Games business is serious fun
Playpen ... Patrick Lagana says working for Sony Playstation has its perks. Picture: Bob Barker
Not many people can say that playing computer games is part of their job description. But Patrick Lagana is expected to have some serious fun. The senior product manager with Sony Computer Entertainment develops the marketing strategy for the company's gaming and home-entertainment systems as well as the associated software. Getting to know the product is just one of the perks of the job.
( A ) What does your job involve?
( Q ) I head the product marketing team, which consists of hardware and software. Because our reporting office is in London quite a bit of communication comes through overnight and we spend a lot of time in the morning going through that and checking out what the latest developments are. We have an in-house marketing department that consists of PR, promotions and sales. We also work with different agencies, including an advertising agency that handles all our creative work, a media agency that looks after all our media planning and buying and a PR agency. We see all the big titles well in advance of their releases so we internally evaluate their sales potential and that does mean we have to play the games. I'm asked if I get to play games all day but it's not as glamorous as that. To be honest, we probably don't get to play the games as much as we should because we are just so busy doing everything else. Once we know what the sales and marketing potential is we start planning accordingly.
( Q ) How did you get to where you are now?
( A ) Before leaving university I did a stint in Sony Music as part of my degree. I thought I wanted to be part of the music industry, but after I did that I changed my mind. After leaving university I got into the media department of a global advertising agency. Then I decided I wanted something a little broader and jumped to the client side to work for a client I had a personal interest in. That was Village Roadshow Interactive, which does not exist any more. The interactive entertainment industry was growing quite rapidly and a lot of the publishers that we represented began to start up their own operations here, so as a result Village Roadshow Interactive folded and I was a casualty of that. Thankfully I saw it coming and applied for a job at Sony.
How has your job changed in the nine years that you have worked for Sony?
We have expanded our product portfolio and gone beyond just gaming. Our new products, PSP and Playstation 3, are more than just gaming machines - they are entertainment devices. When I first joined we focused only on one format. My role as product manager was hands-on, developing and implementing the campaigns. Now I'm managing a team that does it. My role is more strategic to look at awards ahead in the software and hardware sides because each side needs to complement each other.
( Q ) What skills do you need to be successful?
( A ) Our industry is constantly changing. I have known a few people who have come into our industry from a traditional fast-moving consumer goods background who cannot handle the pace of change. [With them] traditionally you have a year or two to plan for a product. In this industry you are lucky if you have six months. So we look for people who are flexible and have the ability to adapt to changes. That is the most
important thing.
( Q ) What do you most enjoy about your job?
( A ) No day is the same and you just don't know what's around the corner. I also really enjoy trying to de-mystify our product messages. Being technology-based there is a tendency for companies to bombard consumers, which only leaves people confused.
( Q ) Do you play games when you go home?
( A ) I have a family, which makes it difficult but I do, usually in the wee hours when everyone else is asleep. I plug in the headphones and totally immerse myself in the game.
The Daily Telegraph
( A ) What does your job involve?
( Q ) I head the product marketing team, which consists of hardware and software. Because our reporting office is in London quite a bit of communication comes through overnight and we spend a lot of time in the morning going through that and checking out what the latest developments are. We have an in-house marketing department that consists of PR, promotions and sales. We also work with different agencies, including an advertising agency that handles all our creative work, a media agency that looks after all our media planning and buying and a PR agency. We see all the big titles well in advance of their releases so we internally evaluate their sales potential and that does mean we have to play the games. I'm asked if I get to play games all day but it's not as glamorous as that. To be honest, we probably don't get to play the games as much as we should because we are just so busy doing everything else. Once we know what the sales and marketing potential is we start planning accordingly.
( Q ) How did you get to where you are now?
( A ) Before leaving university I did a stint in Sony Music as part of my degree. I thought I wanted to be part of the music industry, but after I did that I changed my mind. After leaving university I got into the media department of a global advertising agency. Then I decided I wanted something a little broader and jumped to the client side to work for a client I had a personal interest in. That was Village Roadshow Interactive, which does not exist any more. The interactive entertainment industry was growing quite rapidly and a lot of the publishers that we represented began to start up their own operations here, so as a result Village Roadshow Interactive folded and I was a casualty of that. Thankfully I saw it coming and applied for a job at Sony.
How has your job changed in the nine years that you have worked for Sony?
We have expanded our product portfolio and gone beyond just gaming. Our new products, PSP and Playstation 3, are more than just gaming machines - they are entertainment devices. When I first joined we focused only on one format. My role as product manager was hands-on, developing and implementing the campaigns. Now I'm managing a team that does it. My role is more strategic to look at awards ahead in the software and hardware sides because each side needs to complement each other.
( Q ) What skills do you need to be successful?
( A ) Our industry is constantly changing. I have known a few people who have come into our industry from a traditional fast-moving consumer goods background who cannot handle the pace of change. [With them] traditionally you have a year or two to plan for a product. In this industry you are lucky if you have six months. So we look for people who are flexible and have the ability to adapt to changes. That is the most
important thing.
( Q ) What do you most enjoy about your job?
( A ) No day is the same and you just don't know what's around the corner. I also really enjoy trying to de-mystify our product messages. Being technology-based there is a tendency for companies to bombard consumers, which only leaves people confused.
( Q ) Do you play games when you go home?
( A ) I have a family, which makes it difficult but I do, usually in the wee hours when everyone else is asleep. I plug in the headphones and totally immerse myself in the game.
The Daily Telegraph
