Big brands jumping on the Pokemon Go bandwagon

David Swan
JULY 18, 2016
THE AUSTRALIAN
It hasn’t taken long for brands to jump on the Pokemon Go bandwagon, with Woolworths, TAB, Sportsbet, KFC and others targeting advertising towards the new mobile craze.
The free iPhone and Android game, which has about 21 million daily users ­after being available for just over a week, has ad agencies and marketers scrambling to capitalise on the Poke-hype.
Some businesses have been lucky enough to be designated “Pokestops” — a place where users collect items — while ­others are drawing attention to themselves through creative tweets or Facebook posts.
“We’ve had several reports from customers around the country of wild Pokemon ­appearing in our stores,” Woolworths posted on Facebook.
“We hear that Pikachu has been seen near batteries, light bulbs and power boards. And don’t confuse ‘Oddish’ for ­‘Radish’. One goes great in a salad, the other not so much.”
Other brands such as KFC, Oporto, Doughnut Time and Australian Bananas have posted ­photos of their food next to the virtual creatures while Virgin Australia says it will ­recharge the phones of Pokemon Go players free. The airline has kitted out each of its 52 stores and ­kiosks nationwide to provide free phone charging no matter what network players are with.
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The New York Post reported one New York pizziera manager had dropped a “lure” — an item to ­attract more Pokemon — outside his business. It cost him $10, and business spiked 75 per cent.
Millennial marketing and technology expert Suzie Nguyen said the game would be a goldmine for marketers.
“Pokemon Go is built on a real-time mapping system, which means more human traffic, which means an increase in sales,” she said. She expected to see more mobile businesses such as food and coffee trucks moving closer to Pokestops to capitalise on the increased foot traffic.
Nintendo and game devel­oper Niantic, which is 32 per cent owned by Nintendo, also stand to profit from the game through in-app purchases and wrist ­devices, coming soon.
Niantic chief executive John Hanke also told the Financial Times “sponsored locations”, where companies would pay to become locations in the virtual world in order to drive foot traffic, would be introduced.
Under that model, advertisers such as Domino’s Pizza would be charged for every customer visiting that store.
Niantic said there would be more information soon about any potential Pokemon Go sponsorship deals.