Jonathan Stringfield
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stringfield.bsky.social
Jonathan Stringfield
@stringfield.bsky.social
VP @ Microsoft. Author of “Get in the Game,” Advisor, Professor. Prev Activision Blizzard/Xbox, Twitter, Facebook. PhD Sociologist, Msrmnt Scientist
From “Ope” to Pope: A Chicago Story
May 8, 2025 at 6:30 PM
The future of audience engagement hinges on a simple question: Where is the love?

As affective, personalized media rises in importance, understanding marketing experiences that consumers love, such as gaming, becomes all the more important - including mapping the future of agenetic AI experiences
The Rise of Affective Media
The future of audience engagement hinges on a simple question: Where is the love?
stringfield.substack.com
April 18, 2025 at 2:02 PM
…OK can we get Nintendo Switch 2 preorders now?
April 9, 2025 at 7:59 PM
Social media is on a path towards an experience that has everything to do with “media” and little to do with “sociability,” and in doing so has drifted from connecting us to people we loved to a media channel that connects us to things we may or may not like

Read on to see where this leaves us:
The Death of Social Media
The Social Media Category Faces a Deeper Existential Crisis than the TikTok Ban
stringfield.substack.com
February 6, 2025 at 7:57 PM
As a gaming industry expert, I’ve done some complex analytics on launch scenarios for the Switch 2.

With the addition of a new Mario Kart, my models estimate ~1 gazillion units sold (+/- a jillion MOE).
January 16, 2025 at 2:39 PM
If you're a fan of advertising, video games, Vegas, and hearing the pleasing sound of my voice, I've got great news for you.

I'll be presenting not once, but twice at #CES2025. Come hear about the future of entertainment, consumer media adoption, and what we have in store for it at Microsoft.
December 17, 2024 at 5:41 PM
I know it’s lame to post Spotify wraps, but I’d love a breakdown of what defines this genre.
December 4, 2024 at 1:19 PM
Some thought from a few weeks back as we all flee that other place.

I spent about a quarter of my career at Twitter. The direction the platform has taken in recent years is jarring, but not surprising, as it represents deeper issues within the ad industry:

stringfield.substack.com/p/the-good-g...
The Good Guys
Talking vs. Walking the High Road in AdLand
stringfield.substack.com
November 20, 2024 at 3:58 PM
Alaska Airlines fueling up folks in the lounge on *chili* for super long flights is absolutely diabolical.
March 7, 2024 at 4:55 AM
The intersection of marketing & gaming centers on the power of access

I make an argument for the purpose of marketing in gaming using the perennial debate on "yellow paint" in games as a metaphor for the state of these discussions

Sounds weird, or sounds awesome? Take a look and see for yourself!
Yellow Paint, In the Black
Looking Towards the Future of the Gaming Business
stringfield.substack.com
February 14, 2024 at 8:11 PM
2024 was a *big* year for gaming. Those outside of the gaming world might have had a hard time keeping track.

Don’t worry, I got you covered - in my latest for Campaign US I identify the things that marketers should be paying attention to in what was one of the biggest years ever for gaming.
Everything marketers need to know about the biggest year ever for gaming
Game releases aside, 2023 was a year of major business, technology and media innovations that have shaped the video game industry.
www.campaignlive.com
January 22, 2024 at 8:31 PM
We’ve spent a lot of time and energy trying to figure out how VR will simulate reality, yet projecting a better fantasy is a far more attainable goal.

#VR #MR #XR #gaming #marketing #productmarketing #CES2024 #Apple #AppleVisionPro #Meta #MetaQuest
Better Virtual Reality through Fantasy
Apple, Meta, and Finding the Product-Market Fit for VR Experiences
stringfield.substack.com
December 30, 2023 at 7:21 PM
My dog ate my wallet the day after Christmas. I think there is a lesson about consumerism or capitalism in this act.
December 26, 2023 at 4:07 PM
I'm in the business of gaming because, first and foremost, I am a fan. I am conceivably one of the biggest fans there is of the Fallout series.

I can't wait for an entirely new audience to experience something that has been important to me for over 25 years.

Ad Victoriam.
‘Fallout’ First Look: This Is How the World Ends—With a Smiling Thumbs-Up
The globally popular video game has become an epic TV series from ‘Westworld’ creator Jonathan Nolan.
www.vanityfair.com
November 28, 2023 at 6:52 PM
The bluesky onboarding of experience is like waiting in line for a long time at a club but once you get in it’s empty, the vibe is weird, and no one you know is inside.
November 25, 2023 at 11:30 PM