Why Media Prima and REV Asia decided to 'gamify' the revamped 8coin site

Media Prima Labs (MPLabs) and REV Asia have launched a revamped rewards website and mobile app, 8coin. Previously known as 8Share, it was launched by REV Asia in 2010 and currently has over 770,000 social media users across Malaysia.8coin not only serves as a platform for marketers to engage users as social advocates to promote their brands on media, but also allows users to obtain rewards by sharing "interesting content" on their social media channels. Through 8coin, users are able to earn coins that can be redeemed for cash, and obtain free merchandise such as lifestyle products and gadgets.According to Voon Tze Khay (second from left), MD of REV Asia, the two main segments of the app are "Specials" and "Missions". The "Specials" section hosts sponsored content which spans across latest movies, games and events, among others. Users who share 8coin's "Specials" on their social networks will be rewarded for every unique visit they receive. "Missions", on the other hand, are monthly giveaways and contest that also enable users to earn coins by participating.In a separate statement to A+M, Voon said that MPLabs and REV Asia revamped the rewards website and mobile app as they wanted to enhance the user's social sharing experience, as well as the experience of rewards redemption. Prior to the revamp, users could only redeem cash on 8Share. The second reason for the revamp was to "gamify" traditional media in Malaysia, Voon added."In the third or fourth quarter of 2018, we intend to collaborate with other platforms and assets within the Media Prima Group. For example, 8coin will work with the TV channels at Media Prima to seed relevant content to TV audiences," he said.When asked how 8coin obtains cash to reward its users, Voon said that it works closely with brands including AirAsia, Watsons, Unilever, Maxis, Nestle and Huawei, to push out their marketing messages or sponsored content to the users. When those content are being shared, clients will then pay MPLabs and REV Asia an amount of money for the campaign, which will be distributed to users.According to Voon, MPLabs and REV Asia pride 8coin as "a business of people powered media", with users being the general public in Malaysia rather than influencers."Consumers trust the things that their friends share online. Sometimes, influencers can be biased to a certain extent because they are paid to share about the client's product. Hence, we decided to target Malaysians in general to share content on 8coin," he added.Speaking to A+M, Rafiq Razali (fourth from right), CEO, Media Prima Digital, said most of the revamp was carried out by the in-house teams, from the branding to the interactive engineering of the website and mobile app. It also plans to leverage in-house assets within the Media Prima Group, including TV, radio, digital and OOH, to raise brand awareness of 8coin and engage more users."In general, we believe that the value proposition of the product is strong on its own. The key point is how do we market it to people who don't even know about 8coin and encourage them to start using it." Rafiq said.