Gamification is the use of game play mechanics  for non-game applications . It also strives to encourage users to engage in desired behaviors. Gamification works by making a customer experience more engaging, and by encouraging desired behaviors, taking advantage of humans' psychological predisposition to engage in gaming. The technique can encourage people to perform chores that they ordinarily consider boring, such as completing surveys, shopping, or reading web sites.

One of the newest marketing trends on the horizon today is Gamification.  This concept has been used in automotive for quite some time (think scratch-off's and wheel's of fortune).  However, rarely has this been executed well, to do this you must first understand the behavior you wish to impact and the marketing plan supporting it.