Brands In Play

Brands In Play
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Marketing
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to Brands in Play - The podcast where we explore immersive marketing and the people who are leading it.

  1. 3d ago

    Turning Black Mirror Into a Real-World Experience

    Episode 83 of Brands In Play features Joshua Rubin, writer of the Black Mirror Experience, on turning the series into a world you can walk into. Joshua joins Matt Daly to explain how the team preserved Black Mirror’s unsettling tone, made the VR headset part of the story, and used AI to give visitors an experience that gets personal. For brands building their own immersive experiences, there’s plenty to take away: choosing technology that fits, earning an IP owner’s trust, and giving people a reason to care once they’re through the door. #BrandsInPlay #blackmirror  #ImmersiveMarketing #experientialmarketing  #brandexperience  #virtualreality  #interactivestorytelling  Follow Joshua Rubin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshuarubinwriter/ Follow Subverse Narrative Consulting -  https://www.linkedin.com/company/subverse-narrative-consulting/ Follow Us: Co-Hosts: Nic Hill -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-hill-6553873/ Matt Daly - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalymatt/ Producer / Editor  Edward Regue -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-regue-%C2%A9-44b0421b2/ Website: https://www.brands-in-play.com/ #brandsinplay

    Turning Black Mirror Into a Real-World Experience

  2. 5d ago

    Subway, McDonald’s, Adidas & the Rise of IRL Brand Worlds | Ep. 82

    Episode 82 of Brands In Play features Nic Hill and Matt Daly covering a busy week of brands telling stories through gaming and IRL experiences, along with major interactive platform updates. Subway is giving ARC Raiders players in-game loot with qualifying meals. Adidas enters Toca Boca World with free sports items aimed at encouraging confidence, while DAISE brings its blind-box collecting mechanic from Roblox to Walmart. Across platforms Roblox faces another child-safety test in Australia, TikTok reportedly allowed paid advertisements selling illegal drugs through its own ad system, and Meta agrees to major product restrictions designed to protect younger users.  Outside of gaming, Poppi turned their New York billboard into a peel-and-win situation with a product reveal. Then we get right back into it with Discord moving its Quests product deeper into gameplay with PlayQuest+, rewarding players for completing specific actions inside the games they play. McDonald’s brings food inspired by XBOX IP Fallout 76, Halo, Forza Horizon 6, Overwatch, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush onto its UK and Ireland menus, alongside Xbox rewards.  The IRL section looks at Gorillaz, Clash of Clans, Peaky Blinders and Jumanji extending their worlds into physical experiences, while brands like Takis and Crocs built an experience from no established entertainment world. Finally, Fanta introduces its own AI-created Halloween characters, Lacoste turns its crocodile into the star of a series of animated shorts, and Gap continues building its “fashiontainment” operation with former Walmart executive and past Brands In Play guest Justin Breton. A lot happened. We have opinions. #brandsinplay #marketing  #ImmersiveMarketing #brandactivations  #experientialmarketing  #arcraiders  #xbox  #tocabocaworld  #roblox  Follow Us: Co-Hosts: Nic Hill -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-hill-6553873/ Matt Daly - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalymatt/ Producer / Editor  Edward Regue -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-regue-%C2%A9-44b0421b2/ Website: https://www.brands-in-play.com/ #brandsinplay

    Subway, McDonald’s, Adidas & the Rise of IRL Brand Worlds | Ep. 82

  3. Aug 25

    Roblox Invades Fortnite, Netflix Pulls Back and Battlefield Gets Top Gun

    In Episode 81: Mattel is building a game studio, Netflix is closing two, Sony launches a glossy PS5 campaign and the comments turn it into a protest over physical game discs. A viral hit born on Roblox gets officially licensed into Fortnite. Then Battlefield adds Top Gun and, against all odds, its players are actually into it. Nic Hill and Matt Daly get into the common thread: gaming companies want more mileage from IP, but the audience still decides what belongs. When an integration respects the game, players accept it.  When it doesn’t, the comments section takes over the campaign. #BrandsInPlay #GamingNews #ImmersiveMarketing #fortnitefunny  #Roblox #Battlefield6 #TopGun #Mattel #NetflixGames #PlayStation  Follow Us: Co-Hosts: Nic Hill -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-hill-6553873/ Matt Daly - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalymatt/ Producer / Editor  Edward Regue -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-regue-%C2%A9-44b0421b2/ Website: https://www.brands-in-play.com/ #brandsinplay

