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Hannah, Partnerships & Product Marketing at Activision Blizzard King : Advize Career Interview
From State Department internships in France to unexpected real estate training at Lidl, this professional's path took an exciting turn towards a dream role at Activision Blizzard King.
The work involves a dynamic mix of partnerships and product marketing for Candy Crush Saga, from negotiating brand collaborations to shaping go-to-market strategies and feature positioning.
A day in the life is filled with meetings with potential partners and platform giants like Apple and Google, followed by individual project work and presentations for leadership buy-in.
Success in this role hinges on strong communication, collaboration, and detail-orientation, navigating conflicting leadership perspectives and building genuine relationships. The best part?
The lighthearted nature of the gaming industry and the constant learning opportunities.
To thrive, it helps to be a people person passionate about entertainment, and knowing that building alliances and understanding senior leadership's perspectives on partnerships is invaluable.
Entry-level hopefuls should target internships at gaming studios and highlight transferable skills.
A key takeaway from this professional's experience is that extracurriculars like singing groups and tutoring can provide invaluable leadership and teamwork skills.
Navigating the industry as a woman has cultivated empathy and encouraged a focus on personal strengths, emphasizing the importance of mentors, sponsors, and a strong voice in male-dominated environments.
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Hannah Untereiner
Partnerships & Product Marketing
Activision Blizzard King
Yale University
UCLA Anderson, MBA
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Political Science, American Studies
Gaming
Communication and Marketing
Scholarship Recipient
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Career Path of a Partnerships and Product Marketing at Activision Blizzard King
Hannah's career path began with a State Department internship in France, promoting US-French business relations which led to an unexpected opportunity at Lidl where Hannah gained "360 training of real estate" leading to a role at a DC-based developer. Covid and the inability to perform with Hannah's band, Hannah realized that "my real passion lies in the entertainment space" leading to Hannah's current role at Activision Blizzard King.
Responsibilities of a Partnerships and Product Marketing Manager at Activision Blizzard King
Hannah's main responsibilities at Activision Blizzard King are split between partnerships and product marketing for Candy Crush Saga; in partnerships, this means sourcing and negotiating brand and music collaborations, as well as "negotiating featuring slots on the Apple store and the Google store" to market the game, while in product marketing, this means assisting the go-to-market team in bringing campaigns to life and working with product teams to position new features and "put marketing wrappers around those new features."
A Day In The Life Of A Partnerships And Product Marketing At Activision Blizzard King
A product marketing and partnerships manager at Activision Blizzard King spends the day in numerous meetings, such as with "a potential partner" to identify synergies and alignment between audiences and strategies, or with platform partners like Google or Apple to secure support and featuring for game tournaments. After these collaborative meetings, the manager focuses on individual projects, summarizing next steps, and preparing presentations for leadership buy-in, emphasizing that "most of my day is coordinating with other people."
Most Important Skills for Partnerships and Product Marketing at Activision Blizzard King
For a Partnerships & Product Marketing role at Activision Blizzard King, Hannah emphasizes strong communication skills as paramount due to the need to effectively interact with diverse internal and external stakeholders while knowing how to tailor information sharing appropriately, balancing transparency with confidentiality, and that collaboration is also key, as one needs to "show up in a way that makes people excited to wanna work with you," and being detail-oriented helps manage the fast pace and ensures timely task completion.
Favorite Parts Of Being A Partnerships And Product Marketing At Activision Blizzard King
Hannah enjoys the dynamic nature of their role at Activision Blizzard King, finding it exciting that "no two days are the same" and constantly learns and grows by meeting new people and understanding how they operate. They also appreciate the variety of tasks and people they interact with, even though they acknowledge consistent engagement with some people more regularly.
Biggest Challenges For Partnerships and Product Marketing at Activision Blizzard King
The biggest challenge for Partnerships & Product Marketing at Activision Blizzard King is navigating conflicting perspectives from senior leadership, which can necessitate restarting strategies or pausing progress. This requires "finding that balance" between forward momentum and securing buy-in early on to avoid delays while also understanding their perspective.
Favorite Parts of Working in the Video Game Industry as a Partnerships and Product Marketing
Hannah enjoys the lightheartedness of working on video games, appreciating that "it's really not the end of the world" when mistakes happen, which fosters a fun and less serious work environment; this enjoyable atmosphere stems from creating content that people "really love."
What Type Of Person Thrives In The Gaming Industry, According To A Partnerships And Product Marketing Leader At Activision Blizzard
To thrive in Partnerships & Product Marketing at Activision Blizzard King, Hannah believes it is helpful to be a "people person" who enjoys building relationships; while passion for gaming isn't required, "being passionate about entertainment in some capacity" and demonstrating that "fire" through strong opinions can foster camaraderie with colleagues who are deeply invested in the gaming world. It is also important to care enough to learn about the specific games being worked on in order to "speak intelligently about it and relate to other people".
What a Partnerships and Product Marketing Professional at Activision Blizzard King Wishes They Had Known Before Entering the Video Game Industry
Hannah wishes someone had advised her to investigate the perspectives of senior leadership regarding brand partnerships before entering the industry because "if senior leaders are gung-ho about partnerships," it significantly eases the partnerships team's work. Specifically, understanding whether leaders "see growth in that area in the business going forward or not" is crucial, as brand partnerships often face underinvestment compared to performance marketing, which has a clearer ROI.
Entry-Level Positions For Aspiring Partnerships And Product Marketing
Hannah from Activision Blizzard King recommends that undergrad and graduate students should prioritize internships at gaming studios like Activision Blizzard King, Riot, and Epic, where many interns transition into full-time roles; to obtain entry-level positions, Hannah suggests leveraging experience from other industries by communicating "transferable skills," especially if lacking direct gaming experience.
Significant Career Lesson From A Partnerships At Activision Blizzard King
Hannah at Activision Blizzard King emphasizes the importance of building genuine relationships in the workplace by noting that you "attract more bees with honey," which allows one to "forge alliances" that are beneficial for information gathering and creating a supportive network of friendly faces. Approaching networking authentically, by getting to know people and learning from them before needing anything, builds confidence and opens doors to valuable insights and collaborative opportunities.
College Experiences That Helped A Partnerships And Product Marketing At Activision Blizzard King Succeed
Hannah believes that extracurricular activities in college were more impactful to career success than academic studies. Involvement in singing groups, tutoring, and managing a late-night cafe provided invaluable experiences in leadership, teamwork, and navigating difficult conversations, leading to the realization that "99% of life is working with people in some capacity."
How Identity Has Influenced a Partnerships and Product Marketing Career at Activision Blizzard King
Navigating a career as a woman in business, particularly in male-dominated environments, has fostered empathy and encouraged leaning into personal strengths; as Hannah explains, there's a need to recognize, "if you're in the meeting, you deserve to be there". To combat societal pressures, Hannah emphasizes actively seeking mentors and sponsors of all genders, and fostering alliances across companies while also remembering not to let being the "only woman in the room" be a deterrent but rather an opportunity to speak up.
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