June 20, 2025 • 17 mins
In this episode, we’re joined by Aimee Baller, Head of Partnerships, West & Central at Overwolf—the engine behind the gaming creator ecosystem that’s reshaping how brands connect with modern audiences.
Aimee reflects on her path into gaming as the first female leader on Overwolf’s Brand Partnerships team, exploring the power of in-game advertising, why brands can’t ignore gaming culture, and how Gen Z is rewriting the rules of media. She also offers thoughtful insights on mentorship, leadership, and creating space for other women in male-dominated industries.
Episode Highlights
- How Aimee helps brands like Slim Jim and Smucker’s enter the gaming space with impact and intention.
- The truth about modern gamers—and why 40% of Overwolf’s audience is female.
- Why gaming is no longer niche and how brands can meet consumers where they actually are.
- What moment-triggered ads are and why they generate up to 70% brand recall.
- The rise of Gen Z as creators and why they want to shape the plot, not just watch it.
- Why Aimee believes women don’t need to wait until they feel “ready” to lead.
- How gaming can be an additive—not disruptive—space for advertisers.
Aimee’s perspective cuts through the noise—offering real-world advice for anyone navigating today’s fast-moving landscape of culture, technology, and consumer connection.
Links and Resources
Connect with Aimee Baller on LinkedIn
Connect with Overwolf on LinkedIn
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Want more from SheSpeaks?
* Sign up for our podcast newsletter HERE! *
- Connect with us on Instagram, FB & Twitter @shespeaksup
- Contact us at podcast@shespeaks.com
- WATCH our podcast on YouTube @SheSpeaksTV
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
believe in yourself that if you're waiting for
someone else to tell you you'regood enough, it's not going to
happen.
So know that you're good enoughand you deserve the position
and the role that you're in, andkeep climbing.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Welcome back to the show.
Hope you're all having a greatweek so far.
We have an interesting episodeto share with you today.
I have been interested in theonline gaming industry because
there are billions in fact, 3.3billion people globally are
online gamers.
I know not much about it.
Are online gamers I know notmuch about it Platforms like
(00:48):
Twitch and YouTube Gaming.
These are platforms that havebeen becoming huge and online
gamers are making money fromadvertisements that appear
during their shows and otherways that they're doing
sponsorships.
And I've been interested in whypeople are fascinated.
I remember hearing years agoabout how kids will just watch
(01:10):
other people play online andlisten to them talk while
they're playing and wonderingwhat is so fascinating about it.
But it's interesting because itbuilds community for the people
who enjoy it, and the industryalso has traditionally been
thought of as quite maledominated, but it might surprise
(01:30):
you to know that 45 to 48% ofonline gamers are actually women
.
Today we have a terrific gueston, amy Baller, who is head of
brand partnerships at Overwolf,which is a platform that powers
the user-generated content forgames.
Today Amy talks to me aboutwhat is gaming, who's doing it
(01:53):
and how.
In a very traditionallymale-dominated industry.
She's really working as a womanin the industry to change that
paradigm.
I really enjoyed thisconversation with Amy.
I'm going to let you hear it.
We're going to jump right intoit.
Here we go.
Amy welcome to the show.
Yes, thank you.
(02:13):
Thank you for having me.
I'm excited to talk with youbecause I have been fascinated
with the gaming industry for avery long time.
I understand that it's changing, that now there are a lot more
women getting involved in thegaming industry.
But let's talk first if you canjust tell us a little bit about
Overwolf and what you do day today.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Sure, so Overwolf is the engine behind the gaming
creator system, right?
So our platform enables peopleto build apps and websites that
help people enjoy their gamesmore than they already do, so it
just enhances the experience,and it's been an absolute
pleasure to work with a company.
(02:52):
I've been here for about a yearnow and wildly differentiated
in the marketplace, so I'mexcited to be one of their
evangelists.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
I love that, and so, as an evangelist, talk a little
bit about what that means foryou day to day.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
So day to day, I'm meeting with brands that are
throughout the central regionand talking to them about who
are gamers right and why it'simportant to meet people, the
cultural relevance, theirability to gain wallet, share,
loyalty, things like that andjust introducing them to a new
space that they may nototherwise be familiar with.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Yeah, so let's talk a little bit, if we can, about
who gamers are, because I knowit's changing.
But just for those people whoare listening or maybe is not as
familiar, give us a little bitof a like 101 on gaming and why
it's a huge opportunity.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
That's a great question.