    Roblox Invades Fortnite, Netflix Pulls Back and Battlefield Gets Top Gun

  4. Aug 24

    Every Brand Already Has a Gaming Audience | Joshua Pool | Xbox Media Solutions

    Episode 80 of Brands In Play features Josh Pool, Partner Manager and Entertainment Lead at Xbox Media Solutions. Ever wonder how Xbox helps brands activate? Josh talks Nic Hill through Xbox’s work with advertisers, from Hershey’s and KitKat to Monster Energy’s Call of Duty partnership and Predator: Badlands.  He explains how the team finds the right audience and builds campaigns around the way people already play. EVERY brand has gamers as part of its customer base. The challenge is understanding where they play and earning the right to meet them there. #BrandsInPlay #Xbox #GamingMarketing #BrandPartnerships #ImmersiveMarketing Chapters: Intro - 00:00  Xbox Media Solutions Interview - 01:20 Follow Joshua Pool - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshrpool/ Follow Xbox Media Solutions - https://www.linkedin.com/company/xbox-media-solutions Follow Us: Co-Hosts: Nic Hill -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-hill-6553873/ Matt Daly - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalymatt/ Producer | Editor  Edward Regue -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-regue-%C2%A9-44b0421b2/ Website: https://www.brands-in-play.com/ #brandsinplay

    Every Brand Already Has a Gaming Audience | Joshua Pool | Xbox Media Solutions

  5. Aug 17

    How Brands Enter AAA Games Without Losing Gamers

    Episode 79 of Brands In Play with Nic Hill and new guest co-host Matt Daly features David Sheldon-Hicks, CEO and co-founder of creative studio Territory Studio. David takes us inside Territory’s work across Medal of Honor, Call of Duty, Need for Speed and the new 007 First Light. He explains why a cutscene should never feel like filler, how Territory approaches game cinematics differently from film, and why forced product placement quickly loses players. For brands, his advice is to get closer to developers and stop treating gaming like another media format. The interesting work happens when brands create something custom, strange and specific to the game. Nic and Matt also cover GTA VI’s Netflix premiere, Payday’s move into Fortnite and film, a new movie campaign built as a playable Discord game, and the unofficial KFC UGC gaming content that attracted over 70 million visits on Roblox!  #BrandsInPlay #GamingMarketing #BrandIntegration #AAAGaming #TerritoryStudio #GameDevelopment #ImmersiveMarketing  Chapters: Intro - 00:00  Announcements - 02:19 News - 05:58 Live Nation | Livewire Interview - 21:50 Subscribe - 45:17 Follow David Sheldon-Hicks - https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-sheldon-hicks/ Follow Territory Studio - https://www.linkedin.com/company/territory-studio/ Follow Us: Co-Hosts: Nic Hill -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-hill-6553873/ Matt Daly -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/dalymatt/ Producer / Editor  Edward Regue -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-regue-%C2%A9-44b0421b2/ Website: https://www.brands-in-play.com/ #brandsinplay

    How Brands Enter AAA Games Without Losing Gamers

  6. Aug 10

    Live Nation Built an Always-On Music Festival in Roblox | Anubhav Mehrotra & Ryan Dow

