IN CLEAR FOCUS: Mona Kinal, CMO at G2A.com, discusses digital entertainment marketing. She shares the strategy behind G2A’s evolution from gaming to a broader marketplace and the use of the Explorer and the Caregiver archetypes in brand communications. Mona discusses the uses of AI at G2A.com, key partnerships, and combining traditional media with innovative channels. Mona also highlights opportunities using AR to create, immersive marketing experiences that engage digital engagement audiences.

Episode Transcript

Adrian Tennant: Coming up in this episode of IN CLEAR FOCUS

Mona Kinal: What’s important is the ability to combine and create a unique mix of both traditional as well as more non-standard channels. So basically, those who have an effective, well-designed brand strategy and a very well-designed marketing strategy with a 360 approach are the ones who are going to win.

Adrian Tennant: You’re listening to IN CLEAR FOCUS, fresh perspectives on marketing and advertising, produced weekly by Bigeye, a strategy-led full-service creative agency growing brands for clients globally. Hello, I’m your host, Adrian Tennant, Chief Strategy Officer. Thank you for joining us. Traditional boundaries between gaming, entertainment, and e-commerce are blurring. As consumer behaviors evolve and new platforms emerge, marketers face the challenge of engaging diverse audiences across multiple touchpoints, all while building trust in these digital-only marketplaces. Our guest today is an expert in digital entertainment marketing and brand strategy. Mona Kinal is the Chief Marketing Officer at G2A.com, the world’s largest marketplace for digital entertainment, including games and software. With over 20 years of experience in marketing and communications, Mona has held significant roles at major media companies, including Discovery Networks Europe and Viacom, where she served as Head of Communications for Emerging Markets. At G2A, Mona has developed new brand positioning strategies and expanded the platform’s reach beyond gaming into broader digital entertainment. To discuss her approach to digital entertainment marketing, I’m delighted that Mona is joining us today from the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands. Mona, welcome to IN CLEAR FOCUS!

Mona Kinal: Thank you for having me and I’m absolutely pleased to be here with you, and I’m really excited about what’s coming up and about our conversation because I’m sure it’s going to be super interesting.

Adrian Tennant: I hope so too. Mona, could you tell us about your career journey and what led you to your current role as CMO at G2A.com?

Mona Kinal: With pleasure. I’m a passionate marketing professional with more than 20 years of experience across e-commerce, retail, sports, fashion, media, and entertainment industry. And during my career, which I find quite important, is that I have always focused on crafting this unique skill set that together with strong strategic approach and creative non-standard approach to communication would be my thing, would let me stand out, you know, in the market that would help me bring value to everything I do in a little bit different, my way. And my goal has always been to design strategies that would be based on powerful insights that matter to customers. to the world, to the segment, to the environment, to whatever is required for a given brand, and then would be executed by diverse, competent, and effective teams. Very results-driven, but led by example. empowered, proactive teams and engaged. And I was always fueled by this big passion, you know, like for transformative change, that I thrive in those environments that encourage bold vision, that are forward-looking companies, you know, that represent dynamic, forward-thinking vision. And what’s absolutely important to me, diversity and inclusion-driven culture. And that’s why, for all of that, I have joined G2A.com.

Adrian Tennant: Well, for listeners who may not be familiar, what is G2A.com and who are your typical customers?

