Overview: I was tasked with the competitor analysis, research, and kickoff presentation (which I led) for one of Jam City's highest-performing titles — Disney Emoji Blitz (DEB).
The focus was on expanding the advertising reach of the game to TikTok, a platform that had not yet been explored by the company. Jam City primarily allocated its advertising budget to Google UAC, Facebook, and ad networks, leaving TikTok untapped. This presented a unique opportunity for our team to bring a fresh perspective to DEB's advertising strategy.
Overview:
This presentation is private. To view, reach out to me directly at sabrinastone22@gmail.com
One of the unique graduation requirements at Claremont McKenna College was writing a senior thesis and mine has become my favorite memento encapsulating my entire experience inside and outside of the classroom. I drew from my favorite academic subjects, professional internships and experiences, passion projects, and deep personal discovery.
The resulting topic: the intersection of video game mechanics and product marketing. I was honored to receive the "Best Thesis in Business, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship" award from the Randall Lewis Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
"Playing to Win: The Effects of Implementing Gamification Strategies in Product Marketing"
The Project
Titled "Playing to Win: The Effects of Implementing Gamification Strategies in Product Marketing," my thesis represents a 92-page investigation into how gamification strategies can positively impact product marketing strategies.
I wanted my work to transcend qualitative analysis, so I added a production and empirical element as well. I put my hypothesis to the test by conducting my own A/B Test using Google Ads (generously sponsored by the Gould Center for Humanistic Studies) on two different video ads, both of which I animated myself—one with gamification elements and one without.
Results
The results were illuminating: My two-week A/B test garnered 50,969 total impressions, 10,811 views, and 145 clicks across both of my creative video assets. Importantly, my hypothesis was validated—the gamified asset accumulated more clicks, impressions, and engagements, as well as a higher click-through rate (CTR) and lower cost per click (CPC).
Looking back on my campaign, I see both success in my objectives and many areas that can be substantially improved and developed. I was thrilled to see that the data validated and proved my initial hypothesis that creative assets that apply gamification strategies will achieve higher performance compared to non-gamified creative assets due to the engaging nature of gamification measured by engagement, impressions, and CPM. As the data reflects, these three metrics were all favorable towards the gamified asset over the non-gamified video. I am pleased that my initial thoughts and conjecture was proven correct through the evidence of data.
Jam City Internship
"Disney Emoji Blitz Intern Kickoff"