Cherry Pick Talent is a leading creative influencer agency with a good chunk of its work dedicated to games. They work with global talents and come up with creative campaigns for their clients, such as TikTok, Epic (Lego Fortnite), and many more.
George Ince is an Award-winning Influencer Marketing Specialist with 11 + years of experience working with top-tier global brands, agencies, and talent across strategy, sales, and delivery.
We spoke with George, Head of Partnerships EMEA at Cherry Pick Talent, about the challenges mobile games face when working with influencers. He explained that mobile games often aim to appeal to a broad audience, which can make it difficult to leverage the targeted impact of carefully selected influencers who excel at engaging specific niches.
Can you share a bit about your career path and tell us what motivated you to join Cherry Pick Talent and the focus of your role here?
I’ve spent many years in the world of influencer marketing, seeing it evolve from a new and somewhat daunting concept for brands into the powerful creator economy we know today.
Early in my career, and at the peak of the industry’s boom, I worked for leading multi-channel networks (MCN) StyleHaul and Studio71, where I helped build close integrations with YouTube. This sparked an interest in, and passion for, the true power of influencers – from their ability to drive awareness through sponsored content, through to the role they play in full-funnel, multi-channel marketing strategies.
In my current role as Head of Partnerships at global influencer marketing agency Cherry Pick Talent, I lead client relations for some of the biggest gaming studios in the world, activating campaigns across EMEA and North America. Our approach to influencer marketing takes a full-funnel approach with a focus on building deep, long-term relationships with creators and brands.
Image Credit: Cherry Pick Team
Cherry Pick Talent has an in-house gaming studio—can you describe the key areas your in-house projects focus on?
Cherry Pick Gaming is our in-game activation specialism – developed to answer an underserved but important challenge in the industry; how to bring brands, influencers and gaming together.
Until now, each of these specialisms operated in silos. Bringing them under one roof allows us to build seamless branded integrations that enhance the player experience and amplify in-game content through creators that are perfectly matched through a combination of industry-standard data and deep relationships.
We’re committed to setting the standard for in-game branded experiences that enhance player moments, rather than feeling intrusive. As part of this, we’re educating brands and developers on emerging best practices in influencer marketing, while continuing to expand our gaming expertise by exploring new integration opportunities within our creator network.
Image Credit: Cherry Pick Talent
What do companies expect from Cherry Pick Talent in influencer marketing, and how do you ensure campaigns resonate with both gamers and the brand’s requests?
As influencer marketing has evolved, so too have the expectations of what successful content looks like. Campaigns need to resonate with audiences while also aligning with brand objectives and messaging. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach, which means we need to strike a careful balance between creativity, authenticity, and impact.
The first step towards achieving this is to really get under the skin of individual brands – our team of talented influencer marketers and passionate gamers prioritize understanding their brand identity, target audience, and goals.
Next, we make sure to consider all types of talent. Whether it’s an A-list celebrity, a creator megastar, or a micro-influencer, we work with brands to make sure they’re collaborating with the best and most relevant creators for them.
Combining all these elements puts us in the best position to create content that feels genuine while still delivering against objectives. It’s this balance that ensures we’re able to deliver campaigns that stand out and leave a lasting impact.
What are the main challenges Cherry Pick Talent faces when producing and marketing in-game brand experiences?
Our main challenge is working with our clients to persuade them to try something new, especially in today’s economic climate where brands are focused on maximising their return on ad spend (ROAS).
We approach any concerns about stepping into new territory by providing our clients with detailed performance forecasts and creating campaigns that are designed to exceed expectations.
Giving clients clarity around expected results and the ultimate end goal of any campaign integrations is essential, as this gives them confidence that their investment will deliver a meaningful impact. This not only mitigates risk but also ensures we maintain strong client relationships.
Why does mobile gaming require a different approach compared to traditional game marketing?
Understanding why, when, and how audiences play mobile games is fundamental to our success. Every mobile game is different, and each segment of a single game’s audience will play differently and for different reasons. For example, mobile gaming sessions are more sporadic than console or PC gaming sessions.
Because of this, we work closely with our mobile game partners to analyze their on-platform data and identify key gameplay drivers to incorporate into our influencer marketing strategies. Audience demographic data, social platforms of interest, gaming hours, average session length, and community trends all feed into our creator selection process alongside the campaign mechanics and creative solutions.
There are a lot of moving parts to navigate but understanding how multiple small decisions add up to drive best-in-class performance is critical.
How important is it to select the right influencers for niche audiences, and what lessons can be drawn from past instances where influencers may have been misused?
Genuine advocacy and partnering with talent who can authentically relay the reason they play to their community is crucial to a campaign’s success. Forced promotions that look and feel transactional will always fail – it has to be believable to be successful.
Niche audiences are hyper-discerning, so any communications intended for them need to be carefully designed, and proper due diligence is key. Set out with a genuine curiosity to understand what makes your community tick and give them something of value that goes beyond a promotional message.
Can you tell us how you use influencers for more ‘unhinged’ marketing approaches without sacrificing authenticity?
It’s a common misconception that influencers can only add value when it comes to content creation and activation. But in reality, tapping into their deep understanding of their audiences and involving them in the creative process from the beginning can make the difference between a good and a great piece of content.
We approach this by hosting focus groups and consultation sessions where content creators work directly with us and our brand partners, sharing their insights and helping shape campaign direction.
This helps us deliver ideas that are original and authentic and opens the door to more unconventional – or unhinged – approaches.
As the influencer marketing and gaming industries continue to evolve, what emerging trends or innovations do you foresee, and how might they shape the future of brand engagement?
Brands that wouldn’t traditionally consider games as an activation platform are starting to recognise the relevance and value of gaming audiences, including the deep brand engagement that’s achievable through in-game experiences. With the likes of Charlotte Tilbury and Disney already investing heavily in the space, we expect many more household names to follow suit.
In terms of execution, viewing players as people and tapping into the human aspect of what games mean to them offers fertile territory to innovate and resonate. From creating games for hyper-niche audiences to engaging players through IRL experiences or supporting causes like our Subway Surfers campaign with Playing for the Planet, gaming is driving meaningful real-world impact.
People play games for entertainment. But they also play to feel connected and part of something – both on and offline.
Used effectively, influencers will continue to offer brands a vital human voice to help bridge the gap between products and why they matter in people’s lives.
