Senior marketing and business leader with over a decade of video game marketing, advertising, and product management experience. Been a key contributor or leader of marketing 4 different massive video game franchises: Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, Destiny, and now Clash of Clans.
Currently leading marketing for mobile gaming developer Supercell, makers of hit games Clash of Clans, Boom Beach, and Hay Day.
Specialties: Brand marketing, product management, digital marketing & CRM, marketing research, business plan development, project management, IT system development & integration.
Marketing Lead @ • Currently leading all global marketing activities for Supercell, across media planning/buying, brand marketing, marketing art services, and marketing analytics. From March 2015 to Present (10 months) San Francisco Bay AreaBrand Marketing Lead @ • Established brand marketing function for Supercell, leading all brand marketing activities for hit mobile games Clash of Clans, Hay Day, and Boom Beach. From July 2013 to March 2015 (1 year 9 months) San Francisco Bay AreaSenior Director, Product Management @ • Led marketing activities for the hotly-anticipated new gaming universe Destiny under development at Bungie, the creators of Halo.
• Leading a cross-functional (and cross-company) team through planning across a wide variety of business and marketing issues, including: marketing strategy, product strategy, monetization modeling, partnership & business development, and more. From August 2010 to June 2013 (2 years 11 months) Director, Global Brand Management @ • The global business owner for DJ Hero, responsible for brand expansion, multiple product marketing teams and developer relationships.
• Guided the introduction of DJ Hero, the highest grossing video game property introduction of 2009, with key achievements in award-winning online marketing, community-building, trial, and maximizing celebrity endorsements.
• Drove portfolio-level strategic planning and new product evaluation to fuel franchise growth through 2012. Worked with game developers, music licensing, and other partners to identify and assess opportunities and make recommendations to executive leadership, establishing a 3-year plan. From November 2008 to August 2010 (1 year 10 months) Senior Global Brand Manager @ • Led global marketing activities for the release of Guitar Hero World Tour. Outsold nearest competitor 2:1 in the key holiday season and drove Guitar Hero to 2nd straight year as the #1 grossing franchise in video games. Responsibilities included devising product positioning, marketing plans and global advertising creative & media, leading a cross-functional team of domestic and international consumer and retail marketers and executing cross-category partnerships with Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s & KFC.
• Established initial plans for Guitar Hero: On Tour, the #1 DS title of 2008. Responsibilities included devising product positioning, and developing marketing plans prior to handing off to another marketing team.
• Managed all marketing/business activities for games developed by id Software, including landmark brands Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein. Responsibilities include leading decisions regarding introducing new products, expanding established brands, and defining partnership terms. From March 2007 to November 2008 (1 year 9 months) Global Brand Manager @ • Led all global marketing activities related to the launch of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars under direction of key members from id Software. Responsibilities include establishing key strategies and managing cross-functional teams to execute tactics and achieve marketing objectives. From March 2006 to March 2007 (1 year 1 month) Associate Brand Manager @ • Assisted in all marketing and brand management activities leading to the launch of Call of Duty 2 (PC, Xbox 360) -- the #1-selling Xbox 360 launch title -- and Call of Duty 2: Big Red One (PS2, Xbox, GameCube) -- a top 5 overall game in 2005. From May 2005 to March 2006 (11 months) Associate Brand Manager @ • Managed the marketing strategy, execution and launch of a variety of titles, targeting diverse audiences on most major gaming platforms.
• Shipped 3 Holiday 2004 titles, including Axis & Allies (Top 10 PC game at launch) and 2 Duel Masters SKUs (PlayStation 2 and GameBoy Advance adaptations of the hit trading card game). Developed the plan to release the Xbox version of the award-winning PC game, Sid Meier’s Pirates.
• Successfully performed a wide array of brand management activities, including writing marketing plans; forecasting and budgeting; developing packaging, advertising campaigns and product websites; directing primary and secondary market research; and partnering with internal and external producers, developers and marketing services agencies. From July 2004 to March 2005 (9 months) Marketing Intern @ • Developed a plan for a revamped “Never-Ending Learning Club,” recommending a narrower set of internet-enabled platforms and a more focused value proposition based on lead user data.
• Evaluated a potential acquisition target specializing in educational video games, which included “kid-testing” with 5 to 8 year-olds, and presenting recommendations to the senior executive team.
• Aided in the completion of a three-year business plan for the Consumer Direct group, tasked with modeling new product revenues with a goal of $100MM by year 3. From June 2003 to August 2003 (3 months) Project Manager @ • Led marketing system implementation for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Initial system-run campaigns increased revenue per ad impression 6X and eliminated $250K in annual costs.
• Co-led requirements prioritization for BestBuy.com, cutting design time by 6 months.
• Led user experience design team for InStyle.com (a Time Warner property).
• Defined components of an e-commerce strategy for an online medical product marketplace. Final report resulted in shift from market expansion strategy to increased services to existing market.
• Spearheaded internal initiative to develop new methods/tools to measure and improve e-commerce performance, which were incorporated and used on successive client projects.
• Conducted an evaluation of leading e-commerce software platforms for Unilever. From October 1999 to June 2002 (2 years 9 months) Business Analyst @ • Worked on a pilot team for Citigroup, developing web applications for a new loyalty product.
• Helped write strategic plan for Sylvan Learning Systems, identifying new online opportunities.
• Completed a knowledge management initiative for a European division of Citigroup; responsibilities included interviewing Citi executives and designing solutions. From August 1997 to September 1999 (2 years 2 months)
MBA, Marketing & Product Development @ MIT Sloan School of Management From 2002 to 2004 B.Comm., Marketing & Strategic Management @ McGill University From 1994 to 1997 Ryan Wener is skilled in: Product Management, Marketing Research, Business Development, Project Management, Cross-functional Team Leadership, Leadership, Forecasting, Video Games, Online Gaming, Monetization, Interactive Entertainment, Global Marketing, Gaming Industry, Product Marketing, CRM