There is no escaping them. Pokémon are everywhere and they’re invading more than our world, but also our childhood dreams. At this point you’ve heard of Pokémon Go and if not then you’re lying. Niantic’s greatest achievement has literally taken over the world and the global release hasn’t even finished yet. What can only be described as a global domination, Pokémon Go has surged in popularity with innovative augmented reality that puts the gamer into the incredible world of Pokémon. Now that the lines between reality and fantasy are blurring, players can finally live out the dream of Pokémon and set off on adventures to try and catch ‘em all.
The app is a killer, of rankings and your battery. Pokémon Go flew past any competition in terms of app downloads since its release and the fame is consistently growing, reaching an unheard of amount of people. Pokémon is celebrating its 20 year anniversary this year and that is the perfect time for Niantic’s game to steal the hearts of every person, millennials to generation X & Z. Even though the release has been bumpy, and the game absolutely destroys your battery life, no one can put it down. The game is super effective at getting players to actually go out and walk until they hatch eggs, collect supplies or conquer enemy gyms. Some eggs require you to walk over 6 miles to hatch, exciting dogs around the world as they get to go for far longer walks than normal.
Becoming the very best is hard when there are over a hundred unique Pokémon for you to go and catch, but this is a huge move for Niantic, because they can expand on the game for a long time, now that there are over 700 Pokémon throughout the games. Now if you’re a company or store that has been lucky enough to be chosen as a Pokestop, or even better a Gym, then you have some power in this crazy new mobile reality. Within the game, there are items called “Lure Modules” that lure Pokémon to a stop or gym, which can bring players near you and possibly even drive sales. Thinking about doing some creative advertising with Pokémon Go? Use a lure during downtime for business and you might see some driven trainers seeking you out for Pokémon and possibly a deal from your store.
The game hasn’t been out for that long, but it did not take long at all for brands to take notice and start taking advantage of this platform. McDonalds, of course, has already struck a deal with Pokémon Go, as well as Niantic announcing that they will be accepting applications for “sponsored pokestops” from brands. These sponsored locations will be based on a “cost-per-visit” model, very similar to Google’s “cost-per-click” feature. In addition to this, the developer opened up a submission form process to have a pokestop or gym deleted, in cases of it being incorrect or houses not enjoying the burst of popularity. The form does go both ways though, so if there are local landmarks that you feel should be a gym or pokestop, you can submit locations to become them as well. This process is a good move for Niantic, because they can receive an incredible amount of revenue, but also boost the popularity of the game for even longer than previously thought.
Pokémon Go’s extremely dedicated fan base is derived from the perfect target audience on top of the game’s need for you to go out and put effort into every action, making the player more attached to excelling in the game. Even if you refuse to play Pokémon Go, you non-conformist you, the game provides some of the best instances of “people watching” that you could dream of as people sprint around into traffic, jump up and down excitedly in random alleyways or as they walk around your front yard with their phone inches from their face. From a brand’s point of view, Pokémon Go is a unicorn. Never has an app held the attention of individuals for almost an hour a day, consistently each day. This is a precedent that may never be reached again, but it does help if brands around the world can grasp the concept of it. If brands are more willing to embrace the new emerging technologies of the future, then it will be far more likely that there will be another unheard of product that takes the world by storm.
With the application drawing millions of players, people are hungry for everything Pokémon Go and when brands take note, it can be a win for everyone. Many brands have taken to social media, posting screenshots from the app or using effective puns for larger brand recognition among viewers. The social marketing from these brands have garnered thousands of shares each and have reached an audience that they previously thought they never would. Pokémon Go has proven staying power already, so take the time to download and try out Pokémon Go; it could prove beneficial to your brand. If you go the extra mile, you’ll be able to actually lure customers to your business. Like all things in the digital world, there’s no telling how long Pokémon Go will be king, but for now, take a part of the craze that has taken over the world.