I think that people have amisconception about a gamer
being a young man in hisparents' basement right and
possibly surrounded by pizzaboxes, but that's really not who
it is.
When we're talking about gamersnow, especially as we tend to
age down in generations, it'sreally almost everyone, and
(04:01):
there's such a broad spectrum ofwho a gamer is.
It could be someone who'splaying on their mobile, who's
playing on their console orwho's playing on their PC.
So there's quite a broad rangethere and we tend to focus on,
with our app side, people whoare in PC.
So they are 18 to 34 and tendto have a higher household
income.
They are 18 to 34 and tend tohave a higher household income.
(04:24):
So these are people that arereally important to brands and
who they want to reach.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
They also tend to use ad blockers when they're
outside of the gaming ecosystem,so they're difficult to reach
elsewhere.
Yeah, how would it work if I'min a game?
How does it work in terms ofhow I might see an ad pop up for
me, using the work that you do?
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Sure.
So if you're on your PC andyou're gaming in any number of
popular games right, this couldbe Fortnite, league of Legends,
ark Survival we have an appstore that allows people to pop
it open and it will makerecommendations for what types
of apps are going to be mostuseful for you.
And these apps could be justabout anything.
(05:09):
They overlay the game or theysit adjacent to the game.
If they're overlaying the game,this could be something like a
badge that sort of pops up whenyou do something great like win,
or you help your squad in someway, or you help your squad in
some way, or it could just be ona secondary screen and we have
great banner ad placements orvideos, something like that.
(05:30):
The key to us is that we don'tintrude upon the gaming
experience.
Instead, we want brands to bethere and enhancing it.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Yeah.
So if I think about theaudience and you said that it's
not just these teenage boys thatare gamers, what are the
demographics?
Just so we understand.
What does that look like?
Speaker 1 (05:50):
So, with our own internal research, we found that
we have about 40% female.
Okay, and I think that that'sthat's higher than I would have
thought.
Yeah, it's so important torealize that what's different is
the types of games that womentend to play versus the types of
games that a male would play,right, so a female may not be
playing a first-person shooter,but she may be playing a
(06:12):
simulation game, and these arethe types of differences that
brands need to understand whenthey're jumping into the gaming
ecosystem.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
So, for those who are listening, I think we all
understand what a first-personshooter game might be.
What is a simulation game?
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Like the Sims, oh okay.
Or Krafton is coming out with anew one called Enzoi, and that
one promises to be great.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Interesting.
Is it going to be similar tothe Sims?
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Similar to the Sims, but with enhanced graphics, and
I think that the storytellingand the role playing will be
enhanced as well, and that'ssomething that people,
especially Gen Z, tend to diveinto a lot more.
They don't want to just watch astoryline, they want to hijack
the plot.
So I think that it'll be hugefor that generation.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
I love that.
And speaking of generations, soyou said 18 to 34.
Is that sort of the range ofthe types of people who are
engaging and using these gamingplatforms?
Speaker 1 (07:11):
It depends.
Those are the ones that we tendto see on our platform.
So we reach a reallyenthusiastic gamer when they're
engaging with the apps and theywant to help get leveled up If
they're beyond play.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
the gaming industry is much more male dominated but
it sounds like 40% are female,which is like way higher than I
would have expected.
But can you talk about howyou've approached that and kind
(07:45):
of breaking those barriers foryourself?
Speaker 1 (07:47):
Well, first you always have to find your allies
right.
So if you identify someone thatunderstands your career
objectives, knows you'repassionate about this space and
they open a door for you, Ithink that those are the people
that you tend to stick with, andthat's one of the things that I
like about being a leader isthat I also like to hold the
door open.
Someone once told me, if you geta seat at the table, kick back
(08:10):
a chair.
Yeah, oh, I love that.
So I like to bring other womenalong with me, and I also think
it helps brands to see a femaleout.
Yeah, oh, for sure.
And as somebody who I havedaughters, they play.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
The Sims.
But to your point earlier, it'sjust about which games should
they choose to play?
Yes, but it's interesting toothat you noted that this
generation, that you're talkingabout, this younger generation I
guess Gen Z that they reallyseem to like to hijack the plot,
basically to put their imprinton it.
Now, does that go for bothyoung men and young women?
Speaker 1 (08:55):
Yes, that seems to be generational Interesting and if
you think about it, it makessense.
