Pokemon can grow your local business

My not-so-little siblings shamelessly hunting Pokemon in the jungles of Miami.

The new PokemonGo app is taking the world by storm. With the use of augmented reality (remember all that talk about 3D goggles and virtual reality?), the game challenges users to (literally) search around town to catch Pokemon. People are getting together with friends to go chase after Pokemon in real life; most Pokemon can be found at central locations like landmarks, parks, malls, etc. 

This article describes how even the most playful of apps like PokemonGo provides opportunity for unique integrated advertising. We’re not talking banner ad placements or expensive brand partnerships. Pokemon sightings can be used by local businesses to draw foot traffic. For a couple dollars, I can plot a location on a Google Map to be a Pokemon “hub”…So if I own a coffee shop and I want more customers, I can make my shop a Pokemon hub and it will bring dozens of Pokemon hunters to my doorstep in a matter of minutes.

This is a similar strategy to Snapchat’s On-Demand filter offering. Starting at just $5, event planners can pay to place a custom Snapchat geofilter (a graphic design that can be stickered on photos and videos in the app) in an area of their choice. From my own experience, I've witnessed the incredible return on investment that Snapchat integrations can have for a brand (in the advertising world, we're talkin' $0.08 CPM). 

It's fascinating to note the rapid change in the advertising landscape. Our opportunities to interact with consumers are multiplying and demanding the utmost creativity. Plus, the opportunities are extremely short-lived. The lifespan of consumer interest is waning as people are quickly turned off by platforms that are oversaturated with ads. 

Point blank: act boldly, move quickly. 

And Pokemon safely.