- Marketing
- Business
- Games
GoHamm Podcast. Marketing is a game. Learn to play it.
Dylan Hamm breaks down the game theory behind marketing, business and sports. No vanity metrics, no recycled growth tips, no corporate fluff. Zero math.
Five games
running your marketing.
Every ad auction, review and price war is a strategic game. Each chapter of the episode is playable: pick a track and try the move yourself.
Read the table
in 30 seconds.
Game theory is mostly one picture. Learn to read it and every pricing, bidding and positioning decision gets easier to see.
- 1Read the boxesEvery box is one outcome. Gold is what you earn, white is what they earn.
- 2Find the stable boxTap the box where neither side gains by switching alone. That is a Nash equilibrium.
- 3Guess wrong? Watch the chaseThe game shows who switches, and where the money finally settles.
The Payoff Lab
0/15
Price War · Prisoner's Dilemma
You and the competitor down the street both want the same customers. Whatever they do, cutting price looks smarter. So you both cut.
Rival picks
Hold price
Rival picks
Cut price
You pick
Hold price
You pick
Cut price
Your move.
Find the box where neither player would switch. Tap the one you think it is.
You versus
a stranger.
Ten rounds. Each round you both secretly pick: hold your price or cut it. Your rival has a hidden strategy. Play, then work out who you were up against.
What a round pays ($10k)
- Both hold3/3
- You cut, they hold5/0
- You hold, they cut0/5
- Both cut1/1
You / Rival
Cumulative profit
Your rival is one of five characters.
Learn how they behave over ten rounds, then call who it was.
Now play
the five games.
Episode one argues your marketing is five games you are already playing. Here is each one as something you can touch. Numbers are illustrative; the incentives are real.
Game 01
The Bidding War Nobody Wins
You and a rival chiropractor are bidding on "back pain near me". A click is worth $12 to you on average. Outbid them. See how it ends.
Bid ladder
- You$1.00
- Rival$2.00
Who keeps the $12 click?
Your next bid is $3. If it wins, you keep $9 of the $12.
The move
Don't fight where the only guaranteed winner is the auctioneer. Find the click your rival isn't bidding on, or win on something other than price.
Game theory,
zero math.
Eight ideas you will hear on the show. Pick a term to see it in the wild.
A spot where nobody can do better by changing only their own move.
In the wild
Two gyms both price at $39. Neither gains by moving alone, even if $49 would be better for both.
A move that is best no matter what your rival does.
In the wild
Bidding on your own brand name. Whatever competitors do, showing up there protects you.
Each side is tempted to defect, and both end up worse off.
In the wild
Two retailers in a discount war. Both would profit more holding price. Neither can afford to go first.
The option people pick when they can’t coordinate, because it stands out.
In the wild
"Best barbecue in the city" resolves to one name in everyone’s head. Be that name.
Winning an auction usually means you overpaid.
In the wild
You win the top ad slot at $11 a click on a $12 customer. Congratulations, you made $1.
Someone who benefits from what others pay for.
In the wild
A national brand spends millions on awareness. The local shop captures the people who search.
A claim that is expensive or impossible to fake, so people believe it.
In the wild
A money-back guarantee. Only a business that delivers can afford to offer one.
Randomizing your moves so rivals can’t exploit a pattern.
In the wild
A penalty kicker who always goes left gets read. Great kickers vary on purpose.
Your host
Dylan
Hamm
Dylan runs Black Label Campaigns, a marketing agency, and treats every ad account like a game board.
On GoHamm he breaks down the strategy underneath marketing, business and sports: who is actually playing, what they want, and how to make the smart move.
Your scoreboard
Rookie
0 / 1050
Clear every game to earn Hall of Famer. Each one is a real strategic situation from the show.
Listen on SpotifyMarketing. Business. Games. Hosted by Dylan Hamm.