They grew up with Minecraft,with Fortnite, with Roblox, all
places where they could have asay in how it goes Wow.
So it's the choose your ownadventure, that sandbox that
really gets them so excited and,if you think about it, that's
even how TikTok really took offin popularity, because this is
(09:17):
the participatory generation.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Yes, for sure, and it's interesting because I
remember TikTok when it wasMusically back in the day and
what I think young women likedabout it was that they could
easily make this content and itwas cool, like they were able to
make a piece of content thatwas way cooler than they could
on Instagram, because theediting tools were just so much
(09:40):
better.
And now Instagram and Meta aretrying to really kind of catch
up and push those out.
But it is so interesting thatthis generation I think you're
right that they really do liketo feel like they have created
something and that there isoutput there, and maybe for
generations before them theyjust didn't have that capability
(10:02):
.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
That's true?
Yeah, that's true, and I guessyou always wanted to be the CEO
or something, and now you can bea CEO of something that you're
so passionate about.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
That's really what the creator economy lets people
do For sure, and it's kind ofunbelievable how the barriers of
entry have just gone down sosignificantly.
It used to be so much harder totilt up a business, and
creators I mean I think creators, ultimately the good ones think
of themselves as businessowners.
They think of themselves asentrepreneurs, that they're
(10:34):
building an audience, that theyare going to find ways to
monetize that, and the tools areso strong right now in the
creator economy for any of thesecreators to say, okay, now I've
built an audience, how can Imonetize this?
What can I do with it?
Because there's so many optionsfor them, so many options.
Do with it.
(10:56):
Because there's so many optionsfor them, so many options.
So you have helped positionOverwolf in a very competitive
US market and led a charge tohelp brands like Slim Jim and
Smuckers to really kind of diptheir toe in the water of gaming
and get involved in gaming.
How do you go about framinggaming for brands?
Speaker 1 (11:14):
So if a brand is uncomfortable with gaming
because it's new to them and weall have bosses right and we all
have to prove what we're doingis effective, you don't
necessarily have to have agaming strategy.
You just have to have anaudience strategy.
This is where this generationis spending the most amount of
time.
It's their preferred outlet forentertainment.
(11:36):
As long as you understand that,then I think that we can help
them along.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Yeah, that's interesting.
So it's really ultimatelysaying look, you want a brand,
you want to be where attentionis, and this is where attention
is.
As long as you can make thecase that this is where
attention is and there's somebrand safety things, but there's
brand safety things all oversocial media.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
So what's really nice about Overwolf is that we don't
necessarily have a lot of chatfunctionality right, so there
isn't that concern.
And if brands are concernedabout the types of games, that
we can have them focus onspecific genres or we can even
pull out specific titles forthem, so we can make this all
very palatable to anyone fromthe most branded safety
(12:17):
conscious person, to someonewho's really willing to just
test it and see where it goes.
The brave brands.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
Yes, so what are triggered ads and creative
campaigns inside?
Just so we understand it.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
So a moment triggered ad is when the player achieves
something, and that could be anynumber of things.
They could score a last minutewin, they could help their squad
.
They could earn gold.
They could, you know, die inthe game, whatever it is, and
when they respawn and this popsup kind of like a badge.
So this is something thatgamers are inherently used to
(12:52):
seeing and we found really greatbrand lift results when we have
these types of ads on the game.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
So it's not intrusive and a lot of times brands use
it to celebrate and that'sreally such a step further,
right You're?
Not just there, but you'rethere with me in the moment and
encouraging me.
And that's why you know playersreally love that so much.
That's why brands get so muchout of it.
I love that.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Are you able to track like brand lift from that, like
what the favorability is?
Yes, that's amazing and I'massuming the favorability
numbers are like off the charts.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Yes, yeah, when you're associated with something
that has, like a heightenedemotional moment, brands can see
up to a 70% lift in recall andfavorability.
Wow, okay.
And If it's something tied toachievement 4X, remembering,
that's amazing, it's outstanding.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
Yeah, certainly for ad recall.
That's unbelievable.
I can't even think of otherchannels that allow you to do
that, that have that kind ofmultiple on the brand recall.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
I can't, I can't either, and what's so funny is
that when you're in websites, itwas always disruptive.
We want to be disruptive.
And the key to gettingattention inside gaming is not
disruption but enhancement.
I love that.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
So you are also very committed to mentorship and
opening doors for other women,or kicking back a chair, as you
said, in the gaming andadvertising space.