Mona Kinal: So G2A.com is the world’s largest marketplace for digital entertainment, where more than 30 million people from more than 180 countries have purchased more than 100 million items. And only in 2024, we had more than 200 million visits on our platform, where users can choose from gaming categories. For example, they can purchase games, DLCs, in-game items, but they can also choose from non-gaming categories, including subscriptions, gift cards, software, or e-learning. And all of that, it’s more than 75,000 digital offerings altogether, sold by quality and verified sellers from all over the world. G2A.com stands for a great thing, and I’m very proud of this positioning. G2A, gate to adventure. So our brand purpose is to open gate to adventure into digital world. And our mission is to democratize digital entertainment by making it accessible to everyone. What it means? It means that, you know, with the pandemic and new users arrived, You know, with a new expectations and new customer behaviors. And they wanted to jump into digital space. Before, because G2A was launched in 2010, it was mostly hardcore gamers, like heavy gaming users that we were approaching. But after the pandemic, it was like everybody coming in and actually expecting to get into digital entertainment, whether it would be playing games or it would be watching their favorite shows. Or it would be doing shopping like with friends and spending nice time or learning through learning or making business through all the softwares and everything. So they wanted to grow their potential online and needed this guidance. And that’s why we jumped in and said, okay, so this is us. We are a explorer when you think about the brand archetypes. We inspire you, we help you to discover what’s best out there in internet. And we do it in a very safe and secure manner. So this is the caregiver. So we would say, come and see what’s out there. You are safe with us and you can actually grow your potential. You can, whether you are a silver generation or you’re a youngster, there is a lot here for each of you.

Adrian Tennant: Mona, could you tell us about G2A’s strategic evolution from a gaming-focused platform to a broader digital entertainment marketplace? What drove this transformation?

Mona Kinal: So G2A.com started in 2010 as a regular online video game store and it was set up by a small team led by our founder Bartosz Kwarczyk. Then the team saw there was this trend to move from boxed distribution into the world of digital and decided to follow that trend. So basically in 2010, when G2A started as this regular retail store, 70% of the market was physical. So it was like this boxed games. Then in 2014, when G2A became a marketplace, it was 39%. And in 2023, it went even lower to 5%. So first it was a good strategic change to go into digital. Then second, as I mentioned, the pandemic with a new user appearing, with a new customer behaviors, we discovered that there is a need to enhance our business strategy further. So to open up further into new customers as much as widen our offerings. So we decided to include everything digital, not just gaming categories, but also non-gaming categories. So to offer those users everything they might want. So we became this one-stop destination for everything digital that makes life of our user much easier. They don’t need to go like into several different places. to see what’s out there in digital. They can get everything at G2A.com, whether they are at desktop or in a mobile version or an application, despite the device, it’s all there for everybody. And then I would say that we are now facing this third big stage of our development, which is connected to also AI, but also other challenges that are coming up. So one of them would be how to acquire new users, but then how to loyalize them and retain. Second is being such a big global player, how to remain local, how to speak local language with the given markets. You know, they want to be treated in a profiled and personalized manner, whether it comes to creatives or to content as such or a message. But also they want to be serviced in a local way, for example, payments. Do you know that, as PayPal says, 77% of users say they are likely to abandon their shopping cart if they cannot select their favorite payment methods. So it means that it’s not enough anymore to have those super popular global methods like PayPal or Google Pay, Apple Pay or the cards. You need to have also local methods like Venmo or like BLIK in Poland or like Bizum in Spain, because that’s how they operate. That’s how they are used to purchase things, you know.

Adrian Tennant: In what ways are you using artificial intelligence at G2A?

Mona Kinal: So we use AI that helps us to analyze patterns or certain behaviors and predict which of them might be the bad ones or like the frauds, you know, and help us prevent fraudulent activities and outcomes. So basically this is first use of AI in cybersecurity. Then AI, obviously is another important thing, verification of our sellers, which means who can sell on g2a.com. This is absolutely verified, complex process that we never compromise on. So basically this is again a matter of security and a matter of trust from our users eventually. Then we use AI in data analytics. You know, like the client segmentation or the communication proposes, you know, how to personalize this communication, how to create the best possible content for each of the segments with the messaging and the storytelling behind that they expect. And then marketing as such, for example, we have been using Meet Journey. in creating our advertisements, generative AI tool that helps us create graphics based on these written prompts. So there is a lot going on that we see both as an opportunity, but also as a challenge.

Adrian Tennant: You and I both worked at Discovery Networks in Europe at different times, but as I mentioned in the intro, you also worked at Viacom. In what ways did your experience with traditional media influence your approach to marketing digital entertainment?

