GlobalEdgeTalk

Your Brand Isn’t A Robot, So Stop Marketing Like One

• Alex Romanovich

Share episode

Send us a text

What happens when a Division I athlete turns a gaming refuge into a playbook for inclusive growth and human-centered marketing? We sit down with Erin Ashley Simon to trace her path from family-fueled passion to industry leadership and explore what truly earns trust in a noisy digital world.

Erin shares how her time at the University of Kentucky sharpened her storytelling instincts, why she helped create a scholarship that treats gaming as education, and how access—hardware, broadband, mobile—still defines who gets to compete.

We discuss Gen Z and Gen Alpha’s shifting habits: a preference for real faces over faceless brands, skepticism born of privacy breaches, and a growing return to minimalism and offline connection. For marketers, it means community first, content second. Emotional storytelling beats polish; generosity builds trust.

AI shows up as both accelerator and caution—it streamlines work but can’t replace intuition or soul. Erin explains how creators can stay authentic while using AI wisely, including her own pivot helping a local comic shop triple profits through grounded storytelling.

If you care about esports inclusion, youth culture, and the next era of brand trust, this conversation points the way forward.

Support the show

Alex Romanovich:

Hi, this is Alex Romanovich, and welcome to Global Edge Talk. Today's guest is Erin Ashley Simon. We'll tell you all about her. Hello, Erin Ashley Simon.

Erin Ashley Simon :

Hi, how's it going?

Alex Romanovich:

It's going well. You know, when I first uh heard about you, I I immediately became impressed. Uh, not because I love esports and gaming, but uh just your accomplishments are just incredible. Um I would love to have a conversation with you, and our audience, I'm sure it's gonna be very, very impressed. You're a multimedia host, a producer, entrepreneur, one of the fastest growing entrepreneurs in gaming and entertainment. You're best known as a co-um owner and chief culture officer of uh esports companies, lifestyle companies. And you're uh one of the most active advocates for inclusion in gaming and uh partner with major brands and platforms. And you were even featured in LA Times and you appeared in the Super Bowl commercials. So welcome to our studio, and we're gonna dive in and you're gonna tell us all about it.

Erin Ashley Simon :

I'm ready for it.

Alex Romanovich:

Awesome. Welcome. You know, the the question that's begging is how did you how did you kind of wake up one day and said, you know, with esports, gaming, that's that's what I'd love to do. Is that something that was always the well almost a passion, always a passion of yours? Or was that something that just kind of dropped in your lap?

Erin Ashley Simon :

It was definitely a passion growing up. My lovely mother, she said, you only have three ways of going to college academic scholarship, athletic scholarship, or you're gonna have to take jobs. So my brother and I were like, no, we're gonna do athletic. But because I played at such a high level in my sport, I wasn't able to travel, I wasn't able to do as much vacation. So I really got into playing video games. And my parents are gamers and they're techies, so it was always something that was embraced in my household. And it was kind of like my escape away from everything else and all the other responsibilities that I had. And so I just like really got into it. And then eventually it became something that was even more than just like, oh, I'm playing because I'm, you know, I'm bored. It became like I created as a community of individuals all over who I never met, but would build a a friendship with them digitally, you know, learning about just the nuance of game development and storytelling, all those things. And it kind of like went from something that I was just passionately playing to something that I'm was interested in eventually diving in. I didn't know that there was other career paths into gaming until, you know, later in my life, but it was just something that always intrigued me and and I was always passionate about.

Alex Romanovich:

It's very cool. And actually you started the with the University of Kentucky, right?

Erin Ashley Simon :

Yes.

Alex Romanovich:

So tell me more about that. Now, first of all, what sports did you were you involved in? And then tell us a little bit more about uh the university environment because you know, a lot of a lot of young people in the university environment start with sports, but they don't necessarily progress into esports or gaming or what have you. It's almost like a you know a passing phase, but in your case it was not.

Erin Ashley Simon :

Yeah. So I went to the University of Kentucky, played soccer. Um, I played soccer all the way up to like my juniors, yeah, my junior year. And at that time, like the concept of esports was very much more underground. It wasn't really something that was heavily at the universities. But I will say is when I was at the university, so this is around 2010 to 2014. So when I was there, the university was always like forward thinking in terms of technology and media. And so they use sports as a way to like help me build out my resume when it comes to media and journalism and storytelling, which is something that I still carry with me no matter what. I still carry with me to everything else that I do. And so, you know, eventually though, yeah, we fast forward now. My university is one of actually one of the first D1 programs to really invest into esports and gaming and technology as a way to help the students on campus. And from that, I eventually uh worked with them to create a scholarship to use tech and gaming as a vehicle for success, where it's like taking someone's passion but using it to help them with furthering their education versus just like competitive, you know, the the esports side of it. And so it's been really cool just to see them like want to utilize these things like gaming as a as a means to further people's education.

