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Most brands approach gaming like a standard media opportunity. They show up, interrupt…
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Matt Sharpe reposted thisMatt Sharpe reposted thisI’m looking for Photoshop users to help test an unreleased product from fal AI. DM me and I can give you more information!
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Matt Sharpe posted thisIn 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘎𝘰𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘏𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘎𝘦𝘵 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, Marshall Goldsmith dives into how the behaviours contributing to your success at one stage in your career can become obstacles to further growth. To me, there’s no better example of this than transitioning from an individual contributor to a leader. As an IC, you’re rewarded for output. The more you produce, the faster you produce it, and the better the quality, the more your star rises. Then you become a leader, and suddenly those same behaviors that made you successful become your biggest traps: the pursuit of bite-sized tasks to fill your day; securing a constant stream of short-term, tangible wins as proof that you’re progressing. You major in minor things, mistaking activity for impact. Meanwhile, the macro business challenges requiring your attention, judgment and deep thought get the leftovers. You KNOW your job has changed, but breaking the habit of constantly producing requires completely disassembling your internal scorecard. Being “productive” is no longer a direct path towards being valuable (it’s often a deterrent). I was genuinely unprepared for how much I would struggle with this mindset shift. You want to be a high achiever, but your definition of achievement not only gets redefined, it’s moved from your fingertips to the horizon. Writing out the below is an attempt to further stamp this lesson across my forehead: 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬. 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞. Matt Sharpe out. ✌️
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Matt Sharpe shared thisI’ve given enough presentations to learn that more information rarely - and I mean, RARELY - leads to more impact. The 𝘗𝘦𝘢𝘬-𝘌𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘶𝘭𝘦, developed through research by psychologists Barbara Fredrickson and Daniel Kahneman, suggests we disproportionately judge experiences by: 1. Their most intense moment 2. How they end And boy howdy, I think there’s a good reminder here for presenters: 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐍. To this day, I’m still part of presentations crammed with a junk ton of information that do more to assault the audience with data than convey why it matters. (These manuscript-esque slides are often justified as “leave-behinds”. In that case, a suggestion: structure the crux of your doc as if you’re conversing with a real, live person, and drop the remainder in an appendix for your “leave-behind”.) People want to be informed. They don’t want to fight through 40 slides to find your point, especially if they don’t have to. Regardless of whether you’re speaking to 5, 50 or 500 individuals, 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒋𝒐𝒃 𝒊𝒔��’𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒎𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘. 𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕. PS: I’m including a photo of The Rock, because I personally dare you to find someone better at exemplifying this approach than Mr. Dwayne Johnson.
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Matt Sharpe shared thisThis will be fun, as I will not be shackled by the formal constraints of a conference format and can really let my freak flag fly (while discussing... interactive ad units). Sign-up info for this session with the IAB is below. 👇Matt Sharpe shared this‼️ Two days left! Join #IAB and Zynga Ads on Wednesday, October 21st, for an exclusive look at Zynga Ads+ and how brands can use audience intelligence, creative, and attention measurement to reach high-value consumers at scale. Hear directly from Zynga's Gabrielle Heyman, Chanel M., Matt Sharpe, and Marian Thomas (Harutyunyan) as they share new insights and practical strategies to help advertisers make the most of mobile gaming. 📆 Register now: https://okt.to/Pc7nkM
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Matt Sharpe shared thisThe Ever-Abundant Universe has been reminding me of a recurring lesson lately: 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦. Knowing your subject matter is only half the job. The other half? Communicating its value in a language that resonates with your audience. Barbara Minto’s 𝘗𝘺𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘥 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦 reinforces this idea: lead with the conclusion, then support it with structured reasoning and evidence. For creative leaders, I think there’s a useful 50/50 approach here: 50% is narrative (What’s the opportunity? Why does it matter? What are we recommending?) The other 50% is support (the research, performance metrics and empirical evidence that give your narrative credibility) Neither works particularly well without the other, especially as your audience lands further and further up the org chart. You can have a brilliant creative strategy, but if leadership can’t connect it to the outcomes THEY’RE accountable for, you’re making their job unnecessarily difficult. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩. I friggin’ love when the Universe reminds me of these things. ❤️
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Matt Sharpe reposted thisMatt Sharpe reposted thisMy team is hiring a Senior Live Ops Game Designer! If you’re interested send me a message. https://lnkd.in/gH6WBxid
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Matt Sharpe shared thisLast week at the IAB Playfronts, I joined Chanel Marks, Marian Thomas (Harutyunyan) & Gabrielle Heyman to talk about how we’re evolving our approach to ad creative at Zynga. A key part of that evolution is what we’re calling Living Creative: moving beyond producing a massive cohort of linear/completed ads, and instead building dynamic experiences from interchangeable creative elements. The purpose: to introduce more variety into our full-screen interactive experiences, learn from how different combinations perform, and ultimately build better experiences for both brands and players. I shared more about the thinking behind Living Creative, how we’re approaching it, and where we see it going on the Zynga Ads blog: https://lnkd.in/dKvv2ER5 Word to your mother. ✌️
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Matt Sharpe reposted thisMatt Sharpe reposted thisHiring a Business Operations Manager to work directly with me on all things Ad Monetization. Let me know if interested or if anyone you know would be an amazing fit! https://lnkd.in/gCYVuVq3
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Matt Sharpe shared thisMy team at Zynga is #HIRING for a Senior Software Engineer role in Toronto (Hybrid: In-office 2 days/week, Remote 3). In short: I’ll need this talented individual to help bring interactive ad units to life - primarily playable ads, but also surveys and other formats - based on predefined creative assets. More info on the Job Description is available @ https://lnkd.in/gBDgRMaU PS: While this position rolls up to your third-favorite Creative Director (hi!) ask that those interested please apply via the link above and avoid direct DMs/inquiries here.
