Pokémon Go Marketing: How Pokémon Go craze can catch you millennials and business!

10 August, 2016

Millennials, also known as Generation Y (Gen Y), receive very contradicting labels. On the one hand often described as spoilt and lazy, they are also seen as the most sought after demographic in marketing terms and it’s easy to see why when you take a look at millennial research. Research from the USA indicates that American millennials currently contribute an estimated $1.3 trillion in annual consumer spending. But who exactly are millennials? How exactly can you capture Generation Y as a marketer?

Millennials and marketing

The term was coined in 1987 referring to the children born after the baby boomer generation. It’s impossible to generalise a whole generation of people, however gen Y face numerous stereotypes such as being lazy or having a sense of entitlement, but these are often proved wrong or contradicted. This of course means that there is no one size fits all in terms of marketing towards millennials in order to direct their consumer spending towards yourself. However, recently a craze has made millennial marketing more straight forward than it’s ever been! We are of course
referring to the phenomenon of Pokémon Go. Often stereotyped as being attached to their smartphones constantly, it is no surprise that millennials are 2.5x more likely to be an early adopter of technology than other generations. Meaning that naturally they have been at the forefront of the Pokémon Go craze. You might be thinking how on earth can a game generate revenue for my business? We take a look at a few businesses both big and small who are cashing in on the new craze.

How big and small businesses are capitalising on Pokémon Go

It’s no surprise that the global fast food chain, McDonalds, has jumped on the Pokémon Go hype. McDonalds managed to increase their shares by an impressive 23% after launching a Pokémon themed Happy Meal in Japan. The brand were the first to advertise on Pokémon Go, paying for a proportion of their restaurants in Japan to become “Pokémon Gyms”.

But it’s not just big brands, such as McDonald’s, who are seeing the benefits from the augmented reality game. There have been reports world wide of small businesses seeing a huge rise in footfall. Whether you love or hate this craze, you’d be silly not jump on the marketing bandwagon. If your business is lucky enough to be PokéStop or a Pokémon Gym then you can expect a serious surge in business. You can advertise if you are either of these landmarks to players quickly and easily, either by announcing through social media to your followers or even having a sign outside your business. There have been reports world wide of shops, bars and restaurants attracting business through their Pokémon themed signs outside, as can be seen here on the Leeds Beckett University campus, or creating Pokémon themed food and drinks, including Pokémon pizza!

What to do if you’re business isn’t a PokéStop or Pokémon Gym

What happens if your business isn’t a PokéStop or a Pokémon Gym? Don’t worry there are still ways you can attract Pokémon Go players, whether you offer players a small discount in order to increase footfall or depending on the nature of your business you could even create a pop up shop near an area which is known for being a PokéStop or Gym. The great thing about Pokémon Go marketing is you can really tailor it to work for your business and be as creative as you want. It’s a rare marketing opportunity, guaranteed to attract the golden demographic, millennials, to your business!

We’ve even had a visit in the jrc.agency office this week from a Pidgey!

•      Have you tried marketing using augmented reality techniques or games, like Pokémon Go? What were your objectives and did you achieve them?
•      What other creative digital marketing ideas do you use for your business?
•      How long do you think the Pokémon Go craze will last?

We’re really interested in your comments and insights on this!  Please share in the comments box below.

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