Alex Romanovich:

Now you talk a lot about emotional storytelling, and um it seems that for a lot of the chief marketing officers or marketers, they can kind of understand that in the corporate environment, right? They study it, they uh plan for it, they hire influencers, they even manufacture it in many cases. Now, what does that look like for your generation, for Gen Z and um and alphas?

Erin Ashley Simon :

Well, I think when it comes to storytelling, especially when we look at it from a marketing and you know product standpoint, right? Gen Z, Gen Alpha, and even like younger millennials, they don't want to be talked at. They want to be talked to and they don't want to be sold. Like, if anything, I think what we're starting to see, especially when it comes to all these different storytelling formats, is like the brands and the companies that do the best are the ones that focus in on emotions, evoking emotions and give, give, give versus take. And so it's almost as if like essentially, if you have a business, you kind of have to morph it into being a content creator. Because a lot of Gen Z and Gen Alphas, they don't want to follow businesses that don't have a human face behind it. And it's not like how it used to be before. They want to have like a face or an individual that represents the company and represents the content. And so we're starting to see that a lot more. But also it's interesting because we're also seeing kind of like a transformation of just digital. Gen alpha are kind of changing this and a little bit of Gen Z, but now you're like, you're kind of seeing where it's like Gen Z was like, okay, you have people who are very online and very digital. And then you have this, this essentially this movement where Gen Zers and more specifically Gen Alphas are becoming minimalists, where it's like they don't get smartphones, they have flip phones, they want to be out, they want to be disconnected from the internet, they want to be IRL and in person versus being on URL. And so it's kind of like an interesting cross-section we're seeing right now. Because digital is still important, but it's more so like using digital to create that community that you can then activate in person.

Alex Romanovich:

Very interesting. Yes. I'm noticing that with my with my children, that they're uh they're definitely alphas and they're not, you know, they're not necessarily jumping on all things digital. You know, I would say that the folks that are my generation, you know, wanting to experiment and so forth, but with them, it's almost as if they don't trust it sometimes. So is this a matter of trust? Is this an issue of trust? Or is this an issue of, oh here we go again, those brands, those big, bad brands trying to sell to me again?

Erin Ashley Simon :

Yeah. Trust and transparency. I think that's the biggest thing is like they want transparency. They they and a lot of them don't trust like big brands, big corporations and things like that. That's why having a face of an individual representing the brand makes it more humanized in a sense. Um, and especially when we talk about like the data breaches and privacy issues when it comes to uh specific platforms and companies and things like that. I think Gen Zers and Gen Alphas are more aware of that and they're more skeptical, even though we kind of move into this era of uh convenience. I think more the younger generation is being more skeptical of the convenience and saying, okay, if this is something that I'm that's gonna be convenient, what's the trade-off? Like, what are you getting from me? Are you getting my data information? Like, what is that being used for? They also don't like false advertising. They don't like when things seem like a lie. And they also very much, you know, I think that if there's if if if brands or companies genuinely make a mistake, I think they're they're okay with it. It's just when there's just a lack of understanding or kind of like tone-deaf, that's what that's something that they don't like. So I think that they very much are they're very good at spotting out when something's like an ad compared to the older generation. So yeah, transparency and trust is like the most important aspect for them.

Alex Romanovich:

Aaron Powell It seems like in the United States everything is an ad lately, right? When it comes to politics, when it comes to you know private business, enterprise, you name it. Let's talk a little bit about inclusion. And um I know you have been very vocal about that. But in e-gaming and esports, what does inclusion look like and what are some of the changes that need to take place structurally or otherwise for that to happen?

