Ubi_Rickas
08-03-2007, 09:22 AM
Hi all,
In this thread you will get the chance to ask the brand manager from Ubisoft UK questions about how the business here in the UK is run.
Please note this is strictly for business type questions. All questions will be considered but not all will be answered.
To start off here is a quick introduction:
What exactly is your job role and how does it relate to The Tom Clancy Franchise?
My job role is to champion the Tom Clancy franchise within the UK – internally and externally.
Internally this means coordinating a well balanced Marketing campaign/timeline across all departments including Media, Trade, PR, Sales and Community through the positioning of the product, setting the objectives and managing the budget to achieve those objectives. Basically all this is honed to maximize sell in & buzz at launch to drive sell through. It is imperative that each department has the tools to achieve this and an important part of the role is to act as the go between from the head office in Paris and the UK office.
Externally the role means maximizing opportunities with partnerships and supporting departments in external activities such as road shows, event participation, retail presentations/conferences, community tournaments, guerilla marketing etc...
How did you get to where you are today? What courses do you recommend for those wishing to follow a similar career path?
My path was one of hard graft.
Although I didn't really know what I wanted to do at 18, when I finished my A-Levels, I got a job at the 2nd Game store which opened in Birmingham in 1990. I had loved games since the age of 10 and it was jsut natural to want to work in something I loved. After 9 months as a shop floor assistant my passion & knowledge of games was noted and I became the Games Department buyer – the largest in the UK. Those were the days of Monkey Island, Turtles, Kick Off 2, Red Storm Rising, Dizzy this, Dizzy that, Master System, NES, Amstrad GX 4000 anyone, with the 16-bit machines just about to break – hugely exciting times. But the real love was to get into publishing and since then I have climbed the ladder through Merchandising, Sales and now Marketing, learning along the way within publishers including US Gold, Acclaim and now Ubisoft.
I would recommend securing a Degree at University and these days there are gaming specific degrees available but there is nothing wrong with taking this alternative route as long as you're willing to put the hours in. In fact the experience I have under my belt from the shop floor to the heady heights of Senior Brand Manager has really set me in good stead and offered a real understanding when communicating to all levels of people about games from the consumer to the boss.
Describe a typical day at work
Always different really. No day is typical either so a difficult question to answer.
Some key activities today included...
Morning
-answer emails from Sales, Trade, Community, God, PR, EMEA.
-meeting with INTEL & PIPEX to discuss partnership at Multiplay i31 & Fuse 07, communicate this to European Brand Manager and ensure attendance by GRAW2 PC Producer
-confirm dates for meetings with Free Radical Design (Haze developers) including Sony, Trade and their attendance at EIEF
-read through an interesting Bloomberg article saying Ubisoft are basically the dogs...
-check the release schedule and that all my products dates are correct and request final confirmation on Settlers 6 release date from Paris
-read through the latest Frag Dolls newsletter / update on forum discussions
Lunch
-Chicken and Sweetcorn baguette, Cheese and onion crisp, Snicker, Cola – really healthy I know.
-Pro Evo
Afternoon
- check emails and answer answers to this mornings answers.
- update Naruto Mktg plan and budget breakdown, with the latest media plan and ensure departments have updated their parts
- arrange meeting with Marketing Director to run through Naruto and Settlers 6 media plan and get approval to book
- confirm meeting with GamerTV in a few weeks for update on what they are doing
- call Warfighters to arrange for army camo netting, ammo boxes and sand bags to go to Multiplay i31 as discussed this morning, to dress the GRAW2 PC demo stand
- request banner assets from Paris to promote the 2nd August launch of the GRAW PS3 demo on PS Store – brief media agency with budget to target PS3 gaming channels online
- check back of box including text, age ratings, specs etc... for Settlers 6 and change where applicable
- setup up internal meeting with GameStadium – a new concept for a gaming arena in Bournemouth
-Export wish us to present in a couple of weeks to their Greek distributor so confirm date and time
-Andy the sales guy needs Naruto code for Play,com meeting tomorrow so sign out
So get your questions in and once a week they will be answered and the replies will be added to this thread
In this thread you will get the chance to ask the brand manager from Ubisoft UK questions about how the business here in the UK is run.
