Gamification is becoming more and more popular as marketers create better brand experience through gaming, loyalty programs and behavioral economics, with the aim of driving user engagement. Over 70% of Forbes Global 2000 companies surveyed said they planned to use gamification for the purposes of marketing and customer retention. It’s, at times, an addictive interaction for customers that yields results in the form of more sales, improved experiences, and intensified brand loyalty. Which is why it’s a great way to engage brand ambassadors.

When you think about the future of marketing, what do you see?

Completely automated workflows and campaigns? Predictive analytics that help us actually achieve the Holy Grail of marketing (right message, for the right customer, at exactly the right time)? Technology stacks that intuitively and seamlessly connect with each other to deliver dynamic insight?

All of those things might come to fruition (some are already here). Or they might not. As most of us know from experience, predictions are unpredictable — just ask former Microsoft CEO Steve Balmer. That said, prognostication is still a worthwhile exercise because it helps us reflect on the past, envision the future, and test new ideas that allow us to get ahead of the pack.

Over the last year, I’ve had conversations with numerous sales and marketing executives about one of the world’s oldest — and most effective — customer acquisition channels: Referrals. Most of those executives have gone on to help their organization implement successful referral marketing programs, but some have flat-out failed to generate the results they expected.

In most cases, those failures were easily preventable.

According to the Pew Research Center, the millennial generation is on pace to become the nation’s largest living generation with a population projection of 75.3 million people. The dominance that this sacred demographic, ranging from ages 18 to 34, has had on marketing conversations over the last few years is no surprise.