A gimmick is fun for ten minutes. A mechanism sticks.
A gimmick is, for example, a funny sticker, a selfie wall or a welcome gift without a story. Fun, but it changes nothing. A mechanism is a programme element that makes people actually do something that fits the message. If you remove it, the message becomes less clear. That is the test.
Both are allowed in an event, but they have a different purpose. Gimmicks break the ice. Mechanisms anchor a message in behaviour and memory.
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