Since the launch of ‘Pokemon Go’ in the United States, Nintendo’s shares have skyrocketed by $10 billion. If you haven’t heard about the free, augmented-reality game, then either you are living under a rock or you were unconscious for the past few weeks. Pokemon Go fever had caught everyone in the world, even though it hadn’t been released in most parts of the world. The mobile game didn’t become massively successful without the brand establishment. The TV series that aired years ago created such fever that everything in the name of Pokemon became easy to sell. Amazing, isn’t it?
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Pokemon had again found its way back to our hearts through the most viral and downloaded mobile game that had shattered every record within its 1-week run, and it was just the beginning. Users were spending an average of 33 minutes daily on the app, which had exceeded Facebook in the duration numbers and made Pokemon Go the king of all applications.
Unlike other mobile game apps, you have to actually leave your house to catch Pokemon and do physical activities to hatch the eggs. The game tells you about the location of Pokemon and you have to reach the place to hunt them before anyone else does. At its peak popularity, Americans could be seen visiting places to catch new Pokemon and building their teams. It had created a friendly ambiance among the players and they were making new friends and getting familiar with new places in their cities. That was what we could call an actual social application – not offline, alone; but worked offline, too. It is still available on app store and Google play store.
People are seen posting their newly caught Pokemon and other activities on social media.
Some marketing lessons we can learn from the application are as follows:
1. Online Traffic Can Drive Real-World Traffic
Since the Pokemon Go is played by stepping outside of the home, visiting places and hunting rare Pokemon, people are actually doing mental and physical activities, and it’s making them healthier.
The real world traffic has really helped businesses to see growth in their sales. Many businesses like food outlets have actually admitted the positive outcomes of Pokemon Go and reported growth in their business sales. A lot of players after hitting the streets in search of Pokemon and challenging other Pokemon trainers, visit food outlets to satisfy their hunger and to restore their energy to continue their hunt. The virtually reality game has not only skyrocketed its company’s share but is actually helping other businesses to maximize their profits.
Businesses which show up as Pokemon collecting locations in the game, are offering discounts to the game players, which has boosted their sales manifold. Some businesses have gone further and are allowing entry to only those players who are willing to buy from their shop. The players are paying them because all they want is to catch their Pokemon.
If you are running a business, the game can teach you how to scale your online and offline business equally, so that your online visitors can actually pay you a visit in real time.
2. Partnerships Are Important
If you have played Pokemon Go or have followed news about the game, then you are probably aware of the appearance of Pokemon at random places. Some appear at business places that are official partners with the game developers. The businesses who tapped into the opportunity of being a partner with Niantic for Pokemon Go are earning handsomely and strengthening their brand through their business tactics like discounts on the purchases etc. Businesses that failed to develop a partnership with the game company are now looking up on ways so that they can do that.
Being an entrepreneur, you have to look for partnerships that can benefit your business and result in huge profits and sales leads at the end of the day. Hence, remain active and keep exploring creative possibilities such as this, within your business niche.
3. User Engagement Is Key
What makes ‘Pokemon Go’ a historic success is high-end user engagement that is often a dream for even elite companies. Users aren’t only playing, but even talking about it. They are constantly uploading game pictures and their progress on social media, competing with their friends in terms of catching more number of Pokemon and their types. This has created a wave of game lovers and has created a social environment that is connecting users from different corners of the world.
The game is a combination of mental and physical fitness and has created a ripple that rugged the boredom under the carpet. Users are actually coming out from their shallow lifestyle and experiencing the new world that is connected with their Pokemon world.
No matter whatever you’re selling, you have to find ways for user engagement because it will ultimately save your rocking boat. Now you don’t have to create a mobile game. You can create a craze for your products through innovation and bring creativity in what you are already selling.
4. Good Branding Can Instantly Sell Anything
Pokemon is loosely based on the same parameters on which Ingress was based. Game lovers possibly know about the game that was fun to play. However, much unlike Pokemon Go, Ingress failed to see breakout success, despite having similar elements.
From last 20 years, Pokemon is consistently developing and has become a household name and an established brand, with following in millions or in billions, probably.
Over the years, the brand became so powerful that its tag made the game as the most successful mobile app ever; surpassing social media king Facebook in terms of daily user engagement duration. If the branding weren’t strong, the game itself would never have skyrocketed in revenue and would not have taken off like it did.
5. Timing Is Important
Read any marketing bible, you’ll find the importance of perfect timing for best results. We can learn about perfect timing right from Pokemon Go application. The company released it just after the summer vacation began and it created a huge wave among kids and adults who liked to take days off to spend quality time with their families.
Children and even elders were looking for an excuse to step outside their home and play the game. The streets became crowded again and children’s noises could be heard in parks. The game really pushed people to be physically fit in order to hunt their favourite Pokemon that were miles away from their current location.
Imagine the results of Pokemon Go, if the company released it during school term or in winters? The scenario would have been different. Hence, the timing is no coincidence.
The users that were kids when Pokemon aired 20 years ago, have all grown up and enjoy significant financial power; thus, making it a ‘win-win’ situation for Nintendo.
6. Minimize Generation Gap Through The Product
Seeing the fever of Pokemon, generation Z who didn’t grow up in the age of Pokemon fever, are taking a keen interest in the pocket monsters’ world and are becoming avid fans of the franchise. Moreover, even those parents who hardly sat down with their children and watched Pokemon, are also seen playing the game. The game is connecting everyone in one string and the list of active users of the game is going to be overwhelming.
7. Content Is King
Like its TV series, the game connected with the fans on an emotional level and gave them a platform to be a Pokemon master just like the protagonist, Ash Ketchum.
Elements like user engagement, versatility and multi-dimensional aspect of the game have raked in rave reviews. If it weren’t strong Pokemon branding the game would probably have lost in the abyss. Branding and the content quality and innovation of platforms have helped Pokemon Go achieve an iconic status.
8. Channelize Social Media Platforms To Maximize Marketing
Thanks to our socially connected world through various social media channels updating us about certain products that are viral and are trending on the charts, it is easier to shadow as a viral trend. Pokemon Go is trending continuously since its launch and people are using hashtags to discover the user generated content to enjoy and gain more tips to hunt more Pokemon.
Pokemon Go has become viral and its social proof is clearly visible on every social media platform and even on a major news website. When people are playing the game and having so much fun that reflects through their videos and pictures, it’s really hard not to give it a try.
To reach the pinnacle of success on which Pokemon is sitting, you have to start with a good product and shift your entire fours on it. You can create something like Pokemon Go, too; however, all you need to do to establish a great band is to understand customer acquisition and retention in-depth.