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Matt Sharpe liked thisMatt Sharpe liked thisBOOYAKASHA - This week on Brands In Play - Ali G is back, in Fortnite (wen GTA NoPixel Michael Gubman?!) This week Nic & I also tear down... - Best Buy & IGN Entertainment teaming up for Gamers Beta (not to be confused with "Best Buy Gamer" from back in the day). - Tony Stark reppin' Snap Inc. Spectacles - Netflix missed ad rev guidance, so they & Discord sharpened their ad tools - the LEGO Group & PlayStation recreating a 90's bedroom (smell ya later L'Oréal!) - Domino's’s equating THE DOMINO to THE VOXEL in Minecraft And a few more juicy bits from the week to gnaw on! Links in comments Edwarded by Edward
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Matt Sharpe liked thisMatt Sharpe liked thisAny time there is turmoil and confusion, there is opportunity knocking. https://lnkd.in/g-qMr-neEA cofounder Bing Gordon on why EA missed mobile – and what Zynga got rightEA cofounder Bing Gordon on why EA missed mobile – and what Zynga got right
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Matt Sharpe liked thisMatt Sharpe liked thisCongrats to my friends in Milwaukee on the Brewers win! Keep that trophy warm for us, shine it - try not to drop it please...it'll be back in the Bronx where it belongs next season :)
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Matt Sharpe liked thisMatt Sharpe liked thisDiscord reaches 90M daily users, and more than 90% of its users play games. Jules Shumaker, Discord's Chief Business Officer, walked me through what it's building for studios. There's a lot to test and learn on the organic & paid side for game teams and marketers. Here's my Claim your server, then staff it. • Jules says 48M users a day find games through player and game profiles, and claiming your server gets you that page for free • An empty or unmoderated server reads to players as a signal about your game, so make sure someone owns moderation from day one Run the Social SDK behind a holdout. • Discord reports a 31% lift in D28 retention for linked players, plus 1.5 more game days a month • Players who link were already your most social players, so switch the features on for a random half and ask Discord to design the test with you Once you have that player, hold onto them. • Discord knows who played your game and stopped, a signal most ad platforms lack, and about half the campaigns existing games buy there go to reactivation • Give reactivation its own budget line and CPA target, and ask before you sign whether a competitor can target your lapsed players Discord's payers opt into its rewarded ads more. • Jules says payers take part in Discord ads at a higher rate than non-payers, and Discord reports 3x more positive sentiment toward its ads versus traditional formats • Test rewarded ads on your own payer segment and track IAP revenue per payer next to ad revenue, since your reward is often currency those payers would buy Zero take rate commerce still costs you margin. • Discord takes no cut, and you give Nitro subscribers a discount that comes out of your margin • Ask Discord to share the cost of that discount and confirm you own the purchase data before you sign Start Discord as a test budget within UA and live ops, with an owner and a CPA target, and push for test credits and a joint incrementality read, while Discord, which has reportedly filed for IPS, still needs the proof before it goes public. (A bonus for game marketing teams!) 🎙️ My full conversation with Jules Shumaker is on Deconstructor of Fun YouTube - https://lnkd.in/geHCFzbc Spotify - https://lnkd.in/gbi_vxaq Apple Podcasts - https://lnkd.in/gcQs5UmZ Read the full blog here - https://lnkd.in/gra5nZuM For more info check out @DiscordDevelopers on YouTube
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Matt Sharpe liked thisMatt Sharpe liked thisBing Gordon and Chloe Gordon have nailed the essence of gamification as a powerful psychological motivator in their new book, #EveryoneWins. Fittingly, conversations that I have with Bing, a Playcast Board Member, are always grounded in the principles discussed in the book and often focus on achieving that “Wow Moment.” A co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of Electronic Arts (EA) , Bing took his learnings there and has applied them many of today’s tech leaders including Amazon, Duolingo, Zynga and more as partner with Kleiner Perkins. This book is awesome for all of us in the game business, but extends well beyond that vertical to any business today. Enjoy it! Link in comments.
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Matt Sharpe liked thisMatt Sharpe liked thisI’m looking for Photoshop users to help test an unreleased product from fal AI. DM me and I can give you more information!
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Victor Cheng
Victor Cheng
Senior product designer with experience building complex web and native mobile products that drive efficiency, conversion, and revenue.
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