The Top 3 Reasons You Need Unicorns In Your Redemption Program

Include these mystical creatures before they disappear

You’ve seen these rare creatures everywhere! Well, maybe they’re not so rare anymore. Unicorns are here and our guess is they’re here for a while. They’re fun, they’re colorful and the represent something more than just a horse with a horn coming out of its head. We’re in love with the unicorn trend!

“…A (trend) happens when, ‘there’s an established cultural interest in something that matches up with the current zeitgeist,’ celebrities publicize it, and ‘the fad is visually interesting enough to take off on social media.’ The unicorn has had all three in its favor since 2016…” What’s Really Behind Unicorn Fever — ARIANNA DAVIS

If you want to read the complete history of the unicorn craze, click here! Or, if you want to get down to business and capitalize on this trend in your redemption program, then educate yourself on the 3 reasons you need unicorns:

1. They’re deeply rooted in pop culture!

It’s difficult to get on any social media platform, especially Instagram, Snapchat or Pinterest, and not see something related to unicorns on your news feed. In fact, #unicorn has been used close to five million times on Instagram. On Pinterest there’s recipes for unicorn fudge, drinks, cakes, dips, bagels, milkshakes and the list goes on.

Starbucks Coffee recently popped up on the unicorn map when it offered the Unicorn Frappuccino® Blended Crème for a brief time in April. There’s 257,000 news headlines on Google about the drink craze!

You probably could’ve guessed this, but there’s also a whole online store dedicated to just unicorn merchandise!

But look no further for unicorn items for your redemption area. We’ve got you covered!

2. Who doesn’t want to be a unicorn?

Unicorns are the perfect representation of what it means to stand out in a crowd. Unicorns embody mystery, uniqueness and forward thinking. We often refer to people as unicorns when something about them is so rare and special — an anomaly in our lives.

“Unicorn” is even used as an adjective to describe certain businesses! Fortune Magazine refers to unicorn businesses that are relatively new, typically less than 10 years old, that are valued at $1 billion or more by public or private investors.

We’ve even coined the “unicorn” as the fifth — and very rare — player type, or preferred redemption range, to visit your business. This type of player is defined as your most frequent and loyal visitor to your arcade that spends a lot of time accumulating tickets to spend on your best prizes. They are an advocate for your facility. They are very rare but they are what you want everyone who enters your facility to become.

3. They’re magical and whimsical

Unicorn merchandise is bright, colorful and eye-catching. Thus creating a positive sensory experience for your guests. They’re the perfect way to bring attention to your redemption area. And, why is this important?

• Narratives (stories) are what help us define and build a series of Sensory Experiences. Sensory experiences are important because they are the quickest way for information to access the brain. They are also what build…
• Memories. Memories are a collection of sensory experiences (smells, tastes, things you see, etc.) that we then collect into something of “meaning” which we call a “memory.”
• Memories create meaning for us because it is the memories we forget and don’t forget that start to shape our understanding of the value of our past & present. Meaning = Value.
• In an age of abundance, meaning is also what sits at the top of our hierarchy of needs.
• The memories that hold meaning (value) to us, become unforgettable. And what is unforgettable…is unprecedented value.
• And therefore… creates loyalty to your business, which positively adds to your bottom line.

Ready to add unicorns to your redemption program? Start here!

This article is by Tabatha Bender, Connection Crusader at Redemption Plus.

Insights Empower is a collection of thoughts & insights to inspire, educate and connect the Family Entertainment & Bowling Center industry. From the team at Redemption Plus, est. 2017 🎉

Visit us at RedemptionPlus.com for more ways to #win.

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