McDonald's Japan is utilizing the popularity of the Pokemon Go augmented reality release to its marketing advantage by creating a food partnership with the platform to turn each of its fast casual locations into Pokemon Gym or Poke Stop locations. The collaboration is between the fast food chain and the developer of the platform, Niantic, that encourages consumers to enter the eateries to battle their anime monsters.
While a large portion of the Pokemon Go game focuses on collecting the characters, the second half is all about battling other players at Pokemon Gyms and Poke Stops. The recent partnership solidifies all of the McDonald's Japan locations as Pokemon Gyms, encouraging consumers to visit in order to interact with other players.
The partnership is mutually beneficial as McDonald's gains more customers and Pokemon Go offers a unified place for players to meet at.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Augmented Reality Marketing
- Utilizing popular augmented reality platforms like Pokemon Go to create unique marketing partnerships with businesses.
- Location-based Gaming
- Turning physical locations into game elements to encourage consumer engagement and interaction.
- Collaborative Branding
- Developing partnerships between companies and popular platforms to mutually benefit from increased customer engagement.
Where This Applies
- Fast Food Industry
- Fast food chains like McDonald's can leverage augmented reality gaming partnerships to attract more customers and drive sales.
- Gaming Industry
- Game developers like Niantic can explore collaborations with businesses to enhance user experience and increase game popularity.
- Marketing Industry
- Marketing agencies can create innovative strategies utilizing augmented reality platforms and location-based gaming to attract and engage consumers.
