Putting what I've learned to practice in the gaming industry
I belong to the PR Team, which promotes the games and services we develop to a large audience in the Asia region. We develop PR plans and press releases for gaming media companies to share information about our games. We also create content to engage with our audiences on social media.
I started studying abroad in Japan in 2014 where I studied media for four years. In graduate school, I studied marketing for two years. The theme of my research during my graduate school years was social media marketing.
I had always seen gaming as my number one hobby, but there was a time where I worried if I should mix my hobbies with my work. However, I was determined to do my favorite thing as a career, and when I began my job search, I narrowed my focus on entertainment industry jobs where I could apply what I studied at uni.
I decided to join SEGA because it was the exactly the kind of job I wanted to do. It's got offices in regions across the world, and in addition to its in-house titles, it is responsible for the sales and advertising of other companies' games worldwide.
Finding fulfillment from the support of regional fans
I have three main duties. The first is handling the PR of console games in the Asia region. I create press releases oriented at audiences in the Asia region for all kinds of console games, from new game announcements to those that are already in the post-launch phase. I am involved in planning press releases, preparing interviews for them, and executing them.
The second duty is managing our social media accounts for our audiences in Asia. I plan what we post and draft it. On a day-to-day basis, I think about how to engage our regional audiences and stimulate our fan community.
The third of my duties is handling our media relations with the press in Southeast Asia. I share information with regional gaming media outlets so that they can deliver the news to audiences in their countries.
At other times, I've served as a live interpreter at Asia region gaming events or even as an MC to introduce games.
Since our fans in other Asian countries are just a hop away, it's fun to see the live reactions of our fans in those areas. We also get words of gratitude, ideas, and advice from our media partners. It gives me a great sense of fulfillment to get their vocal support.
In the department I work at, it is easy to talk to other team members and my superiors whenever we need to, because we have an office atmosphere where it's easy to speak our minds. Upon expressing my desire for a social media management position and showing my graduate school work, my superiors and team mates agreed to entrust me with one of SEGA's official social media accounts just a month or two after joining. I believe it's typical of SEGA to show strong trust in its employees and give them a chance to challenge themselves, and the opportunity I was given is proof of that.
Coming together at SEGA and delivering captivating experiences
The SEGA's mission of "constantly creating, forever captivating" is something you can see in all of its projects under its brand. The development side makes great products, and the promotion side delivers it to as many people as possible. We belong to different parts of the company, but everyone shares the same passions and hopes. I find a sense of togetherness since we're all under the SEGA group, and that's what makes it easy to communicate internally and to our audience around the world.
As an member of this organization, I want to reach out to gain more fans in Southeast Asia. What I specifically envision is that going forward, we'll approach that market by providing service in non-English local languages, like Thai and Indonesian.
It is also important to develop deeper relationships with regional media and attend regional events to understand their local consumer behavior. With that in mind, we strive to find the advertising techniques and promotional activities for our target audience.
SEGA's overseas business development is truly remarkable. Every day, I face different challenges, but I do my job with a strong sense of fulfillment. I'd say it's because I can use my studies from my uni days and do work in the gaming industry, which I've always loved.
As such, to anyone who wants to work at SEGA, I want to share a message with you: "Please treasure what you love."
*This interview was conducted during the first year of employment.
10:00 AM Work day starts by checking my daily schedule and emails.
10:30 AM Meeting to discuss this week's social media schedule, plan the contents we'll post, and brainstorm. We also share the results of our social media campaigns.
11:30 AM Draft press releases. Using the Japanese marketing copy, I confirm the contents and organize the materials that we translated into English, simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, and Korean for our audience in Asia.
12:30 AM Break for lunch. I'll usually pick up something and eat lunch in the cafeteria or cafe with my colleagues.
1:30 PM Draft social media posts. I prepare articles that will be posted on social media throughout the week, and monitor how audiences react to what we've officially posted. Sometimes, I reply to users under our official social media accounts.
3:00 PM Meeting with our teams from Taiwan and South Korea. I share progress reports about each title.
4:00 PM Touch base with members of the press from Southeast Asia. There is a 1-2 hour difference between the Southeast Asia countries and Japan, so they often collect information around this time.
7:00 PM Head home. My job is done when I adjust the medium-to-long term schedule for our news drops, the schedule for our press releases, and the schedule for tomorrow's work.
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