You don’t have to go far to see people of all ages roaming their neighborhoods, phone in hand, searching for imaginary Pokemon via the hottest new iOS and Android app.
If you’re not familiar with it, Pokemon GO is kind of like a fancy Geocaching game. It leverages the power of many different technologies on the smartphone to pull off the interactivity of the game. It uses GPS, mapping, gyroscope, multitouch, community building, and much more.
Pokemon GO is the number one app on the app store both in the number of downloads and gross sales. The numbers are staggering. The app has been downloaded by millions of people and Nintendo (NIN) has seen a nearly 25% spike in their stock value (that’s $7.5 BILLION in market value). Nintendo hasn’t seen numbers like that since 1983.
As amazing as the numbers are, that’s not the most interesting part of this whole craze. The general concept of the game (geocaching) has been around for years. Other games and platforms support similar technologies but what separates Pokemon is the brand. That’s their secret to success.
Pokemon has a nostalgic power for people of all ages. It engages children to adults because of a brand that Nintendo created years ago. Nintendo is sitting on a treasure trove of brand franchises from Super Mario Brothers to Zelda’s Link, Donkey Kong, StarFox, and many others.
To date, Pokemon GO has been Nintendo’s first major venture into the smartphone market, and they’ve done it in a huge way. As Gary Vaynerchuck says here, you’re only as good as your last at-bat. Nintendo has been struggling for several years, but properly leveraging their brand gives them the opportunity to turn that around in a quick way (as evidenced by their stock jump this month).
But how does this relate to you? It’s a reminder that brand matters. Granted, few of us will ever leverage the power of names like Pokemon, Mario, or Luigi, but your own personal and company brand can have a huge impact where you are.
Is your business well-branded? Do you have identity pieces that are consistently designed? Is your story, tagline, and message clear on all mediums? If not, it’s worth the time to spend on it. Who knows, maybe you’ll be the next one to develop a Pokemon-level brand. Need help? That’s what we’re here for.
