Ask a CMO: Brian Cooley of PlayVS

For our latest edition of our Ask a CMO series, we sat down with Brian Cooley, the former Global CMO and Chief Business Officer at Everfi and now CMO of PlayVS.

How did you get your start in marketing?

I’ve had the benefit of being deeply involved in marketing for over 25 years. As a youth, I always had a passion and enthusiasm for how things are invented, built, marketed, and sold. I had an unconventional upbringing – I grew up in Thailand, Venezuela, and South Africa and didn’t live in the U.S. until I was 13. That provided me with exposure to many different cultures, and I think that created in me a deep interest in human behavior, how you engage people in inspirational and memorable ways, and how you can bring communities together.

For me, it was the creative side of marketing that really drew me in. It’s fascinating how a creative campaign can draw an audience in, stir passion, and drive action and loyalty. While the creative side inspired my initial interest, the data, metrics, and connections to business outcomes are what really keep me here.

My first role out of college was leading a small sports-marketing company in the DC area where we ran sports leagues for young professionals and integrated national brands like Gatorade, Anheuser-Busch, and Proctor and Gamble as sponsors. My career quickly went from that to helping market and build unique brand experiences for iconic automobile brand Land Rover. From there, I went to IBM and learned about software marketing on a global scale as I worked closely in countries like Brazil, Russia, India, and China. That led me to more than 15 years of working in the global education technology industry with Blackboard, EverFi, and now at PlayVS.

Tell us a little bit about PlayVS and what market gap you’re trying to address.

PlayVS is the largest amateur gaming and esports platform in North America. We work with over 4,000 middle and high schools and run official scholastic esports leagues, where schools compete against each other in many popular video game titles. Just like school basketball or softball teams compete for state titles, we organize the same kinds of leagues for esports. We also run interactive gaming tournaments that bring together Gen Z and Gen Alpha competitors together in engaging gaming events that also encompass education opportunities.

Our mission is to create transformative opportunities for personal growth and development through gaming. When we consider all the students participating across our gaming and esports leagues, 45% of them have never taken part in an extracurricular activity at their school. That’s a statistic that inspires us as it shows that we’re effectively providing more students with opportunities to represent their schools and communities in really positive ways.

We recently completed a survey of thousands of coaches and students across our network that underscored the positive impact that esports can have on mental wellness. 91% of coaches have seen an increase in student socialization, 83% have seen an improvement in students’ communication, and 73% have seen improvements in student mental health. 60% of students who participate in esports feel like they are part of a community, and 45% feel more excited to go to school. COVID left many students feeling alienated. In many ways, gaming has provided kids the opportunity to digitally connect with their peers and to bring communities together.

You had a successful career at EverFi. You mentioned that your go-to-market strategy for PlayVS is similar to EverFi’s. What successful tactics are you bringing to PlayVS?

I spent nine years at EverFi as Global Chief Marketing Officer, President of Sports and Entertainment, and Chief Business Officer. One of the key similarities between EverFi and PlayVS is that both are mission-driven organizations focused on creating skill development opportunities for youth without putting yet more budget pressure on schools and communities. The premise behind EverFi was helping students build critical life skills while creating pathways for the private sector to underwrite the cost of the development and delivery of digital education resources. Similarly, at PlayVS, we’re focused on getting brands and companies to underwrite gaming and esports opportunities so that students can build important technical and social-emotional skills.

When I arrived at PlayVS, the model was a more traditional K-12 approach where schools licensed our software to play on our platform. As a leadership team, the first thing we did was remove this financial barrier for schools so that we can grow the number of schools that have access to esports. Today, there is no cost for students or schools to compete on our platform. We’re making this possible by leveraging private-sector sponsorship that makes esports more accessible and inclusive for all students. We work with technology-minded brands, sports leagues, and game publishers that are looking to do more to engage students and also help them prepare for technical career paths.

One of your key marketing channels is TikTok. What contingency plans do you have in place in the (unlikely) event that TikTok is shut down by the U.S. government?

Social media has become a critical channel to engage consumers and users. At PlayVS, we focus on a number of different communities. Many of our scholastic decision-makers are Gen Xers or Millennials, and so LinkedIn provides a vital way to engage these stakeholders – even more than TikTok or Instagram.  However, for our student gamers, you can’t deny TikTok’s massive following. We are watching the developments with TikTok very closely. It’s a really fascinating dispute that has business, cultural and political components.

Beyond TikTok, we think about YouTube and Twitch as being two social vehicles that have significant impact in our community. We’re starting to work more closely with creators and streamers, many of whom have massive youth followings. It’s a fascinating space to track and invest in because of how quickly it’s evolving and just how much influence creators can have in driving the engagement of youth who are increasingly immune to or disinterested in traditional marketing channels. One of the most significant ways that youth are engaging with brands is through gaming and esports, and so we feel fortunate to be in the position of running the largest scholastic network in North America.

Switching gears to hiring marketing talent, what’s your one go-to question when interviewing a candidate?

We are at a fascinating point in marketing. Marketers today are so much more tech-savvy, and they are capable of working across myriad channels. While marketing has become very technical, at the end of the day, you must create strong brand affinity experiences that build trust with consumers. The question that I love to ask is, “Tell me about a unique or unconventional brand experience that you led or were a part of that really inspired engagement and delight?” In this question, I want to hear about really creative approaches, and also how the initiative tied back to key success metrics.  It’s easy to run an engaging campaign or event, but how did you tie it to business goals?

What show(s) are you currently streaming?

Many of us have been reflecting on the 80^th anniversary of D-day in June. Inspired by that, I recently rewatched Band of Brothers. It captures so many historical events that exhibit remarkable human qualities including commitment, determination, leadership, and teamwork.

I’ve always had a deep appreciation for those who serve, and I’ve sincerely appreciated the opportunity to collaborate with many veterans. I’ve been fortunate to be involved with the Navy SEAL Foundation for 10+ years as a partner in designing a high-school bullying prevention program and as a career-transition mentor. Additionally, a close friend and I recently launched the Vail Warrior Alliance, which is a community organization focused on raising funds for Gold Star Families within the U.S Special Operations community.

If you weren’t a marketing leader, what would be your dream job?

I’m torn between two things. Of course, we all want to be guitarists in a famous rock band and play a packed show at Wembley! The other is being a high school sports coach. Sports and other extracurricular activities provide such amazing opportunities to build important life skills including discipline, teamwork, navigating adversity, and learning how to win and to lose. Activities like these are such a great metaphor for life, and I’d love to share my passion for this with the next generation.