Pokémon Go, Beer, and a Pub Crawl Anyone?
Pokemon Go has quickly become the hottest augmented-reality video game with participants racing around the city to find Pokemons. The big question is: Do you catch more flies with honey? How should local bars and pubs be reacting? Should they jump on the band wagon or keep the players out?
By Shira Kogut on Jul. 13, 2016
Pokémon Go
The newest internet craze has swept the world from the US to Australia to Germany; it’s EVERYWHERE! The brilliant Nintendo and Pokémon franchises have not only wrecked the internet for many non-Pokémon fans, but they’ve also created complete pandemonium in the process! Stories of people causing traffic accidents, finding dead bodies, being mugged, and stories of others being arrested have all bubbled to the top on Google and social media. Nintendo has reconnected with former “Pokémon kids” (the millennial generation) with this augmented-reality (AR) game that sends gamers on a wild Pokémon chase…IN REAL LIFE; and Nintendo’s market value has jumped by over $7.5B in the process!
Pokémon and Local Business
So what does this latest and greatest internet craze mean for businesses? According to inc.com it means BIG business opportunity:
Smart businesses have caught on too. As Pokémon Go users traverse their towns in search of Pokémon, local stores, restaurants, movie theaters, and other businesses are capitalizing on this massive opportunity, driving huge amounts of foot traffic and conversions both with simple in-app purchases and creative marketing campaigns.
Pokémon Go + Beer, Pubs, and Breweries
According to Elyssa Goldberg from Bon Appetit, some bars and restaurants have chosen not to indulge the madness. They have placed signs on their doors to keep the gamers out, saying that they loiter and take seats from paying customers; but on the other hand the places that have chosen to participate and actually encourage the players to come in. Using signs, social media and buying game lures, those places have seen a HUGE rise in profits over the last week. They bring the players in and create buying incentives, so the players aren’t just sitting and staring at their phones waiting for the Pokemon to come down off their mountain.
It gets better, really smart business owners who ride the wave, like the local brewhouse in this reddit post, “Businesses Taking Advantage of Pokémon Go is Awesome offered discounted drinks to gamers (while they battled their Pokémon), and they saw impressive return with little cost:
We did this last night (college town), and within minutes of dropping the lure, 30+ people walked in. Hoooly shit.
These smart business owners also get great marketing opps in the process because gamers also spread the word:
My local brew house is a Pokémon Gym, and they are offering discounted drinks for members of the team that holds the gym. Pokémon GO is Awesome and I can get drunk for less money now!
Edit: They are now giving free t-shirts to the gym leaders!
Pokémon Go Pub Crawl
With bars/pubs in cities like Willamette, Oregon, Cincinnati, Ohio and even New York City announcing official Pokémon Go Pub Crawls, we think it’s a no brainer for other pubs and bars to dip a toe in agumented reality / gaming water…and with such a low cost to entry, there’s not a lot to lose.
Pubs that are already near Pokéstops and Pokégyms could easily unite to create an, “unofficial Pokémon pub crawl” where gamers can literally walk (or crawl) pub to pub, collect Pokémon, and enjoy their favourite beer(s).
Will you be attending a Pokémon GO Pub Crawl? If not, check out these awesome posts to keep you busy:
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