Why is that important to you,and can you give some advice to
the next generations of leaderswho are kind of coming up right
now?
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Sure.
So it's so important because,while you might be remembered
for being the first one throughthe door, the important thing is
to hold that door open and tomake sure you're not the last
one through, so I like to be atrailblazer, and I have two
daughters as well.
I want to see them representedin boardrooms as well.
(14:45):
So I think that that's reallysomething I'm so passionate
about.
Women control 80% of thebudgets in this country.
We make all the decisions right.
Yes, we make all of thepurchase decisions.
And so when we're not in theboardroom, men really don't
understand, truthfully, how theyshould be speaking with us.
(15:06):
So it enhances everything tohave women in the room.
I'd like to see more womenrepresented in boardrooms and I
would say don't wait until youfeel like you're good enough.
Even if you're worried, put onefoot in front of the other and
no one needs to know.
Not every boardroom wasdesigned for you to be there.
(15:29):
So show up with authority andbe proud to be in the moment.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
Well, you know, what's so interesting is that I
remember in my days in corporateAmerica that all the women
especially women who had, youknow, risen up the ranks, we
would all kind of joke with oneanother that we were so worried
that at some point someone wasgoing to come up behind us, tap
us on the shoulder and say wefigured it out.
Now You're not nearly as goodas we thought you were, and it's
(15:57):
just this thing that was withus.
Yeah, you were, and it's justthis thing that was with us.
And I love that advice that yousaid just don't be afraid, just
kind of put one foot in frontof the other and just maybe we
can use a little bit more ofwhat men have, which is just
assume you belong.
Assume that you are there andyou belong there.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Yeah, you're good.
You have all the skills thatyou need right now to lead.
And women just need thatencouragement.
You have to find it within.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
I love that.
So this podcast is called Womenof Influence.
What does influence mean to you?
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Does influence mean to me?
It's not about the number ofpeople that know my name but
about the number of people thatare in a better position because
of me.
Oh, my God, I love that and Ireally like to think that I'm
helping bring other women along.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
Oh, my, that is.
I'm going to cry.
Your daughters are lucky tohave you as a role model.
Thank you Well, my lastquestion, which maybe we touched
on a little bit already, but ifyou could go back to your
younger self, who was justgetting started, what would you
want to say to?
Speaker 1 (17:03):
her?
That's a really great question.
Of course, there are thingslike you know enjoy the journey,
but I guess more so, believe inyourself that if you're waiting
for someone else to tell youyou're good enough, it's not
going to happen.
So know that you're good enoughand you deserve the position
(17:24):
and the role that you're in, andkeep climbing.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
Yeah, I love it.
Well, Amy, thank you so muchfor spending this time with us.
I really enjoyed theconversation and I'm excited to
see how you are going to helpchange the gaming industry for
women.
Thank you so much I appreciateit.
believe in yourself that if you're waiting for
someone else to tell you you'regood enough, it's not going to
happen.
So know that you're good enoughand you deserve the position
and the role that you're in, andkeep climbing.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Welcome back to the show.
Hope you're all having a greatweek so far.
We have an interesting episodeto share with you today.
I have been interested in theonline gaming industry because
there are billions in fact, 3.3billion people globally are
online gamers.
I know not much about it.
Are online gamers I know notmuch about it Platforms like
(00:48):
Twitch and YouTube Gaming.
These are platforms that havebeen becoming huge and online
gamers are making money fromadvertisements that appear
during their shows and otherways that they're doing
sponsorships.
And I've been interested in whypeople are fascinated.
I remember hearing years agoabout how kids will just watch
(01:10):
other people play online andlisten to them talk while
they're playing and wonderingwhat is so fascinating about it.
But it's interesting because itbuilds community for the people
who enjoy it, and the industryalso has traditionally been
thought of as quite maledominated, but it might surprise
(01:30):
you to know that 45 to 48% ofonline gamers are actually women
.
Today we have a terrific gueston, amy Baller, who is head of
brand partnerships at Overwolf,which is a platform that powers
the user-generated content forgames.
Today Amy talks to me aboutwhat is gaming, who's doing it
(01:53):
and how.
In a very traditionallymale-dominated industry.
She's really working as a womanin the industry to change that
paradigm.
I really enjoyed thisconversation with Amy.
I'm going to let you hear it.
We're going to jump right intoit.
Here we go.
Amy welcome to the show.