Please note this is strictly for business type questions. All questions will be considered but not all will be answered.
To start off here is a quick introduction:
What exactly is your job role and how does it relate to The Tom Clancy Franchise?
My job role is to champion the Tom Clancy franchise within the UK – internally and externally.
Internally this means coordinating a well balanced Marketing campaign/timeline across all departments including Media, Trade, PR, Sales and Community through the positioning of the product, setting the objectives and managing the budget to achieve those objectives. Basically all this is honed to maximize sell in & buzz at launch to drive sell through. It is imperative that each department has the tools to achieve this and an important part of the role is to act as the go between from the head office in Paris and the UK office.
Externally the role means maximizing opportunities with partnerships and supporting departments in external activities such as road shows, event participation, retail presentations/conferences, community tournaments, guerilla marketing etc...
How did you get to where you are today? What courses do you recommend for those wishing to follow a similar career path?
My path was one of hard graft.
Although I didn't really know what I wanted to do at 18, when I finished my A-Levels, I got a job at the 2nd Game store which opened in Birmingham in 1990. I had loved games since the age of 10 and it was jsut natural to want to work in something I loved. After 9 months as a shop floor assistant my passion & knowledge of games was noted and I became the Games Department buyer – the largest in the UK. Those were the days of Monkey Island, Turtles, Kick Off 2, Red Storm Rising, Dizzy this, Dizzy that, Master System, NES, Amstrad GX 4000 anyone, with the 16-bit machines just about to break – hugely exciting times. But the real love was to get into publishing and since then I have climbed the ladder through Merchandising, Sales and now Marketing, learning along the way within publishers including US Gold, Acclaim and now Ubisoft.
I would recommend securing a Degree at University and these days there are gaming specific degrees available but there is nothing wrong with taking this alternative route as long as you're willing to put the hours in. In fact the experience I have under my belt from the shop floor to the heady heights of Senior Brand Manager has really set me in good stead and offered a real understanding when communicating to all levels of people about games from the consumer to the boss.
Describe a typical day at work
Always different really. No day is typical either so a difficult question to answer.
Some key activities today included...
Morning
-answer emails from Sales, Trade, Community, God, PR, EMEA.
-meeting with INTEL & PIPEX to discuss partnership at Multiplay i31 & Fuse 07, communicate this to European Brand Manager and ensure attendance by GRAW2 PC Producer
-confirm dates for meetings with Free Radical Design (Haze developers) including Sony, Trade and their attendance at EIEF
-read through an interesting Bloomberg article saying Ubisoft are basically the dogs...
-check the release schedule and that all my products dates are correct and request final confirmation on Settlers 6 release date from Paris
-read through the latest Frag Dolls newsletter / update on forum discussions
Lunch
-Chicken and Sweetcorn baguette, Cheese and onion crisp, Snicker, Cola – really healthy I know.
-Pro Evo
Afternoon
- check emails and answer answers to this mornings answers.
- update Naruto Mktg plan and budget breakdown, with the latest media plan and ensure departments have updated their parts
- arrange meeting with Marketing Director to run through Naruto and Settlers 6 media plan and get approval to book
- confirm meeting with GamerTV in a few weeks for update on what they are doing
- call Warfighters to arrange for army camo netting, ammo boxes and sand bags to go to Multiplay i31 as discussed this morning, to dress the GRAW2 PC demo stand
- request banner assets from Paris to promote the 2nd August launch of the GRAW PS3 demo on PS Store – brief media agency with budget to target PS3 gaming channels online
- check back of box including text, age ratings, specs etc... for Settlers 6 and change where applicable
- setup up internal meeting with GameStadium – a new concept for a gaming arena in Bournemouth
-Export wish us to present in a couple of weeks to their Greek distributor so confirm date and time
-Andy the sales guy needs Naruto code for Play,com meeting tomorrow so sign out
So get your questions in and once a week they will be answered and the replies will be added to this thread