Erin Ashley Simon :

Aaron Powell I mean, when it comes to inclusion, I think the biggest thing is, I mean, anyone can game, right? There's no limitation in terms of who can game. Everyone from all walks of life, from different countries who speak different languages, they can all play video games. But the aspect of it that creates a little bit of difficulty is the fact that when you look at competitive gaming in esports, a lot of it's driven by PC, which is, you know, you need a good Wi-Fi, high-speed Wi-Fi, and that's that's luxury. That's that's not something that everyone has. And so there's a little bit of issues in terms of like, okay, if you were trying to get to a certain level competitively, then there is that discrepancy because console gaming is not really viewed the same when it comes to PC gaming. And a lot of the competitive scenes are mostly PC based, except like fighting games, which are more console-based. So it does create a little bit of a discrepancy when it comes to certain communities and their involvement in the scene. But I will say, like, as companies and, you know, a lot of gaming companies are starting to integrate mobile, which is probably the most accessible out of all the gaming consoles and and um systems, it's allowing for more individuals to get involved on that front. But I will say, in terms of like getting into gaming and playing, it's it's already very accessible. Even though I will say the prices of systems are going up and almost equating to the, you know, a console is almost equating to, you know, a little less, but not that far away from what a basic PC would be. But I think, you know, a little bit, it's interesting because it's like gaming anyone can get into, but yet still a little bit on the business side. It's it's still not as accessible as I think it should be.

Alex Romanovich:

You know, uh I was trying to get to wrap my brain around this, and you you hit the nail on the head there in terms of access, in terms of high-speed access. And uh because it is a global phenomenon and you can literally you know pick up a game or have a tournament no matter where the the players are, you know, you're absolutely correct. If you don't have good infrastructure, if you don't have good support, um you're gonna be at a disadvantage. Now, what can gaming bodies, standards bodies or uh tournament bodies, what can they do to kind of equal the um you know, to equal that uh playing ground, if you will?

Erin Ashley Simon :

I think like one of the things that they can do is like essentially it's it's challenging because I think from a financial perspective, the competitive scene in esports had like a bubble burst where there's a lot of investment. There are, you know, like there was an overinflation, there was a overevaluation of the value of the industry. So there were a lot of people who were investing to the space that like no longer are. So money has really cut back. And it got to the point where there's a lot of uh either uh firms or Saudi Arabia has been buying up a lot of these various different companies, which is challenging, right? Because obviously there's a cultural difference when it comes to uh certain things with LGBTQ plus and women, but then also it's like you want to create a create a competitive scene that's inclusive. But there's also there's a there's a kind of like a cultural headbutting, excuse me, that's going on. So it's gonna be a little bit challenging, I would say. I think right now a lot of the companies are just focusing on staying afloat versus creating on an inclusive space. But I think long-term is like obviously mobile integration and then also creating opportunities for people who aren't heavy into esports to really want to get into the space. So, you know, typically more open conventions paired with competitiveness. That seems to be kind of like the winning formula. Um, at least here in the US. In South Korea, though, it's avid. China, it's very avid. So it's like even culturally, there's a little bit of differences in how people can properly activate. But gaming has only, I would say, within the last five years, has been like more culturally accepted by the masses than compared to some of the other countries.

Alex Romanovich:

Interesting. So you you went from real sports, playing soccer, obviously, to esports, and now welcome to the world of AI sports. Wouldn't be um wouldn't be a complete program if we didn't talk about AI, right? So how does AI impact the entire world of gaming and esports? And can AI seen that it's kind of a well, maybe some people will say, well, maybe it was a fad, maybe it was a phase, and now it's not as interesting anymore in the United States, that is. But can AI revive it? Can AI impact it? Can AI change it? Can what is the role of AI in esports and gaming?

Erin Ashley Simon :

So the gaming world definitely is not necessarily happy with AI for a few reasons. I well, I think that even okay, even when we talk about AI, I think when it comes to just the general masses, I think there's a misunderstanding in terms of AI and understanding that like AI is just very it's like it's like it's like when we say gaming, right? Gaming is just like the overarching title for it, but you have different kinds of video games. Same thing in AI. You have different kinds of AI programs that serve different purposes. And some of them are more automation systems, some of them are uh, you know, more auto-learning, right? Where there could be something where utilizing AI for a competitive player to improve. And the more that they learn about that person's abilities, like the harder it gets to like help them in a specific area. I could see AI doing that, where it's kind of like a learning training system. And then also like on the content front, you see, you know, content creators in the gaming space or just content creators in general are utilizing AI to help with more of the content creation process that usually one person is handling everything, but you're having AI that's helping to kind of like alleviate some of that, some of the roadblocks to increase the efficiency of the development of the content. But on the other end, you know, I would say more of the art side and the creative side are not too happy about it. Where I think there's this lack of understanding, you know, maybe this is a little bit of a hot take, but I think there's a lot of executives that don't actually understand AI and don't understand that, like, yes, it's almost as if, it's almost as if a lot of companies feel like AI can completely replace people. I don't believe that. I believe currently where we are with AI, you, and especially depending on what it is, right? Like, I think utilize AI as a tool, but you still need a human being to manage that tool. You still need a human being to implement more humanized aspects to the AI. So, like, for example, a lot of people use Chat GBT, but also like Chat GBT, like especially when it comes to some of the words and some of the the content that it gives out, it doesn't make sense. Like there are cultural things that you say and like we say in the US or specific words that like no one really uses. Like I remember they were saying that there's been an increase in the word of Delve overseas because people are utilizing Chat GBT to develop application process for like to for some services that they put overseas. I don't know about you, but I don't really hear too many people using the word delve. But like, you know, so it's it it lacks the cultural context and it lacks the humanizing aspect. And that's why like AI can't completely remove people. Like you still are gonna need humans to help push it in the right direction because it's not it's not gonna sound like AI is just not gonna sound right or things are not gonna be always correct. Um so that's just kind of like what we're seeing in gaming spaces, like they think companies are trying to utilize AI to like remove artists and to remove certain elements that they feel like they can replace, but I I truly don't think that they can fully replace human.