Yes, thank you.
(02:13):
Thank you for having me.
I'm excited to talk with youbecause I have been fascinated
with the gaming industry for avery long time.
I understand that it's changing, that now there are a lot more
women getting involved in thegaming industry.
But let's talk first if you canjust tell us a little bit about
Overwolf and what you do day today.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Sure, so Overwolf is the engine behind the gaming
creator system, right?
So our platform enables peopleto build apps and websites that
help people enjoy their gamesmore than they already do, so it
just enhances the experience,and it's been an absolute
pleasure to work with a company.
(02:52):
I've been here for about a yearnow and wildly differentiated
in the marketplace, so I'mexcited to be one of their
evangelists.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
I love that, and so, as an evangelist, talk a little
bit about what that means foryou day to day.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
So day to day, I'm meeting with brands that are
throughout the central regionand talking to them about who
are gamers right and why it'simportant to meet people, the
cultural relevance, theirability to gain wallet, share,
loyalty, things like that andjust introducing them to a new
space that they may nototherwise be familiar with.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Yeah, so let's talk a little bit, if we can, about
who gamers are, because I knowit's changing.
But just for those people whoare listening or maybe is not as
familiar, give us a little bitof a like 101 on gaming and why
it's a huge opportunity.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
That's a great question.
I think that people have amisconception about a gamer
being a young man in hisparents' basement right and
possibly surrounded by pizzaboxes, but that's really not who
it is.
When we're talking about gamersnow, especially as we tend to
age down in generations, it'sreally almost everyone, and
(04:01):
there's such a broad spectrum ofwho a gamer is.
It could be someone who'splaying on their mobile, who's
playing on their console orwho's playing on their PC.
So there's quite a broad rangethere and we tend to focus on,
with our app side, people whoare in PC.
So they are 18 to 34 and tendto have a higher household
income.
They are 18 to 34 and tend tohave a higher household income.
(04:24):
So these are people that arereally important to brands and
who they want to reach.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
They also tend to use ad blockers when they're
outside of the gaming ecosystem,so they're difficult to reach
elsewhere.
Yeah, how would it work if I'min a game?
How does it work in terms ofhow I might see an ad pop up for
me, using the work that you do?
Speaker 1 (04:48):
Sure.
So if you're on your PC andyou're gaming in any number of
popular games right, this couldbe Fortnite, league of Legends,
ark Survival we have an appstore that allows people to pop
it open and it will makerecommendations for what types
of apps are going to be mostuseful for you.
And these apps could be justabout anything.
(05:09):
They overlay the game or theysit adjacent to the game.
If they're overlaying the game,this could be something like a
badge that sort of pops up whenyou do something great like win,
or you help your squad in someway, or you help your squad in
some way, or it could just be ona secondary screen and we have
great banner ad placements orvideos, something like that.
(05:30):
The key to us is that we don'tintrude upon the gaming
experience.
Instead, we want brands to bethere and enhancing it.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Yeah.
So if I think about theaudience and you said that it's
not just these teenage boys thatare gamers, what are the
demographics?
Just so we understand.
What does that look like?
Speaker 1 (05:50):
So, with our own internal research, we found that
we have about 40% female.
Okay, and I think that that'sthat's higher than I would have
thought.
Yeah, it's so important torealize that what's different is
the types of games that womentend to play versus the types of
games that a male would play,right, so a female may not be
playing a first-person shooter,but she may be playing a
(06:12):
simulation game, and these arethe types of differences that
brands need to understand whenthey're jumping into the gaming
ecosystem.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
So, for those who are listening, I think we all
understand what a first-personshooter game might be.
What is a simulation game?
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Like the Sims, oh okay.
Or Krafton is coming out with anew one called Enzoi, and that
one promises to be great.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Interesting.
Is it going to be similar tothe Sims?
Speaker 1 (06:37):
Similar to the Sims, but with enhanced graphics, and
I think that the storytellingand the role playing will be
enhanced as well, and that'ssomething that people,
especially Gen Z, tend to diveinto a lot more.
They don't want to just watch astoryline, they want to hijack
the plot.
So I think that it'll be hugefor that generation.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
I love that.
And speaking of generations, soyou said 18 to 34.
Is that sort of the range ofthe types of people who are
engaging and using these gamingplatforms?
Speaker 1 (07:11):
It depends.
Those are the ones that we tendto see on our platform.
