaming world. This collaboration wasn’t just about adding game elements to services; it was about entering the gaming world by including Balcia in the Fortnite game.

Balcia is a cool brand. You’re already doing great things and look and act differently than other brands, especially in the insurance industry. So, working with you was an excellent experience.

What can other companies learn from our experience, from Balcia’s game development?

It’s crucial to understand the community and their needs. Many brands, or at least some, approach the gaming world based on their own needs and values without fully considering the players' values and the existing community they want to be a part of.

Balcia did this very well. Balcia was open to feedback, listened, and interacted with the community, adapting to their values and the product. In the end, the product is the gamification experience in the metaverse, and it needs to be tailored to the player. And it worked very well for Balcia.

I think that’s the most important takeaway for other brands.

How can brands balance fun and engagement with business objectives when using games and gamification?

That’s a great question. It’s easy to jump on the gamification bandwagon and overdo it. This can lead to “over-gamification” of a product or service, making customers and target audiences focus solely on the gamification aspect and forget about the actual product.

There are cases where brands implement gamification, like recommending a friend to get more customers or rewarding certain actions. But it can go overboard, and the product or service loses value and customer interest because the focus is only on the gamification aspect and rewards.

On the other hand, some brands underutilize gamification and miss its potential to increase customer engagement.

That’s why we emphasize the importance of “depth of simplicity.” We use simple mechanics known in the gaming world, like progress, competition, and community, and implement them in a way that doesn’t interfere with the core product or service. One way to do this is to create the gaming experience outside the service itself. That’s what we did using the existing Fortnite ecosystem and community.

What trends or new technologies are currently relevant in the gaming world?

The gaming industry is constantly evolving, with new game engines being developed. Of course, we are focusing on UEFN, the Fortnite Unreal Engine. AI tools and technologies are rapidly developing across industries, and they will grow even more within the gaming world and gaming ecosystems. These technologies will be integrated with game development and metaverse projects.

Brands should definitely take this into account – not only the metaverse but also combining it with the AI technologies that are constantly evolving. I think this will be the next big thing.

What will be the next big “thing” for brands in the gaming industry?

I think games or gaming platforms that allow brands to create and offer clients a metaverse experience will become even bigger because we’re still at the beginning. There are not many brands yet that are ready to enter the metaverse, the gaming metaverse, the gaming world. However, platforms like Roblox and Fortnite allow you to create your own metaverse and gaming experience. Several big players like Disney, Nike, and others are already investing a lot in Fortnite.

So, over time, this world will grow much bigger. And the trend I briefly mentioned in our collaboration with Balcia – it’s a rare opportunity for a brand to tailor its communication to the player and adapt it to the recipient's side.

As we create metaverse game campaigns in the future, it will become even more popular and crucial. There will be much more interest in the metaverse and gaming ecosystems, and, as always, there will be greater competition for user attention. Only the best projects will succeed because now, when you create such an unusual project, it instantly grabs people’s attention – there’s marketing buzz, players are interested, and they’ll likely start playing. Of course, the game has to be good. Right now, brands entering the metaverse are getting a lot of attention.

But in the coming years, as more brands jump on this bandwagon, game quality, message customization, and services will become increasingly important. Creative solutions will play the biggest role in making a project successful. Balcia has already done that very well.

If you had the chance to add game elements to any everyday task, what would it be?

My first thought would be tooth brushing, but that’s already been done, with toothbrushes that vibrate after two minutes or kids' toothbrushes that play music. So, tooth brushing already has gamification elements, but I would definitely make hair washing a game. I really like my long hair, but sometimes taking care of it is a full-time job, so making it more interesting with gamification elements would be fun.

Now a bit about you. What’s your all-time favourite game?

It’s a game I love and at the same time, I hate. It’s League of Legends from Riot Games. It’s my favourite game. I’ve spent the most time playing it since childhood, probably since I was 12. It was created when I was about nine or ten years old. So, I started playing it in its early days and still sometimes play it. I think many of you will understand – my most vivid memories of this game are from the early years when I played it.

How would you describe the future of gamification or gaming in one word?

I think it has to be “community.”

Yes, I think we are truly seeing that community is the backbone of the gaming world and everything happening within it. Players are the driving force of the gaming industry. If no one played, what would happen?

We create these games and experiences for someone to have fun and enjoy themselves.