Pokémon GO—Disrupting Marketing, Comic-Con and Entertainment
By Cheryl Dine—
The latest craze to hit the social network is the overwhelmingly popular app called Pokémon GO. It has already surpassed the usage time of twitter and snapchat to name a few. It is based on the 1990s Nintendo video game of the same name in which the user captures Pokémon and trains them to fight in Pokémon battles.
This week, San Diego Comic-Con had originally planned to put Niantic Labs (developer of Pokémon GO) in a smaller room for approximately 480 people. With the resurgence of the Pokémon phenomenon, Comic-Con has moved the panel to the ever-popular Hall H—which is the largest room with the capacity of approximately 6,500!
My Pokémon GO nickname is Magellansan in honor of my lack of directional aptitude. That said, this game has the ability to show people the future of marketing via augmented reality (AR), and to take me where I have never ventured before…so I am trending carefully.
Pokémon GO users are hyped up on an even higher level with this location-based AR technology. It allows the user to explore their real-world surroundings and interact through their mobile phone camera—capturing Pokémon along the way. Not only is it an exciting game to participate in, but businesses are realizing the enormous marketing potential this game provides. It can drive traffic to their businesses by way of Pokéstops (users buy 30-minute Lures). The Pokéstops may potentially become sponsored opportunities. Some businesses are already incorporating AR technology into their business models to visualize living with their products.
While there are many positive aspects to the new app, there are also some negatives. The game is addictive and can distract people from being fully aware of their surroundings. There have already been reported incidents in the news. Some museums and memorials have requested users not to use the app at their locations. While I, Magellansan, wander around downtown San Diego, I will keep an eye on this disruptive new technology and my feet on the ground.
For a more in-depth article read Zach Brooke’s American Marketing Association’s article, How Pokémon Go Is Disrupting Marketing as We Know It.