So we reach a reallyenthusiastic gamer when they're
engaging with the apps and theywant to help get leveled up If
they're beyond play.
Speaker 2 (07:23):
the gaming industry is much more male dominated but
it sounds like 40% are female,which is like way higher than I
would have expected.
But can you talk about howyou've approached that and kind
(07:45):
of breaking those barriers foryourself?
Speaker 1 (07:47):
Well, first you always have to find your allies
right.
So if you identify someone thatunderstands your career
objectives, knows you'repassionate about this space and
they open a door for you, Ithink that those are the people
that you tend to stick with, andthat's one of the things that I
like about being a leader isthat I also like to hold the
door open.
Someone once told me, if you geta seat at the table, kick back
(08:10):
a chair.
Yeah, oh, I love that.
So I like to bring other womenalong with me, and I also think
it helps brands to see a femaleout.
Yeah, oh, for sure.
And as somebody who I havedaughters, they play.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
The Sims.
But to your point earlier, it'sjust about which games should
they choose to play?
Yes, but it's interesting toothat you noted that this
generation, that you're talkingabout, this younger generation I
guess Gen Z that they reallyseem to like to hijack the plot,
basically to put their imprinton it.
Now, does that go for bothyoung men and young women?
Speaker 1 (08:55):
Yes, that seems to be generational Interesting and if
you think about it, it makessense.
They grew up with Minecraft,with Fortnite, with Roblox, all
places where they could have asay in how it goes Wow.
So it's the choose your ownadventure, that sandbox that
really gets them so excited and,if you think about it, that's
even how TikTok really took offin popularity, because this is
(09:17):
the participatory generation.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Yes, for sure, and it's interesting because I
remember TikTok when it wasMusically back in the day and
what I think young women likedabout it was that they could
easily make this content and itwas cool, like they were able to
make a piece of content thatwas way cooler than they could
on Instagram, because theediting tools were just so much
(09:40):
better.
And now Instagram and Meta aretrying to really kind of catch
up and push those out.
But it is so interesting thatthis generation I think you're
right that they really do liketo feel like they have created
something and that there isoutput there, and maybe for
generations before them theyjust didn't have that capability
(10:02):
.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
That's true?
Yeah, that's true, and I guessyou always wanted to be the CEO
or something, and now you can bea CEO of something that you're
so passionate about.
Speaker 2 (10:13):
That's really what the creator economy lets people
do For sure, and it's kind ofunbelievable how the barriers of
entry have just gone down sosignificantly.
It used to be so much harder totilt up a business, and
creators I mean I think creators, ultimately the good ones think
of themselves as businessowners.
They think of themselves asentrepreneurs, that they're
(10:34):
building an audience, that theyare going to find ways to
monetize that, and the tools areso strong right now in the
creator economy for any of thesecreators to say, okay, now I've
built an audience, how can Imonetize this?
What can I do with it?
Because there's so many optionsfor them, so many options.
Do with it.
(10:56):
Because there's so many optionsfor them, so many options.
So you have helped positionOverwolf in a very competitive
US market and led a charge tohelp brands like Slim Jim and
Smuckers to really kind of diptheir toe in the water of gaming
and get involved in gaming.
How do you go about framinggaming for brands?
Speaker 1 (11:14):
So if a brand is uncomfortable with gaming
because it's new to them and weall have bosses right and we all
have to prove what we're doingis effective, you don't
necessarily have to have agaming strategy.
You just have to have anaudience strategy.
This is where this generationis spending the most amount of
time.
It's their preferred outlet forentertainment.
(11:36):
As long as you understand that,then I think that we can help
them along.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Yeah, that's interesting.
So it's really ultimatelysaying look, you want a brand,
you want to be where attentionis, and this is where attention
is.
As long as you can make thecase that this is where
attention is and there's somebrand safety things, but there's
brand safety things all oversocial media.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
So what's really nice about Overwolf is that we don't
necessarily have a lot of chatfunctionality right, so there
isn't that concern.
And if brands are concernedabout the types of games, that
we can have them focus onspecific genres or we can even
pull out specific titles forthem, so we can make this all
very palatable to anyone fromthe most branded safety
(12:17):
conscious person, to someonewho's really willing to just
test it and see where it goes.
The brave brands.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
Yes, so what are triggered ads and creative
campaigns inside?
Just so we understand it.
Speaker 1 (12:30):
So a moment triggered ad is when the player achieves
something, and that could be anynumber of things.
