Marketing
Top Three Ways to Catch Rare Customers Using Pokemon Go
With over 7.5 million users in the US alone according to app analysts Sensor Tower, Pokemon Go is the latest gaming app to take the digital world by storm and has provided businesses with huge marketing opportunities.
The app is a location-based, augmented reality game that allows users to catch Pokemon in real locations. Wired states that the app has almost instantly become the most successful Android and iOS game with over 1.5 million Twitter mentions in one day alone.
The sheer popularity of this app has been taken advantage of by many food and retail businesses that have turned to ‘Poke-marketing’ to increase the number of customers they’re catching in their stores.
Here are the top three way businesses are using Pokemon Go to attract customers:
1. One way of taking advantage of the craze is to find out if your business is a PokeStop or a gym where players go to in order to catch or train their Pokemon. Different teams battle for control of Gyms on the app and some businesses have taken advantage of this by putting up scoreboards so people can see who controls the Gym and by getting involved in the fun are then attracting more players. The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden recognised its grounds were full of PokeStops and encouraged people to come visit. 60% of people that visited the day the post was put on Facebook were playing Pokemon Go.
2. Instead of aiming to attract players, some aim to attract Pokemon via a Lure Module. Lure Modules attract virtual Pokemon to real locations and some storefronts have been taking advantage of this in-app purchase. Lures last for half an hour which may seem short but they can attract many players as Pokemon are scarce and these players can then be converted into paying customers. L’inizio Pizza Bar in New York has increased business by 75% using lures.
3. Some businesses are going a step further and not only attracting players into their location but then once inside they offer Pokemon themed products and tailored offers and discounts such as 10% off for those who tweet about the Pokemon they caught in their shop or restaurant. Kaleidoscope Café in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania offered 10% off to those who showed the app when purchasing an item.
Niantic Labs CEO John Hanke has also confirmed that advertisers will be able to buy sponsored places in Pokemon Go which is a development that businesses will want to keep an eye on.
Users of the app have not only attracted the attention of businesses but also the PSNI after a man was reported to have jumped in front of traffic in Bangor while playing the game and officers in Craigavon caught a driver cruising at 15mph to help her little sister catch Pokemon.
Although the app is still in its early stages, the Pokemon brand has been loved by many people over the past 20 years and with the promise of added features including in-game chat functions, head-to-head battles, Pokemon trading and much more, a fall in popularity isn’t looking like happening any time soon.
