The yummy candy game is too tempting to resist when our brains need a little break from our daily marketing routine. But on looking closer, we realized that good marketing, and good social media marketing, is really everywhere a successful business is found. Candy Crush and its developer, King, are by extension no different. In any case, a closer examination of why people of all ages, nationalities and technological levels are then Completely consumed by this easy game that, let’s be honest, it seems that another version of the classic Bejeweled reveals this simple fact: the Candy Crush saga is a true genius of social media marketing. And this is why:

Why we keep playing

First, there are a few reasons to consider why is that we continue to play this game so hard almost a year after its release in November 2012, when so many other games peak long before then. Thinkgaming data estimates that there are 8.8 million active users who play Candy Crush every day, generating over an estimated $ 858,000 in revenue, every day! That’s a lot of money for an app that you can download for free. And what is more? An estimated 77,776 players install the game on a daily basis. Let’s consider five big reasons why Candy Crush is still the highest grossing app.

  1. In-app purchases: Candy Crush Saga is considered a “freemium” application because, although it can be downloaded for free, a player can easily spend small amounts of money quickly to buy power-ups or lives to advance the game. Players are estimated to spend an average of $ 2.84 a day on in-app purchases.
  2. Simple gameplay: Candy Crush, simply put, is a spawn of the classic Bejeweled. The objective of the game is simple enough that anyone can get started and start playing. There are not tons of rules or features to learn, which means that the game is also fast and continuous.
  3. Forced breaks: One of the cool rules that the developers incorporated into Candy Crush is that once you run out of lives, you have to wait for them to recharge, which means you have to wait to play. Unlike other very popular games with all the features mentioned above, like Temple Run, for example, players can quickly burn out and get bored after playing for hours. Keeping players waiting means they come back excited and eager for more.
  4. Endless milestones: With almost every new update, King has added hundreds of new levels to Candy Crush, so there are now 500 levels to play, which means there is always the satisfaction of reaching the next milestone. Again, games like Temple Run have players only surpassing their own scores, which can get boring and repetitive. Another incredibly popular game that most will remember, Angry Birds, made players pay for levels after a certain level. Candy Crush offers a happy solution to both gaming fads.
  5. Cross-platform functionality: Today people want to take everything with them without limitations. Candy Crush lets you know your progress whether you are playing on your phone, computer or tablet, and is available for iOS and Android users. There are no restrictions here!

The Social Media Marketing Element

Now, here is the trick that really seems to bring the success of Candy Crush home: the strategic use of social media in your game. It’s this incredibly important tool that King has integrated all over the place that seems to have driven up download numbers, active users, and even revenue, and kept them on the rise over the last year. We’ll see.

  1. Facebook integration: We all love convenience, and King knew it, which is why they allow you to start playing by logging in through Facebook. And once you do, you will be able to see all your friends who are also playing and where they are on the level map. Also, you can check their scores, so the fun of beating levels becomes more exciting when you start beating your friends.
  2. Friends who save lives: When you’ve exhausted all your lives playing that level you just can’t beat, you can spend the money buying those lives and power-ups (and some people obviously do with those numbers), wait 30 minutes, or you can have your friends give you one. extra life. This requires the active participation of your friends. But if you depend on them, they also depend on you and you now have a well-integrated dependency cycle that is tied to the use of social media.
  3. Friends in high places: Probably the smartest feature of all is the fact that at certain points in the game, to get to a new episode, I have to request “inputs” from at least 3 of your Facebook friends to move on. Reliance on your friends through Facebook keeps social media at the heart of Candy Crush’s success.
  4. Active social media community: Some of the levels in Candy Crush are difficult, and King knows it. Addictive gameplay can get a bit frustrating when you’ve been at the same level for months, but luckily there is a community of over 51.3 million people on the Candy Crush Facebook page who are giving each other tips and helping other players overcome. difficulties. times. Disguise smart social media marketing as a forum? Absolutely great.

Tell us, do you play Candy Crush Saga during your free time? Are you impressed by how smart King was in using social media to skyrocket his success?

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