Press Play
Why Every Company Needs a Gaming Strategy
Published on 9. September 2025
Book
Hardback
192 pages
978-1-64782-615-4 (ISBN)
Description
An eye-opening look at the rapidly rising growth of gaming and the companies-including Peloton, Burberry, the New York Times, BMW, and Chipotle-that are using games to win over customers.
Today's consumers demand more than products-they crave immersive, personalized experiences. As a result, traditional marketing and engagement strategies have lost their edge. The new frontier? Gaming, where over three billion people worldwide spend their time, attention, and money.
In Press Play, Bastian Bergmann, cofounder and COO of Solsten, shows how visionary companies are capitalizing on gaming's unstoppable rise. Drawing on exclusive interviews and access to forward-thinking companies-ranging from Adidas and Puma to NASCAR and Unilever-Bergmann provides an insider's view of gaming's transformative power. He also delivers a practical road map for business leaders, offering strategies that range from low-risk partnerships to ambitious, full-scale gaming ventures.
Filled with cutting-edge insights and behind-the-scenes stories of iconic organizations and groundbreaking startups, Press Play will help you understand the lucrative world of video games and enable you to offer your customers what they really crave.
Today's consumers demand more than products-they crave immersive, personalized experiences. As a result, traditional marketing and engagement strategies have lost their edge. The new frontier? Gaming, where over three billion people worldwide spend their time, attention, and money.
In Press Play, Bastian Bergmann, cofounder and COO of Solsten, shows how visionary companies are capitalizing on gaming's unstoppable rise. Drawing on exclusive interviews and access to forward-thinking companies-ranging from Adidas and Puma to NASCAR and Unilever-Bergmann provides an insider's view of gaming's transformative power. He also delivers a practical road map for business leaders, offering strategies that range from low-risk partnerships to ambitious, full-scale gaming ventures.
Filled with cutting-edge insights and behind-the-scenes stories of iconic organizations and groundbreaking startups, Press Play will help you understand the lucrative world of video games and enable you to offer your customers what they really crave.
Reviews / Votes
Advance Praise for Press Play:"Press Play is essential for all brand builders who navigate a world where traditional ads lose impact, video views shorten, and new consumers demand engagement. Online gaming revenues are huge. Gaming builds brands, drives innovation, and can create lasting consumer connections in a digital-first era." - Ronald den Elzen, Chief Digital and Technology Officer, Heineken
"This book is filled with poignant case studies that not only demonstrate how to implement gaming as part of your business strategy but also provide insightful reasons and methods for doing so. It's an excellent primer for leaders, and I recommend it to any who are investigating how gaming could integrate with their business or to those who are looking for a fresh approach." - Tanya Watson, Studios General Manager, Xbox Game Studios, Microsoft
"Everything I need to thrive in business I learned from video games, and this book spells it out clearly. It's a must-read for anybody working in gaming or looking to enter this space." - Barry Dorf, Vice President, Global Licensing and Business Development, Hasbro
"Companies have to constantly innovate to keep up with ever-changing consumer needs. Gaming is the next big frontier. Press Play shows you how you can win in this new world." - Johann Harnoss, Partner and Associate Director, Innovation, Boston Consulting Group
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 163 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
407 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-64782-615-4 (9781647826154)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
09/2025
Harvard Business Review Press
€31.49
Available for download
Person
Bastian Bergmann is the cofounder and COO of Solsten, a technology startup that empowers companies to build deeply resonating, human-centered experiences for their audiences. Among its customers are globally recognized companies and brands such as Zynga, Electronic Arts, Sony, DraftKings, Peloton, Dentsu, and many more. He is also a former consultant at BCG.