With the recently launched Pokemon Go app, the cute pocket monsters have taken the real world by storm. As everyone knows, in the first week from launch there were more than 7,5 million downloads just in the US. And the Pokemon Go mania has similarly grabbed the Millennial generation in many other countries across the planet, from New Zealand to Italy.
Such accomplishment is unprecedented. Numbers, however, do not describe it well enough. More telling clues are the crowds that flocked to Central Park last week, attracted by the sight of a rare Vaporeon; or the many young gamers you can easily spot everywhere, wandering the city, looking into their smartphone, and stopping excitedly for no apparent reason.
The little creatures at the centre of this commotion – by the name of Pikachu, Squirtle, Charmander, Bulbasaur, among many others – may seem to make this case very specific. But in fact many brands can learn a lot from it. Here is what is making Pokemon Go an incredible success, opening new ways for other brands to engage and thrill their audiences.
Fun
The Pokemon Go app is surely fun. And fun is the pre-requisite for any game that wants to succeed. Where does the fun come from? In terms of gaming experience, there are three components based on strong behavioural motivations: a) the drive to chase and capture; b) the fun of competition (to conquer a gym); c) the collection effort (the more Pokemons you get, the more actions you can take). Besides, the app is amazing in what it allows you to do. It’s dynamic and surprising, and surprise is one of the best ways to provide fun. If you are trying any form of gamification for your brand, don’t forget that fun and surprise should be at the core of it.
Millennials’ nostalgia
As Quentin Hardy pointed out in a recent New York Times piece, Pokemon Go is mostly about the nostalgic feeling many Millennials have for the characters they used to play with at a younger age. The children from the Nineties who spent long hours at home with their Nintendo Game Boy have grown up and can now freely wander the streets in search of the same characters. The sense of familiarity makes the game very easy to play and is part of the fun. If it is true, as Hardy says, that Pokemon Go is Millennials’ “first mass-consumption nostalgia product”, other brands could find creative ways to let their customers revisit their past with them.
Ready for augmented reality
An additional element of fun is given by the pleasure of mixing the virtual and the real worlds, in a very new approach to what is known as augmented reality. This is made possible by better connectivity (although crashing servers have been an issue at the start). And the Millennial generation is clearly ready for it – indeed, more than happy to experience the magic presence of Pokemons in human environments. The feature by which you can see a Pokemon standing in the real world as captured by your camera is actually great: for instance, it’s easy to get a picture of yourself with a Pokemon sitting on your hand. The underlying technology is now available to many brands, and successful applications will hinge on brilliant ideas of content development.
Storytelling
The typical storyline of Pokemon movies, which Millennials followed on their TV screens as children, can now be experienced in person. Pokemon Go allows you to perform many of the actions previously reserved to Ash and his friends: walk around in search of Pokemons, throw Pokeballs, capture Pokemons, meet Pokemon fans, challenge other Pokemon trainers, etc. In a way, with Pokemon Go you are living the story. Other companies may not have similar storylines to replicate, but the virtual and real world intersection can offer an exceptional background for future brand stories of any kind.
Walking around
Owing to the way the game is built, the walking is indeed necessary. If you don’t walk enough, the eggs that allow you to get rarer Pokemons do not hatch, and that’s a problem. Thus, Pokemon Go pushes people to walk a lot. Although there may be an issue of walking distractedly (police departments are warning players to be careful about their surroundings), moving around translates into a good way of exercising. This may not be crucial for Millennials, who probably exercise anyway. But other brands – especially those addressed to seniors – could study the Pokemon Go case to identify smart ways to nudge their customers into walking more.
The social aspect
Pokemon Go, finally, has a social side. In the virtual world, gamers are incentivised to play in teams, especially when they need support for conquering a gym. But the most relevant social feature of Pokemon Go is that it encourages people to meet in the real world, while looking for Pokemons or in other situations. Seeing other young people playing in the same environment is enough for Millennials to start a conversation with like-minded potential buddies. Thus, the social aspect of the game adds another layer of fun. This two-pronged approach among youngsters is quite effective, and other brands could benefit from trying to follow a similar model.