The time for companies to Press Play is now
My upcoming book dissects the global video gaming industry and highlights why every company needs a gaming strategy to engage the modern-day consumer
Dear Readers,
This post is very personal. What was once the dream of a 13-year-old kid who was writing newspaper articles for his local small town newspaper, is now a reality.
On September 9 this year, my first book will be released. It is called “Press Play - Why Every Company Needs a Gaming Strategy”. It analyzes the global gaming industry, the power of video games in engaging consumers in today’s economy, why companies and brands outside of gaming have to leverage video games, and provides a strategic blueprint to enter and win in this space.
Today, I’m thrilled to be able to reveal the cover of the book. I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.
The impetus for me to write this book came about three years ago. I was on a call with the global marketing teams for Danone’s water group. Volvic. Evian. I’m 100% you’ve had either, if not both, of these waters before. The teams wanted to talk to me about their digital strategy, in which gaming presented one of the three key pillars. When I asked them what their plans were, they replied: “Sponsoring an eSports team.” When asked what other plans they had, the call went silent. There were no other plans - and the rest of our conversation was an education about video gaming and all the options to engage consumers it provides for companies like Danone and many others.
The point is this. Danone is a well run company. These teams, these people, are smart and good at their jobs. But gaming is still a foreign object to many leaders and executives in the business world, full of misconceptions and stereotypes. For a consumer touch point that is able to engage consumers more effectively than social media, and on which consumers spend more time and money than any other digital medium, this is simply unacceptable.
With Press Play, I’m building this bridge for companies to enter the video gaming space. Based on interviews with hundreds of executives, the book provides a behind-the-scenes look at the trailblazing firms that are already hugely successful with games. Peloton, Chipotle, Adidas, The New York Times, Puma, BMW, Unilever - you’ll be able to learn firsthand from them and many more and apply the insights to shape your company’s consumer engagement strategy.
I’ll share updates and insights from the book as the publication draws closer here, so make sure to subscribe below. In the meantime, if you’re already intrigued, the book is available on Amazon for pre-order.
Appreciate the support - onward.