Alex Romanovich:

Can AI remove, completely remove, or partially remove a marketer, for example?

Erin Ashley Simon :

No.

Alex Romanovich:

Because of uh or performance marketer, because you have all those different integrations and you have different platforms, and you you can, you know, for that matter, you can almost partition marketing into okay, we need to run a campaign, we need to create a piece of content, we need to, you know, launch it, launch that campaign, we need to analyze, we need to uh create metrics and so forth. Can't you use AI to kind of create multiple agents and do all this different things with agents?

Erin Ashley Simon :

I think technically, sure. But realistically, no. I don't think AI is gonna replace marketers. Like, even when we look at some of the advertisements that AI has done, like, cool, it's well done, but it still lacks emotion and feeling. And that's like one of the most important marketing, you know, 101s is you want people to feel. You don't want to just like people are gonna always remember a product and remember you for how you made them feel, not always what you say. And even if you do say it, there's still emotions evoked evoked into the the words that you use, right? Like if we look at Nike, just do it, like by itself, it has no meaning. Like, yeah, sure, just do what, do it. Like, what are we doing? Right. But Nike has spent a lot of time evoking emotions into just that entire tagline. So now when you say just do it, people have an emotional connection to it. So I don't think AI can ever do that because it's just not human, at least not right now. It can't do that. So I don't think an AI will completely remove marketers. I think it will help with the process and potentially the ideation. Like I sometimes use it to help with some ideation processes that I have. But yeah, I just personally don't think it's gonna completely remove marketers at all or advertisers.

Alex Romanovich:

So, what is your advice to a lot of the brands who are just so amazingly impressed by AI? Like, oh my goodness, we can now replace this and we can optimize that and we can improve that, and we can delve into it, as you said, which is by the way, is a corporate word. It is being used in the United States in corporate together with all the buzzwords, all the other buzzwords. Um, so you know who created AI or who created those models, right? But how should the brands evolve knowing or understanding that Gen Zs and alphas need that level of emotional connection, need that level of I mean it not to single them out. I mean, everybody would like that, certainly. Everybody would love that emotional connection with a brand and be treated as a person, right? Not a consumer, if you will. What should brands do?

Erin Ashley Simon :

I think brands, the more you lean into the true elements of being a human in your in your marketing, the more you're gonna win. Because it's getting hard for some people to recognize what is real on social and what's not. But the one thing that can say is, you know, there is always still gonna be an like an element of AI content that you can kind of tell. Um and then also like I've gone on to Sora and it's kind of like AI content lacks a soul. Um, I do think people follow it for, you know, I think because they're intrigued or there's some other aspect of it. But I really do feel and some and some of them are funny. Some of the AI stuff are really funny, but it still lacks like a soul, emotions, and feelings from what I've seen. So I think that the more honestly, like, I think the less overdone the content is and the marketing, the better, because then people will understand, oh, this is actually like more of a human being and storytelling. I unfortunately, especially in the gaming space, it just feels like everyone thinks that, you know, when it comes to marketing, that you need to do some high-end, high-quality video in order to do storytelling. You don't, you know, like simple phone, it could even be a simple phone, like phone filming and just, you know, the typical three-act structure or certain elements of storytelling or leaning into universal pain points, fears, desires. You don't need a whole lot and you don't need a whole budget to create effective storytelling. So I think the more that brands and companies are lean into that and not just, hey, we're gonna use AI because it helps us with being cost efficient, so then it looks good for investors, and then our profit margins look better, right? I think it's more so like, hey, also like part of the responsibility is like take be okay with taking risks sometimes and also really lean into storytelling. That's gonna probably make you stand out way more than just using AI, to be honest right now.