    Episode 78 of Brands In Play, hosted by Nic Hill and Ely Santos, features Anubhav Mehrotra of Live Nation and Ryan Dow of Livewire, who break down the strategy behind Music Festival Tycoon on Roblox. The persistent game lets players build stages, book artists and create festivals of their own. Its latest integration introduces Lollapalooza as the game’s first real-world festival and CORTIS as its first featured artist. As Anubhav explains, the team “built the fun before we added the fame.” They focused on creating a game people wanted to play before introducing major artists, festival IP and brand partners. The result is what Anubhav describes as a publishing strategy rather than a marketing strategy. An established experience that brands can enter without needing to build and maintain their own Roblox game. In this week’s news, Nic and Ely also cover Disney opening its IP catalogue to TikTok creators, the privacy backlash facing Meta’s smart glasses, Netflix’s new branded mini-golf game and Apple’s reported focus on fitness for its future glasses. #Roblox #GamingMarketing #ImmersiveMarketing #BrandedEntertainment #SmartGlasses Chapters: Intro - 00:00  Announcements - 01:24 News - 03:00 Live Nation | Livewire Interview - 16:24 Subscribe - 41:16 Follow Anubhav Mehrotra - https://www.linkedin.com/in/anubhav-mehrotra/ Follow Live Nation Entertainment - https://www.linkedin.com/company/live-nation/ Follow Ryan Dow - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rrdow/ Follow Livewire - https://www.linkedin.com/company/livewiregroupintl/ Follow Us: Co-Hosts: Nic Hill -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-hill-6553873/ Ely Santos -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/ely-santos-tech/ Producer / Editor  Edward Regue -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-regue-%C2%A9-44b0421b2/ Website: https://www.brands-in-play.com/ #brandsinplay

    Live Nation Built an Always-On Music Festival in Roblox | Anubhav Mehrotra & Ryan Dow

  7. Aug 3

    Why Gaming Is the New Comic Book | Monica Austin

    Episode 77 of Brands In Play features a special rebroadcast from our friends at This Could Work https://www.youtube.com/@saylor_agency Host Will Trowbridge sits down with Monica Austin, SVP and CMO at Blizzard Entertainment, to explore her career across Fox, Facebook, Netflix, Calm and Blizzard and the creative risks behind each move. Monica also discusses why gaming IP is becoming the foundation for the next generation of entertainment franchises, the power of established communities and what brands can learn from serving fans who care deeply about the worlds they inhabit. Watch / Listen to the full episode now. Follow Will Trowbridge - https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-trowbridge/ Follow Monica Austin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/monica-austin-07a9403/ Follow Saylor - https://www.linkedin.com/company/saylor-agency/ Follow Blizzard - https://www.linkedin.com/company/blizzard-entertainment/ Follow Us: Co-Hosts: Nic Hill -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-hill-6553873/ Brandon Iverson -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-iverson11/ Producer / Editor / Social Media Manager Edward Regue -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-regue-%C2%A9-44b0421b2/ Website: https://www.brands-in-play.com/ #GamingMarketing #BrandStrategy #EntertainmentMarketing #BrandsInPlay

    Why Gaming Is the New Comic Book | Monica Austin

  8. Jul 27

    Discord Is Changing Gaming Communities and Brand Participation | Adam Bauer

    Episode 76 of Brands In Play explores why Discord is becoming bigger than gaming. Nic Hill and Brandon Iverson are joined by Adam Bauer, Vice President of Advertising Solutions at Discord, to discuss how the platform is connecting community, discovery, commerce, entertainment and play. Adam breaks down how Discord Quests reward participation, why brands need a clear reason to build a server and how campaigns for Mission: Impossible and The Odyssey turned entertainment marketing into interactive community experiences. The episode also explores why most fans do not build anything and why brands should empower the small group of creators who carry a community. Plus, Aston Martin’s digital-only Call of Duty vehicle, Discord’s Trending Games page and Fortnite’s Hot Bat Summer. Is Discord becoming the infrastructure behind the gaming industry? Watch the full episode now. #Discord #GamingMarketing #GamingCommunities #CommunityMarketing #ImmersiveMarketing Chapters: Intro - 00:00  Announcements - 01:40 News - 03:46 Adam Bauer Interview - 15:24 Subscribe - 39:38 Follow Adam Bauer - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamrbauer/ Follow Discord - https://www.linkedin.com/company/discord/ Follow Us: Co-Hosts: Nic Hill -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/nic-hill-6553873/ Brandon Iverson -  https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandon-iverson11/ Producer / Editor  Edward Regue -   https://www.linkedin.com/in/edward-regue-%C2%A9-44b0421b2/ Website: https://www.brands-in-play.com/ #brandsinplay

    Discord Is Changing Gaming Communities and Brand Participation | Adam Bauer
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Welcome to Brands in Play - The podcast where we explore immersive marketing and the people who are leading it.

Information

  • Creator
    Brands In Play
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    83
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Brands In Play
  • Show Website
    Brands In Play

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