#BehindtheIMC: Glenn Gillis on gaming and marketing
Sea Monster offers game design and development services to large corporations and public benefit organisations in South Africa, across Africa and around the world.
It operates at the intersection of play and purpose, using storytelling and the power of games to offer solutions to global problems by driving business goals and social outcomes.
As the inaugural chairperson of Games for Change Africa - the regional chapter of the global Games for Change nonprofit organisation, founded in New York 20 years ago – Gillis works to promote the idea that games can have an impact beyond pure entertainment.
“Our chapter brings together a diverse range of skills, expertise and capacity, to celebrate and promote opportunities in the serious gaming space for games in Africa, made by Africa, for the world.”
Its flagship event is our Games for Change Africa event held annually in December as part of Africa Games Week.
How would you describe yourself in one word?
Passionate.
Why/how does that word reflect who you are?
I think you can either accept the world as it is, or you can try to make a change. I fundamentally want to make the world a better place, or at least try.
What excites you the most about your industry?
The ability to give people a sense of agency in their life. Most people are passive recipients of a marketing message or a learning outcome and it doesn't need to be that way. People can, through their own actions, make their lives better. Games make this agency possible like no other medium in the marketing and learning space. That’s why we do the work that we do.
What trend, for you, is important for the industry and why?
Games are going to be a critical part of the modern marketing mix and we are just starting to see this wave breaking. We have been at the forefront of this for 13 years now and it is amazing to see how marketers are really starting to view games as a serious and effective way to connect with communities and drive brand equity through storytelling and experiences.
What gives you the most satisfaction in your work?
The fact that Sea Monster exists and that we have brought together some of the best, most creative people around a common vision to deliver incredible work, while developing careers in a crazy creative industry - that’s what makes my job all the more exciting.
What excites you about the upcoming IMC and being a speaker at the event?
It's a huge privilege to be in the room with some of the leading marketing minds around and to be able to share some of our experiences with them. I look forward to discussing what we've done, learning from others and genuinely promoting games as a critical way for brands to connect with their communities in a meaningful way.
What will you be talking about at the conference, without giving away too much?
Games are the ultimate consideration phase tool in the modern marketing mix.
What is the most important lesson you have learned in your career?
That success is managing failure.
Given the above what advice do you have for a young person looking to enter the industry?
You need to be good. You need to be professional. You need to show up You need to be nice – and you need to be somebody who people want to have on their team.
About the Nedbank IMC 2024
In-person tickets to the Nedbank IMC 2024 on 19 September are sold out. Book your virtual ticket and you will automatically be added to the in-person waiting list should you wish to be upgraded if a space becomes available.
Virtual tickets are priced at R1,499 excluding VAT. For more information and to book, visit IMC.
The annual Nedbank IMC Conference is Africa’s foremost integrated marketing conference. This conference has more CMOs, senior marketers and agency leaders attending than any other in Africa and is relevant to anyone in the business of communication.
The Nedbank IMC is presented in association with MASA, in collaboration with the ACA, in partnership with the DMASA and is endorsed by the IAB.
