Gamification Mechanic Monday: Mayor
Foursquare brought back the opportunity to become the Mayor of a place you frequent the most and check in from in their Swarm app. I always found that element of Foursquare good fun even if I stopped using the app when they split the checking in function away from the ideas giving function for food and drink places. Occasionally I check in and see how it affects my status or profile. But the technique of crowning someone with a mayorship will play into the status seeking motivation most leaderboards also try to tap into. Being the top person to check in or learn most or contribute most can drive behaviour and funny but meaningful names such as a mayorship can help and you don’t need to publish a leaderboard in order to do this.
As a gamification mechanic it can be a nice fun element to motivate behaviour, if you make it too dependent on points you may also encourage game playing. From a business perspective rewarding your top customers with fun titles will encourage only a few to stay in this bracket, however add some exclusive privileges into the mix and you may well stimulate more buying behaviour. Using titles for smaller achievements such as action taking, may well be a good way to map out a stepping stone approach for hitting a bigger potentially quantified goal. Or being a mayor can just be a fun title to give people a bit of a lighthearted boost on a regular day.
Where are you the mayor?