Aaron Kaufman

Aaron Kaufman has been working in the gaming industry since 2004 as a social media marketing leader and community architect. Getting his start at Electronic Arts Los Angeles on the Lord of the Rings and Command & Conquer franchises, Aaron helped pioneer EA’s approach to global community management and social media marketing. In 2010, he joined the team at THQ (now 2K Sports), evolving fan bases for their WWE and UFC game titles into powerhouse followings. He then found a long-lasting home at Santa Monica Studio (creators of the God of War franchise) in 2012, setting out to establish one of Sony Interactive Entertainment's most prolific studios as a renowned brand in the gaming industry. Most recently worked with the team on the studio marketing partnerships and social media strategy surrounding the launch of God of War, 2018's Game of the Year.

2:20 pm–3:00 pm — Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Case Study: Creating Meaningful Social Media Relationships

When our brands are empathetic, appreciative, compassionate, recognizant, responsive, supportive, emotive, that can drive the strongest resonance and affinity with our audiences. At Santa Monica Studio, we embrace this to the fullest to engage and empower our fans. Hear how we've transformed our social media strategy from being a digital billboard, to a powerful, connective voice with our audience that significantly helped elevate our studio brand and ongoing critical success of the latest God of War.

Session takeaways:

• The importance of having an authentic voice of your brand to build trust and friendship with your audience
• Why user-generated content is a vital component of social media marketing
• How recognizing and honoring your audience across the digital barrier can have an exponential positive brand impact
• Empowering influential leaders in your company to develop a relationship with your audience