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Victoria Ashe, Business Director
The Best Pokémon Go Moments in Marketing
Ever since the Pokémon Go app launched, super-savvy businesses and institutions across the world have been using it to boost sales, increase visitors and get people talking about them. Here are a few of our favourite moments.
Maxwell’s Bar and Grill, Covent Garden
Lots of businesses have been designated as Pokéstops or gyms and are using it to their advantage, but Maxwell’s Bar and Grill are taking it to the limit.
One employee has been given the responsibility of dropping lures at the restaurant and around the local area, spending up to £100 a day on in-app purchases. It’s paying off though, as they’ve had Pokémon trainers in their droves coming along to catch rare monsters. They’ve even created special Pokémon-themed ‘freakshakes’ to celebrate – we’ll have a Squirtlegum please …
T-Mobile in the US
Due to the popularity of Pokémon Go amongst its customers, T-Mobile extended a very generous offer – anyone who uses the network won’t face any data charges while playing Pokémon Go over the next year.
They’re also offering discounts on taxi journeys to gyms and Pokéstops, discounted power bars to keep players’ phones charged up and ready to go, and free drinks at selected fast food restaurants. Why haven’t any UK networks jumped on this?!
Libraries across the UK
The fate of the humble library seems to be in the balance, but Pokémon Go could be providing a huge boost to the number of people stepping through library doors across the country.
Yeovil Library was recently the focus of a ‘lure party’, where players drop lure modules to attract rare creatures, and Coldside Library in Dundee has seen plenty of new visitors over the past two weeks due to its status as a Pokémon gym. Most libraries offer free Wi-Fi, which is an excellent way of attracting would-be Pokémon trainers.
Did you know Coldside Library #Dundee is a #Pokemon Gym? Come by & play! #PokemonGo https://t.co/fLwmuIDS8V pic.twitter.com/7ShSpC8QE7
— Dundee Libraries (@dundeelibraries) July 22, 2016
The Frog and Fiddle, Cheltenham
The Pokémon Go craze has hit our town as well! The PokémonGo Cheltenham Facebook page recently organised a dedicated Pokéwalk throughout the town centre that attracted dozens of players and a BBC camera crew. The walk took in several stops before finishing at The Frog and Fiddle, where staff took the opportunity to set up some retro Pokémon games for customers to enjoy. The Pokéwalk was so popular that the Frog is considering setting up retro gaming nights each week – fancy trying to beat us at Pokémon Stadium?
Pizza Express
One of the most fun aspects of Pokémon Go is the in-app camera – we’ve had plenty of laughs taking photos of errant Pokémon in the office! Pizza Express have, rather brilliantly, taken this to the next level.
They’ve have launched a nationwide campaign on Facebook to encourage players to share their favourite Pokémon photos from inside the restaurant, and to sweeten the deal, they’re offering free pizza for the best ones. Combined with their witty social media responses, the campaign is going down a treat – although we’re not sure we’d like to spot a Weedle on our Sloppy Giuseppe.
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