Pivoting to a career in games marketing

Felipe comes from a long and solid background in marketing and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG). Despite having a successful career in FMCG, he had always wanted to work in the games industry. But, switching industries just like that wasn’t as easy as one might think. All of a sudden Future Games launches one of the first Games Marketing (FGGM) courses in the world. Felipe enrolls, and the rest is history. So, how did it all happen? We were curious to find out. Keep reading to find out how Felipe pivoted to a career in the expansive games industry.

Felipe Briones Ahlén, Global Brand X Partnership Manager at 10 Chambers

So Felipe, why did you apply to the Games Marketing course?

I always knew that I wanted to work within games, but I had some problems getting in. I always fell on the finishing line. I did many interviews but never got in. After one interview I stumbled across Tabitha Hayes (a well-known marketing guru in the games industry). She mentioned the FGGM-course to me and encouraged me to enroll. I had already applied but wasn’t so sure about it. After speaking to her though, I decided to go for it.

What did your career look like before taking the course?

I have been in many different marketing roles building digital ecosystems for different brands. For example, FMCG companies such as ICA, Telia, Tiktok etc. Also, I always had a passion for marketing, building brands, building digital marketing strategies, and so on. Having had the privilege to work with big media budgets. So that allowed me to work very closely with all the big agencies in Stockholm, media agencies, ad tech agencies, and so on. All of that has given me a lot of in-depth marketing knowledge.

Nonetheless, I still feel that the course gave me the missing tools that I needed to get a foot into the games industry. It gave me a bigger network, and the possibility to learn about different scenarios and best practices in the industry. It made it clear to me for example how important the community part is in the game’s world. The relationship between developers and users is very bottoms up in the games industry. Which is very different from working with insights in for example the FMCG industry.

“Nonetheless, I still feel that the course gave me the missing tools that I needed to get a foot into the games industry.”

 

What did you like most about the course? And what are your best takeaways?

What I liked the most was being able to work on practical assignments and projects specific to the games industry and having opportunities to bounce ideas off industry representatives. We were introduced to many different gaming studios, including EA, Avalanche, Paradox, and so forth, which is immensely helpful networking-wise, and forging friendships with peers that share similar interests and passion is inspiring. The course projects and assignments helped me channel my focus onto the areas and skills that I wanted to hone. It provides an avenue to try out different roles in the marketing division and it helps you find out if this is what you really want to do and are best at. This helped a lot of the students on the course figure out what role they wanted to go for in the industry.

So, we are curious to know what happened to you after you graduated from the course?

Well, I signed a contract for Tiktok after the course and took a break from applying for jobs in the gaming industry. The course had an internal Facebook group where different job openings were posted now and then. That’s where I first saw the ad for the 10 Chambers job and applied for it. Eventually, I got the job for 10 Chambers and that’s where I am still working. During the course’s final project I was doing a mock marketing plan for Avalanche Studios. We knew at the time that the game GTFO was a competitor of Avalanche. However, I didn’t know 10 chambers was the studio behind the game at the time.

I was thrilled to find out that 10 Chambers was so open to recruiting people who were not from the gaming industry. After the Games Marketing course, I have a real advantage when it comes to speaking the language of the games industry. It really is its own language, and you need to know it to be able to make yourself understood amongst industry peers. The course certainly helped me with that. One of my pieces of advice is to learn the different studio names to be able to follow up on different jobs in the industry. It helps you to be alert about new jobs coming out. It also helps to get into smaller studios which are easier to get a foot into than the larger studios.

“After the Games Marketing course, I have a real advantage when it comes to speaking the language of the games industry. It really is its own language”

 

What advice would you give to somebody who wants to work in Games Marketing? Other than doing the FGGM course, of course.

One is to be proud of what you have done in your past and your experience from previous jobs. You will probably have an experience that games studios don’t have. Especially with a background in digital marketing, don’t be afraid to stress that in your interviews. Moreover, have a well-prepared resume where you stress your experience related to the role. Also, build a good portfolio. Always add a project that you are proud of.

Don’t be afraid to network! Linkedin is ideal for this. Especially during the course, that opportunity only comes once so don’t be shy. If some people don’t want to network with you, you don’t wanna work with them anyways.

Finally, tell us a bit about what it is like to work at 10 Chambers?

Working at 10 Chambers is lots of fun. It is somewhat challenging and extremely creative. I feel very grateful that I actually ended up in this studio and not in another one. I can see myself evolving and growing in this company. And also I feel very appreciated with the experiences I have from my previous work life. I’m having a little too much fun at the moment. I haven’t had this much fun in my entire career and I definitely feel like I’m in the right place at the moment.