Mona Kinal: That’s an excellent question, and thanks for this question because I find it actually crucial because I think that what’s important these days is ability to combine and create a unique mix of both traditional as well as more non-standard channels. So basically those who have effective, well-designed brand strategy and a very well-designed marketing strategy with 360 approach are the ones who are going to win. What it means that you need to be very, these days, fluent with social media. And actually, I was at Viacom, where social media were born. And I remember how these very first digital strategies were created, you know, how we are all sitting and thinking, Oh, my God, what this is, this Facebook and all this Instagram and How we are going to approach this, where these users are, what they do and what they want to hear, what they want to listen. And Viacom or Discovery, they were amazing with that because they had content and they always had this philosophy, content is the king. And you know what? This hasn’t changed at all. Now, the way we produce the content might be different. That form of the content, like it’s shorter to these channels than it was like on TV, but it’s still the same way of engaging the viewers or the users. You need to have the message, you need to have it nicely delivered. So it needs to be beautiful in a way, or it needs to be funny, or it needs to have whatever flavor you want. You just need to add to it. So it hasn’t changed. But the mix of the channels, traditional and the new, is still valid. Because you are not only communicating these days to Generation Z or the millennials who are very fluent with social media. You still got other generations like Generation X, for example. It’s me. We are very active, you know, and we’ve got a purchase power. I’ve got a daughter and I’m buying things for her. So we are very important part of this customer journey and we should be very much valued by the brands still. deal. So the marketers will win only if they can think about all of those groups. And for example, if you think about Generation Z, because that’s actually very interesting group to follow, because it’s very different to Generation X that I represent. For example, you know that gaming industry is worth more than music and film combined. And this is actually what matters. Why? Because when you look at trends, you will see in-game marketing coming up a lot. And, for example, this will become a channel of communication with viewers, with users. Why? Because 56% of gamers, they say, they are more likely to buy from brands that feature in their favorite game than 1 in 25 shoppers get purchase inspiration from gaming. So what does it mean? It means that we will see more and more in-game ads, product placements, branded content, cross-promotions and collaborations. We have already seen some of those happening, right? Like some brands were already involved in Fortnite, Minecraft or Roblox effectively. So we will see more and more of that coming up. And why is that? Do you know how much time generations that spend on Roblox these days versus on TikTok? It’s 180 minutes every day versus 107 on TikTok. What it says is that those platforms are a social communities like Facebook for you and me back in the day. Now they’ve got those platforms and what they do there, they socialize, they play, they shop, they create content. So it’s everything in one place. And obviously they will want to see more and more brands getting engaged there because that’s where they are. So we will see more of that in-game marketing coming up. Then we will see immersive gaming and immersive marketing. Do you remember this Travis Scott and Eminem concerts on Fortnite? It was an unforgettable experience. It was, wow, what’s going on? It was so new. So yes, they will expect more and more of that coming up. So brands such as Viacom or Discovery. especially will need to follow with the content they’ve got, right? But not only. We will see immersive marketing like the virtual reality or augmented reality coming out of the digital into real physical space as well. It’s like the normal road going in two directions. We need to see the synergies between offline and online growing. And we will see that like mixing more and more. We, you know, as G2A, we did recently this Augmented Reality marketing campaign in Madrid. We placed cameras on bus stops. So when the people were waiting for the bus, they saw that it acted as a mirror. So it implemented the pictures from reality into our advertisement. in real life. And, you know, it was super engaging. People were, like, amazed by that because they saw each other, you know, on the advertisement in real life, in the situation when they were actually, you know, at the very given moment. So it was like massively promoted, you know, across social media and people were commenting on it. It was even awarded with some marketing awards, you know, locally in Spain. So yeah, this is exactly what needs to happen more and more. People want to have this immersive advertisement, you know, like naturally adopting reality into the process.

Adrian Tennant: Let’s take a short break. We’ll be right back after this message.

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Adrian Tennant: Welcome back. I’m talking with Mona Kinal, Chief Marketing Officer at G2A.com. Mona, in addition to in-game, out-of-home advertising and influencer marketing, you’ve leveraged partnerships in traditional sports, education and even pizza delivery. So as CMO, how do you evaluate the effectiveness of these diverse channels?