Alex Romanovich:

I totally agree. I mean, if you have a good idea, if you have a funny script or something like that, AI could certainly help you with speed, with cost optimization. I mean, I I come from the world of video and uh video marketing, and uh it's amazing how much it would cost you to produce a decent video commercial or something like this, right? Now you can actually create a movie using VO3 or using Sora 2 or using Kling uh you know 2.5 or whatever and make it uh, you know, you still need that human touch and you still need that human humor connection and so forth and so on. But I totally agree with you that you really have to learn how to balance those things. It cannot be just, oh my God, you know, let's let's create a you know a stupid AI video, right? Because uh it doesn't make a lot of sense or what have you. So you you're walking down the street and you see a um a younger Aaron who's inviting you to have a cup of coffee. What do you tell her?

Erin Ashley Simon :

Uh probably what I would tell a younger Aaron is if you think that getting older you'll figure everything out, that's not gonna happen. And like you you kind of need to move in life with adaptability and open-mindedness because you never know and expect where you may go, right? Like I I left most of my TV hosting in the gaming space just because I, even though I love gaming and I'm really good at what I do as a as an on-camera talent, it just wasn't it wasn't fulfilling my soul and fulfilling myself. And I think that like it's okay to pivot and go into areas that you wouldn't expect to. Like right now, I'm actually helping a uh small business with his content and marketing plans and growing him. And, you know, we're seeing it actually translate and convert into uh 2x, 3x profit for him to the point now where he is like looking to get a partner to help him with uh online sales. And then I really like I don't know, it just it's something that really fuels me versus what I've done the work, like the work I've done before. And I don't even read comics like that, but it's just like being able to take my superpowers and like help others has always been something that I've wanted to do and use my platform for that. And like now that I do it, like I feel like it's it's amazing. Um it's amazing to show that you can do good, but also balance it with business. It is not one or the other. So I would just tell younger Aaron, like, you know, have your heart lead you where you want to go, but also use your head to help with decisions and like be open to where the journey may take you.

Alex Romanovich:

Very cool. So now for a slightly older Aaron, what's next for you as a brand, as a creator, as a marketer? What are some of the sneak peeks that you can give us?

Erin Ashley Simon :

Yeah, of course. So I'm repped by a management agency called 16th, and my manager, RJ and I have been talking about what I've been doing with this comic store, right? How do we develop this out into kind of like a campaign and a series where eventually when we reach the goals for the comic store, is there another local store or um up and coming person that we can help? It's kind of like there's there's shows like home makeover, bar rescue, all that stuff. And we we were like, it'll be interesting to try and help people through that journey with all the knowledge that you know I've been, I have that I've been developing and seeing where it goes from there. Also, I still don't do hosting, I still do my content stuff. But I'm also like really interested in being a talent and creator that also works with brands and agencies behind the scenes. I've already been tapped by some of the biggest agencies to like help them with ideation for projects and assignments and pitches. So I'm actually looking to dive into that more and also dive into some more of that behind the scenes work, uh, where it's not just always me in front of the camera. Because I think I the value that I bring goes beyond just like talking in front of a camera or like, you know, doing a TikTok dance or something like that. I think that the knowledge and experience I have is is very valuable in the executive side and in the the business side of things.

Alex Romanovich:

Finally, a word of advice from you, and not necessarily just to your own generation. We have a lot of folks that may be soul searching. We have a few folks that maybe have been let go and are looking for their next gig. Or maybe they're just decided that corporate is no longer a fun. And what is your advice to them as an entrepreneur?

Erin Ashley Simon :

Don't forget to live life. I always tell people, life is life and life experiences are some of the best inspirations and best guidance that you can get. You know, I wouldn't have found opportunities or decided to change my career route if it wasn't for the moments and connections I had with friends or different communities or people or just have an experience of like being on my own. And so it's kind of like one of those things. And so, you know, I like I think if you can't find the answer, go and live life and eventually it will come to you.

Alex Romanovich:

Very cool. Very cool. Erin, thank you so much for being with us. We definitely uh enjoyed this uh chat and uh wishing you all the best in your career, in your endeavors, new uh projects. And we're hope to see you again very soon. Thank you so much.

Erin Ashley Simon :

Thank you as well.