Open to opportunities

Van Riker

@vanriker

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I drive product engagement, activation, and adoption through experimentation, onboarding, and lifecycle strategy.

United States

Message

What I'm looking for

I'm looking to lead engagement, activation, and adoption for digital products, partnering closely with Product, Design, Engineering, and Data Science to reduce friction and improve customer value.

I've led product engagement and adoption strategy for Xbox Game Pass at Microsoft, using experimentation, in-product moments, and lifecycle touchpoints to improve conversion and retention. My work has delivered $30M in annualized revenue impact, $5.4M in loss mitigation, and a projected $7M annual revenue increase.

I work closely with engineering, product, design, and data science to identify friction and shorten time-to-value. I led 94 controlled experiments and 16 shipped improvements, and helped accelerate a cross-platform launch from roughly 18 months to two months while increasing its first-year revenue forecast from $20M to $80M.

Earlier, I supported launches for 50+ partner apps at Derflan, led worldwide franchise marketing for Plants vs. Zombies 2 at PopCap/EA, and grew game revenue by 50% at GameHouse. I also build community at Microsoft through sustainability leadership and a mental health hackathon project that became an official Microsoft product.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Senior Marketing Program Manager

Current

Microsoft

Jan 2015 - Present (11 years 8 months)

Defined experimentation strategy for Xbox Game Pass, driving 94 controlled experiments and 16 shipped improvements, delivering $30M in annualized revenue impact. Owned engagement strategy across the customer lifecycle, contributing to a projected $7M annual revenue increase and 200K new subscribers.

Experimentation Engagement Strategy Lifecycle Marketing Cross functional Leadership Data Analysis Product Marketing Feature Sequencing

Partner Marketing Vendor

Derflan, Inc

Jan 2014 - Dec 2015 (1 year 11 months)

Supported go-to-market planning, positioning, and launch communications for 50+ partner apps, including titles from the NFL, Netflix, and Spotify, delivering all within planned launch timeframes.

Go To Market Planning Positioning Launch Communications Partner Marketing

Franchise Marketing Manager

PopCap / Electronic Arts

Oct 2011 - Dec 2013 (2 years 2 months)

Owned worldwide messaging and campaign execution for a flagship consumer franchise, coordinating cross-functional launches across mobile, console, PC, and social platforms. Achieved #1 App ranking on iOS and Android for 3 consecutive weeks with Plants vs. Zombies 2.

Campaign Execution Cross functional Coordination Mobile Marketing PC Marketing Social Media Marketing

Senior Marketing Manager

GameHouse – Real Networks

Apr 2008 - Oct 2011 (3 years 6 months)

Drove engagement and subscription enrollment strategy for 1P and 3P game franchises, developing a life-cycle management program that increased average game revenue by 50%. Conceived the Premium product line and supporting in-product value-proposition messaging, resulting in a threefold increase in revenue per unit.

Engagement Strategy Subscriptions Lifecycle Management Value Messaging