Mona Kinal: So as you mentioned, yeah, we do invest in different brand partnerships and this pizza partnership was a great example of a mix of traditional and non-standard channels, let’s say, to communicate with the users. When we thought about that was what the gamers like, whether it’s a hazy gamer or a casual gamers. What actually do they like doing when they game? And we said like, okay, they like to eat. What they like to eat? They like pizza or like other stuff, but pizza was like at the top of our list. And we said like, okay, so it’s a perfect match to match gaming with the pizza delivery. So we offered gamers discount codes on the boxes of the pizza. So the moment they ordered the pizza, they got the discount code. So they were able to buy a game or the key to the game at g2a.com instantly, receive it instantly, you know, like within seconds or minutes and actually start entertaining themselves that way. You can measure that by use of discount codes. That’s one of the methods. Then you see where they come from. Right? So whether it’s through our advertisement or maybe it’s through the advertisement of the pizza brand, then you can also see where the traffic come. So there are like several different ways that you can actually measure that. But the most important thing was the insight, strategic insight. behind that cooperation that I mentioned before, that the strategic insight and then the marketing mix. So of course we used different channels to promote that collaboration and partnership. And that’s how we kind of announced it and made a bigger scale of it. But yeah, it was like altogether a great example of the traditional and non-standard approach. You’re right.

Adrian Tennant: Earlier, you mentioned using brand archetypes. So Mona, can you explain how archetypes have helped shape G2A’s marketing?

Mona Kinal: Definitely. I’m a brand strategist and that’s how I like to call myself in the first place. Brand is something that excites me a lot and the strategic work behind putting the brand strategy is something that I actually love, truly love. So brand archetypes are great tool to help us develop this brand strategy and communicate effectively with our users. Our primary archetype is the explorer. What it means? That as an explorer, G2A inspires and helps to discover what’s new out there in internet, in the digital space. What’s hot? What’s worth attention? It also shows where the option to grow your potential in digital sits at the very moment. So that’s this role of discovery and inspiration. And then comes caregiver. When you are in a digital space, you want to trust the platform that you are purchasing on, right? You want to know that they are secure, that they are safe. And this is exactly what we never compromise on. Security is our top priority. And actually, through all this comprehensive policies and security strategy, we have the anti-fraud rate lower than industry average, which we are very proud of. We’ve been awarded with many prestigious awards in this respect, you know, like, for example, the CNP award alongside such companies as Microsoft, First Data or Barclays Bank. So this is the second archetype that we always want to promote and leave. And then when you think about how you use it in a daily work, those two, it’s how you shape the marketing strategy. So what we need to do to inspire? what we need to do to take care of our users and make them feel secure. So that’s exactly how we build our business. So using AI in cybersecurity that I mentioned is one example. Using AI as well in marketing to create content or to create articles that inspire and help to choose between the games. If you want to buy a game for your kid, you can read what’s hot, what’s good. We’ve got also G2A Academy project, which is giving a great value, I believe. This is a project that we’ve been doing with teachers and professors about value of gaming in the process of education. So how to use gaming in the learning process. And you know what, when we launched it, it was not a long time that many teachers started to use it during their teaching process. And it was also a great way for us to address some stereotypes about gaming, you know, that were untrue. So basically we were giving value, but also we were educating people how to use gaming effectively and in a safe manner, especially when you think about kids. There is also one more thing that I want to touch on is sport, because as you know, we’ve been very active since the very beginning of G2A, actively investing in e-sport. We have invested $12 million into e-sport today. But then we saw with a new user coming into our platform. that not everyone is an e-sport fan. It’s heavy gamers, hardcore gamers, you know, that actually go there, you know, and follow. So what with the rest of the users? Then we thought, okay, why don’t we actually use and create synergies between digital, offline and online sports? So basically that’s why we got involved into sports. And as you can see now, we’ve got Robert Lewandowski among our ambassadors, a great FC Barcelona football star. Then we’ve got Aleksandra Miroslav, who is Olympic champion from Paris in speed climbing. We cooperated with Driftmasters, you know, and the drivers being our influencers and content creators, because they actually, all of them, they game. They actually like spending time and playing games themselves or with their families or with their friends. Like the drivers, for example, many of the drivers, they were first gamers. They were playing, for example, Assetto Corsa. and then became the real gamers. You know, the drivers, they use simulators to train before they actually get into the real life sport. So those worlds, they mix a lot. And we want to promote those two by using those and creating and taking advantage of those synergies between online and offline these days.

