Creative Advertising in Mobile Games | Matt Sharpe
ABOUT Matt:
Matt Sharpe is the Creative Director of Advertising at Zynga, where he leads creative campaigns and brand partnerships across one of the world's largest mobile gaming portfolios. With more than two decades of experience spanning startups, advertising, technology, and gaming, Matt specializes in building creative solutions that connect brands with audiences while delivering measurable business results. Outside of Zynga, he is also known for his sports artwork, which has helped him build relationships throughout the professional sports community.
Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
How creative advertising has evolved through performance marketing
Why data should guide creative decisions—not ego
The surprising campaign that proved simple creative can outperform complex ideas
What it really means to be a commercial artist
Why creativity must always support business objectives
Building successful brand partnerships inside mobile games
How Zynga approaches advertising across more than 150 game titles
The importance of defining success before a campaign begins
Why every campaign needs a clear North Star
Matt's three-question framework for post-mortems after projects fail
Why "average" is becoming the most dangerous place for creatives to operate
Opportunity and accountability as the foundation of great creative organizations
The differences between startup life and large corporate creative teams
How AI is changing advertising, design, and creative production
Why AI should help shorten the distance between an idea and reality
Authenticity, storytelling, and human connection in an AI-driven world
The value of continuous learning and reading as a creative leader
Why The Alchemist remains one of Matt's favorite books
In This Episode…
Carl sits down with Matt Sharpe, Creative Director of Advertising at Zynga, to explore what it really takes to build creative campaigns that don't just look great—but actually perform. With more than 20 years in advertising and technology, Matt has helped shape campaigns across Zynga's portfolio of over 150 mobile games while working with global brands including NBC, Fox, Progressive, and Hasbro.
Together they dive into the intersection of creativity, business, and data, discussing why commercial artists must focus on outcomes over ego, how performance marketing has changed creative decision-making, what AI means for creative professionals, and why accountability is one of the most valuable traits in any career. Whether you're a marketer, creative director, game developer, entrepreneur, or designer, this conversation is packed with practical insights on making better creative decisions and building work that delivers measurable results.
Resources Mentioned in this episode:
🌐 Website
https://thatmattsharpe.com
💼 LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thatmattsharpe/
Sponsor for this episode...
This episode is brought to you by Epic Made.
Epic Made creates entertainment-quality animation, digital art, and graphic design to elevate brands and build fandom.
We are a collective of senior-level artists across multiple disciplines, producing trailers, key art, social campaigns, branded storytelling, and motion systems for entertainment, gaming, and pop culture brands. Our work has supported major networks and studios, including SYFY and Nickelodeon.
To learn more, visit www.epicmade.net or email hey@getepicmade.com.
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