They could score a last minutewin, they could help their squad
.
They could earn gold.
They could, you know, die inthe game, whatever it is, and
when they respawn and this popsup kind of like a badge.
So this is something thatgamers are inherently used to
(12:52):
seeing and we found really greatbrand lift results when we have
these types of ads on the game.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
So it's not intrusive and a lot of times brands use
it to celebrate and that'sreally such a step further,
right You're?
Not just there, but you'rethere with me in the moment and
encouraging me.
And that's why you know playersreally love that so much.
That's why brands get so muchout of it.
I love that.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
Are you able to track like brand lift from that, like
what the favorability is?
Yes, that's amazing and I'massuming the favorability
numbers are like off the charts.
Speaker 1 (13:25):
Yes, yeah, when you're associated with something
that has, like a heightenedemotional moment, brands can see
up to a 70% lift in recall andfavorability.
Wow, okay.
And If it's something tied toachievement 4X, remembering,
that's amazing, it's outstanding.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
Yeah, certainly for ad recall.
That's unbelievable.
I can't even think of otherchannels that allow you to do
that, that have that kind ofmultiple on the brand recall.
Speaker 1 (13:53):
I can't, I can't either, and what's so funny is
that when you're in websites, itwas always disruptive.
We want to be disruptive.
And the key to gettingattention inside gaming is not
disruption but enhancement.
I love that.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
So you are also very committed to mentorship and
opening doors for other women,or kicking back a chair, as you
said, in the gaming andadvertising space.
Why is that important to you,and can you give some advice to
the next generations of leaderswho are kind of coming up right
now?
Speaker 1 (14:23):
Sure.
So it's so important because,while you might be remembered
for being the first one throughthe door, the important thing is
to hold that door open and tomake sure you're not the last
one through, so I like to be atrailblazer, and I have two
daughters as well.
I want to see them representedin boardrooms as well.
(14:45):
So I think that that's reallysomething I'm so passionate
about.
Women control 80% of thebudgets in this country.
We make all the decisions right.
Yes, we make all of thepurchase decisions.
And so when we're not in theboardroom, men really don't
understand, truthfully, how theyshould be speaking with us.
(15:06):
So it enhances everything tohave women in the room.
I'd like to see more womenrepresented in boardrooms and I
would say don't wait until youfeel like you're good enough.
Even if you're worried, put onefoot in front of the other and
no one needs to know.
Not every boardroom wasdesigned for you to be there.
(15:29):
So show up with authority andbe proud to be in the moment.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
Well, you know, what's so interesting is that I
remember in my days in corporateAmerica that all the women
especially women who had, youknow, risen up the ranks, we
would all kind of joke with oneanother that we were so worried
that at some point someone wasgoing to come up behind us, tap
us on the shoulder and say wefigured it out.
Now You're not nearly as goodas we thought you were, and it's
(15:57):
just this thing that was withus.
Yeah, you were, and it's justthis thing that was with us.
And I love that advice that yousaid just don't be afraid, just
kind of put one foot in frontof the other and just maybe we
can use a little bit more ofwhat men have, which is just
assume you belong.
Assume that you are there andyou belong there.
Speaker 1 (16:15):
Yeah, you're good.
You have all the skills thatyou need right now to lead.
And women just need thatencouragement.
You have to find it within.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
I love that.
So this podcast is called Womenof Influence.
What does influence mean to you?
Speaker 1 (16:32):
Does influence mean to me?
It's not about the number ofpeople that know my name but
about the number of people thatare in a better position because
of me.
Oh, my God, I love that and Ireally like to think that I'm
helping bring other women along.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
Oh, my, that is.
I'm going to cry.
Your daughters are lucky tohave you as a role model.
Thank you Well, my lastquestion, which maybe we touched
on a little bit already, but ifyou could go back to your
younger self, who was justgetting started, what would you
want to say to?
Speaker 1 (17:03):
her?
That's a really great question.
Of course, there are thingslike you know enjoy the journey,
but I guess more so, believe inyourself that if you're waiting
for someone else to tell youyou're good enough, it's not
going to happen.
So know that you're good enoughand you deserve the position
(17:24):
and the role that you're in, andkeep climbing.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
Yeah, I love it.
Well, Amy, thank you so muchfor spending this time with us.
I really enjoyed theconversation and I'm excited to
see how you are going to helpchange the gaming industry for
women.
Thank you so much I appreciateit.
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