REDWOOD CITY, CA--(Marketwired - Jan 22, 2014) -  Bunchball, the pioneer and market leader in gamification, today announced that Jesse Redniss, chief strategy officer at Mass Relevance, is joining their Advisory Board. Redniss is an expert in creating increased customer traction as well as growing partnerships in the enterprise and will join executives from Atlassian, Plex Systems and Heidrick & Struggles in advising Bunchball's senior team. 

The recipient of the 2013 TV of Tomorrow's Individual Leadership award as well as the Social TV Marketer of the Year award in both 2012 and 2013, Redniss is an Emmy-nominated trendsetting entertainment executive with 14 years of experience in brand building, creative development and marketing. During his tenure as senior vice president of NBC Universal at USA Network, Redniss pioneered industry-leading business models that shifted online properties from a simple entertainment purpose to revenue-generating destinations with the help of Bunchball's Nitro gamification platform. 

"Historical approaches to creating brand loyalty are no longer effective and need to significantly evolve in order for enterprises to sustain and grow their audiences. Engagement through content is the name of the game in today's competitive environment," said Jim Scullion, CEO, Bunchball. "What is most impressive about Jesse is his innovative approach and strong track record in applying gamification technology to deliver superior experiences that keep people coming back time and time again, creating and sustaining brand loyalty through new digital channels. We are looking forward to working closely together to achieve more award-winning initiatives that drive business results for our clients."

Bunchball's founder and chief product officer, Rajat Paharia, sat down with Redniss to discuss his past as a Bunchball client, his thoughts on gamification, and his vision for content marketing heading into 2014.

Paharia: As a former client, what initially attracted you to Bunchball and brought you back to join the Advisory Board?

Redniss: I'm particularly excited about the opportunity Bunchball has to drive the future growth of gamification. I experienced firsthand the results Bunchball's platform can drive when I was at USA Network and am also familiar with how gamification has created results for some of the world's best-loved companies including The Coca-Cola Company, Ford and T-Mobile. Bunchball's client base is incredible, and the fact that the company's was first to market, as well as the strategic focus from the executive team, have created a proven product and positioned the company well for a big win this year and in the future.

Paharia: What about gamification specifically interests you?

Redniss: What is really compelling to me is how the backbone of gamification's philosophy is the focus on human motivational science and engagement. What's amazing is that, while the gamification industry was founded only a few short years ago, today, the entire marketplace has caught on and is moving in the direction of experience and content marketing, with a distinct focus on psychological engagement. Gamification has a huge role to play in this, because gamified environments enable marketers to tell their stories and create engaging experiences, which in turn draw people in, ultimately creating brand loyalty.

Paharia: How have you seen gamification evolve throughout your time at USA Network, and now at Mass Relevance?

Redniss: Over the past several years, I've seen the term, "gamification" evolve from a buzzword to become the definition of an engagement platform. Rajat, something you are famous for saying that has always resonated with me is that gamification eventually will just be called "good design." Every major company in the world is looking for the ability to tell compelling stories and engage with their target audiences, and gamification is a highly effective way to do that.

Paharia: What do you see as the benefits gamification can bring to both consumer brands and the enterprise?

Redniss: Gamification gives consumer brands and enterprises alike a platform for engaging their audiences with content, and motivational tools to keep them coming back. Additionally, it gives companies the power of big data and the insights that come with that data to create a competitive advantage. It's a smart, strategic move for any company looking to connect with their audience.

Paharia: Gamification often encounters criticism for being a fad, or a stunt -- what is your point of view on gamification's staying power and effectiveness over the long term?

Redniss: Gamification is not a fad; it's an enduring path. Many of the companies I've worked with have had a difficult learning curve to overcome in adopting new technologies like gamification, but once they do, they immediately realize the power of loyalty and fan activation. Gamification enables marketers and employers to create a direct, engaging connection with people, and once you establish this rapport, you need to have an always-on strategy. As we saw in the early days of social media, you can't just establish a channel and then abandon it, you need to set up a foundation and then continually feed it with the content your audiences want to engage with, and create ways to sustain that engagement so they remain loyal to your brand. I see gamification as a foundational platform for all marketers and employers to create this lasting loyalty and drive powerful business success as a result.

About Bunchball:
 Bunchball is the market leader and visionary in gamification for the enterprise. Bunchball drives business results through gamification with its cloud-based platform that motivates and engages employees, customers and partners. Our world-class customer roster is made up of numerous Fortune 2000 companies, including Adobe, Cisco, HP, T-Mobile and VMware. Bunchball is strategically aligned with industry-leading partners, including BMC Software, IBM, Jive, NICE Systems and Salesforce.com, to deliver gamification solutions to enterprises globally. Based in Redwood City, California, Bunchball's investors include Granite Ventures, Triangle Peak Partners, Northport Investments, and Correlation Ventures. For more information, visit www.bunchball.com, our blog at www.gamification.com, or follow @bunchball.