Adrian Tennant: Mona, your experience with consumer insights is really evident. So what advice would you give to marketers trying to reach gaming and digital entertainment audiences?

Mona Kinal: So first would be get to know your user and get a lot into client segmentation. So you need to really analyze the needs and expectations of every single segment. Then once you’ve got this knowledge, you can design the communication strategy for each of those segments, because the communication needs to be profiled, it needs to be very well designed, and it needs to be matching exactly what the user wants to see and hear. So the client segments would be the first to know. Then once you know what their needs are or where they spend time, which media they consume, and you’ve got the marketing strategy, you can create the content basically, right? And see if this is something they want to read, so an article maybe, or this is a video that you put on social media and it’s short and sweet and I don’t know, funny, for example. Or it’s maybe a bigger video that you need to create just to explain how things work, right? For example, for a silver generation, we saw that it worked really well. And then trust your judgment and be consequent about what you are doing. Just don’t jump from one flower into another because things take time to work well. Make tests, be bold and brave, and just ask your customers if you don’t know what to do. Those tests really work well. Then I would say, get the best team possible, which is engaged, which is proactive, and trust your team. Empower them, don’t micromanage them, but empower them and lead them to perform great, basically. and let them inspire you as much as you inspire them. Because there’s this interesting thing about those generations now that I’m from Generation X, but I work with Generation Y, the Millennials, as much as with Generation Z. And they are all very different, but they actually, like Generation Z, they were born already with social media, with phones, you know, and They live this daily life, you know, it’s a natural environment for them. So I believe that they can teach me as much as I can teach them in certain respects. And that’s why I respect that knowledge. That’s how I construct the teams to be very diverse, because I believe that this is also a factor to success, basically, to have those diverse teams, not just Generation X that maybe think Oh, we know everything because we’ve been so experienced, you know, and we’ve worked at so many different places. Yes, but this is not enough, this dice. So trust your teams, trust your people and get the best people you can get within your diverse teams. That’s my advice, definitely.

Adrian Tennant: Sage advice indeed. Mona, if listeners would like to learn more about G2A.com or follow your thought leadership, what’s the best way to do so?

Mona Kinal: So go on G2A.com whether it’s application or it’s a desktop, there will be a lot of information about our company, but also about anything you can find on our platform. Then go on our social media, follow us because there is a lot of great content. every day that we are creating and putting there just to inspire and what’s to be discovered in the digital world. And in terms of myself, I’m from the business perspective, I’m using LinkedIn, and I’m also trying to share content there, mostly about gaming industry, because that’s my daily life, professionally speaking.

Adrian Tennant: Well, that was a great conversation. Mona, thank you very much for being our guest this week on IN CLEAR FOCUS!

Mona Kinal: Thanks for having me. It was a real pleasure.

Adrian Tennant: Thanks again to my guest this week, Mona Kinal, Chief Marketing Officer at G2A.com. As always, you’ll find a complete transcript of our conversation with timestamps and links to the resources we discussed on the IN CLEAR FOCUS page at Bigeyeagency.com. Just select ‘Insights’ from the menu. Thank you for listening to IN CLEAR FOCUS, produced by Bigeye. I’ve been your host, Adrian Tennant. Until next week, goodbye.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00: Introduction to IN CLEAR FOCUS  

01:08: Guest Introduction: Mona Kinal

02:25: Mona’s Career Journey  

04:13: Overview of G2A.com  

06:46: Strategic Evolution of G2A.com   

10:14: AI Utilization at G2A.com   

11:52: Influence of Traditional Media on Digital Marketing  

19:07: Diverse Marketing Channels and Partnerships  

21:30: Role of Brand Archetypes in Marketing  

26:18: Advice for Marketers Targeting Gaming Audiences  

29:26: Closing Remarks and Resources