Marketing With Pokemon Go

The Pokemon Go phenomenon might be a summertime spike or something more lasting, but while it's popular, marketers are jumping on the bandwagon.

Pokemon Go is a new smartphone game based on the old Pokemon characters, with the special twist that players wander in the real world looking to "capture" characters in various locations. Here's what the Pokemon website says about the game:

Get on your feet and step outside to find and catch wild Pokémon. Explore cities and towns around where you live and even around the globe to capture as many Pokémon as you can. As you move around, your smartphone will vibrate to let you know you're near a Pokémon. Once you've encountered a Pokémon, take aim on your smartphone's touch screen and throw a Poké Ball to catch it. Be careful when you try to catch it, or it might run away! Also look for PokéStops located at interesting places, such as public art installations, historical markers, and monuments, where you can collect more Poké Balls and other items.

Local businesses are excited about the number of potential customers coming to their premises in search of wild Pokemon characters. Several restaurants and bars reported super increases in sales after investing about $10 for "lure" packages. Businesses can become "poke stops" to boost the user's stock of balls, attracting foot traffic in the process. It's a matter of harnessing high interest and engagement to shape customer behavior, at least increasing awareness of the brand or location and at best, gaining trial and purchasing.

Nonprofits are also part of this craze. From nature preserves to museums and beyond, organizations are taking the opportunity to invite visitors to catch Pokemon characters with them. Although not all places are happy about being involved without first being asked, some nonprofits are suggesting that advocates organize Pokemon Go walking tours to raise money for charity.

Go Pokemon Go!

Marketing Museums: Selfie Rules (Selfies Rule?)

Museums enjoy positive social media exposure, and selfies certainly fit the bill. According to a recent New York Times article, the Whitney Museum in NY actively encouraged selfies during its retrospective of Jeff Koons art in 2014.

January 21 of this year was, in fact, the second annual museum selfie day.

Some museums ban photographs entirely, not specifically selfies. And when selfies are allowed, the selfie stick might not be. Selfie sticks require space around the selfie-taker--and can lead to unintended consequences such as hurting someone standing nearby or damaging museum artwork or property.

Some museums (including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC and the Smithsonian) have actually banned selfie sticks. The Smithsonian encourages selfies, just not with sticks.

Others are posting specific rules. At right, the selfie rules posted by the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, Connecticut, for its recent Peter Halley exhibit.

No selfie sticks allowed but please, go ahead and take a selfie with any of the artworks accompanied by a hashtag on the floor (shown above with my caption).

And for extra convenience, the rules include the museum's social media site addresses and even suggested #hashtags. The museum's Facebook page includes selfie posts, naturally.

Vrooooom - the Harley-Davidson Museum

clipped from www.harley-davidson.com

Just two weeks until the opening of the new Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee. Having owned a couple of motorcycles in my time (OK, my first was a little step-through-frame Yamaha 50 cc bike, followed by a not-so-big Yamaha Twin Jet 100, but still), I'm putting this on my travel list.

From a marketing perspective, I think Harley's hefty multimillion-dollar investment in the museum will pay off in the long run. Lots of people who visit the museum will decide to finally go ahead and buy the Harley of their dreams; current owners will undoubtedly bring non-owners along for the ride and get them hooked on the brand. In the short run, even though summer is cycle season, this year's economic woes could be a drag on museum attendance.