by Becka Baptista, Kirsten Kumar, Mike Thompson & Rachel Goodman
It’s 8 p.m. on a Friday — typically a quiet night for the bronze faced men atop the monuments on the Texas State Capitol grounds. But, with the help of a few Pikachu and Charizard, they’ve had a lot more visitors lately.
Since the augmented reality based Pokémon Go was released on July 6, Austinites infatuated with Niantic, Inc.’s latest game have traded in date night at the movies or a lazy evening at home with their children for bonding over catching Pokémon at landmarks, businesses, and random street corners alike.
The craze surrounding the game that Niantic CEO John Hanke said had accrued 500 million downloads as of Sept. 7, has prompted a number of businesses to jump on the pop culture momentum. According to a Bloomberg report, the number of active users has dropped more than 12 million since its peak above 45 million in mid-July. That decline has led local businesses to reevaluate if Pokémon Go is still a valuable marketing asset, or if it ever positively impacted business to begin with.
On Sept. 6, Moojo, an ice cream shop on the University of Texas Drag, organized a Pokémon Go themed trivia night in an attempt to draw more customers. Only four teams showed up, whereas similar events planned around other pop culture references have drawn upwards of 10 teams.
“I feel like it’s just too saturated how many businesses are trying to promote Pokémon Go,” Matthew Petersen, Moojo vice president, said.
Moojo’s Pikachu and Jigglypuff ice cream sandwiches also received less positive response than some of their other culture reference specials like the CHILLary Clinton.
That’s where the story has been different for VERTS Mediterranean Grill, an Austin-based chain that has a location just a couple blocks down from the shop doling out cleverly named ice cream concoctions.
Just a week after Pokémon Go’s release, VERTS threw a Pokémon Lure Party at its Hill Country Galleria location. The company dropped five lures, costing a total of $5.95, which drew rare Pokémon to its location. An employee, who happened to be an avid player of the game and had achieved the advanced level of Pokémon Trainer, provided helpful tips for new players. The marketing effort resulted in a 114 percent increase in business compared to other VERTS locations.
“You’ve got to act fast and rely on people who understand these trends,” Sarah Pendley, VERTS public relations manager, said. “If you try to just make it up as you go, it will seem really inauthentic.”
VERTS, however, has not done another similar event despite its success.
“Augmented reality gaming is going to grow, Pokémon Go is just the first,” Loyd said. “It has that element of addictiveness and community that makes for success. A similar Harry Potter game is about to come out and the tours I’m running now can be easily duplicated for any similar game model.”
Loyd sees business opportunity in the augmented reality platform that requires movement well outside the confines of a couch and a gaming console tethered to the wall.
Often, he sets up a table at the Capitol where he sells Pokémon Go themed apparel and promotes his tours. While his customers for this game have dwindled, he expects to be setting up shop for another themed game soon.
“It’s been a learning experience,” Loyd said. “Next time, it’s going to be a hell of a lot easier.”
Another Austin-based business, Amy’s Ice Creams, has opted for a more gradual and sustained Pokémon Go themed marketing plan and seen similar success.
Aaron Clay, Amy’s marketing manager, said sales were up 33 percent across all its locations in the month following Pokémon Go’s release. He has no doubt that stemmed entirely from players looking for a cold treat along their game routes.
“They can walk into our store and see Pokémon themed decorations, flavor combos, artwork, even discounts,” Clay said. “When we ask ourselves what we can do to remain relevant in the market, part of it is connecting with our core customers and what they’re interested in.”
While Clay said that Amy's has seen a reduction of players in its shops recently, its locations will continue to run Pokémon themed promotions until he feels their core customer base has moved on. He admits, however, that day might not be too far off.
While Pokémon Go as a cultural fad may be waning, the game is still incredibly popular. The augmented reality game is no longer at its peak popularity, but it still has over 10 million more daily active users than Candy Crush Saga, the hit mobile game of 2013, did at its peak, according to Survey Monkey Intelligence data.
For Austin-based entrepreneur, Philip Loyd, founder of Pokémon Go City Tours, the potential doesn’t lie in the Pokémon Go franchise itself, but in the permeation of other games piggybacking on the success of Niantic’s concept. Currently, his company does both walking and driving tours where an expert player helps customers play Pokémon Go as they travel to popular and advantageous locations for the game.
A look into the relationship between the Pokémon Go mobile application and safety on the road.
Pokémon Go has transcended the generation gap between a father and his son in Austin, Texas.
A run-through of how to play Pokémon Go on a mobile device.