Air Canada pilots gamification with ‘Earn Your Wings’ loyalty program

At one time, loyalty points programs dominated the web, and while their fans have remained fiercely opinionated on forums, the programs haven’t evolved much in the past decade. It seems like a natural fit, then, that these points programs should be ripe for gamification, but the challenge lies in balancing complexity with rewards.

Air Canada recently launched a trial run with “Earn Your Wings,” a leaderboard-centred competition offering digital badges and points (or “Wings”) for completed tasks. Some of the tasks were relatively simple (visit a specific airport), while others were more involved like the Pacific Coast Badge that was earned by hanging out in “at least 3 of these cities on the West Coast: YVR, YYJ, LAX, SFO and SEA.” At the end of the competition, the top Wings earners will be rewarded with a portion of 10 million Aeroplan Miles.

Ian Di Tullio, Director of Loyalty for Air Canada, told CommerceLab that “The entire concept, branding, strategic objectives, [and] tactical badge earning logic was developed internally as these are considered core to our business.” The team went from planning to execution in just over seven weeks.

Di Tullio mentions on Gamification.co that the graphic component was more important than the technical side. Badges simplified a large portion of the competition by visually representing overly complex tasks required to earn Wings. The end result for Air Canada has been astounding – 6,860 pages of leaderboards with 10 spots per page (meaning around 6,860 Aeroplan users entered the competition).

Something to consider, though, is that loyalty programs involving points were the original form of digital gamification for marketers. Adding on badges for points and activities completed is a natural next step. The benefit is that the customer’s reward is no longer saving up points to redeem for flight coupons or a coffee maker, but to gain another digital badge they can flaunt on Facebook or Twitter. While loyalty programs reward repeat customers, badges reward businesses with high value exposure to audiences through personal feeds on social sites.

Di Tullio adds that the end goal was to create more “cross activated” users, meaning customers that would fly more, further, and spend more each flight.

A recent study by the University of Waterloo on sensory perception and gambling covers a similar effect that is used in casinos, where gamblers earning incremental wins become less aware of their losses when they are spread across several lines on a slot machine. While previously that coffeemaker was a nice loyalty reward, it does two things: restarts the points clock, and requires a large initial effort to “win.” Badges offer more accessible, and potentially permanent stepping stones. They can also be earned simultaneously giving the impression of multiple wins while points accumulation remains the same, and a visual reward that can be shared on social media – at no cost to the brand.

While badges produce the right effect and a leaderboard makes it competitive, it also opens up the entire loyalty card industry to act as a branded virtual currency or discount card for top-tier members, like Air Canada’s and Aeroplan’s existing promotional partners.

Air Canada’s first step into gamification has generated a lot of online buzz, especially among fans of brand loyalty cards. One comment that arose repeatedly on different sites was that some of Air Canada’s rules surrounding badges were overly complex – some badges were only offered once while others were achievable for every activity cycle. There’s more unexplored potential for gamifying loyalty rewards, but Earn Your Wings is offering real world feedback on gamification for points cards. It has also proven that there is a significant audience that’s hungry for more.

Di Tullio concludes that Earn Your Wings proved that customers are ready for gamified promotions, adding, “if the reward is great enough, complex behaviors can be encouraged.”