If you’ve been living in a cave these past few weeks, you probably have no idea what Pokémon Go is. Last month, Nintendo released a super modern and ultra interactive version of a childhood favorite. The game that made the world go crazy was launch in the Philippines last August 6. Today, Pokémon Go has completely dominated the Philippine archipelago, launching tons of memes and tweets from players all over the country.
The premise of Pokémon Go is to simply, catch ’em all. Pokémon Go brings the world of Pokémon closer to reality by the use of augmented reality, making it possible for players to actually catch pocket monsters or pokémons by walking around the neighborhood or travelling to different places, just like what Ash Ketchum and the rest of his friends did in the previous games and the cartoons. Players can battle other Pokémon Masters at Pokémon gyms located at different parts of the city. Nintendo chooses the gyms based on locations that are near a churches or a parks. There are also PokéStops where players can collect items that can help them level up. All of these key locations are located in actual places making these players leave their homes and scavenge all over the town.
Pokémon Go is not only popular to millennials; it even caught the attention of older people. Because of this, various sectors are using Pokémon Go for their advantage. And the world of real estate is not going to be left out.
Many homeowners are getting random visits from strangers because it’s either their homes are considered a gym or a PokeStop. This has led to the question: can your house’s Poke-gym status help you sell it?
POKÉMON GO AS A MARKETING STRATEGY
Over the course of the week, we saw an increase in different real estate ads that use Pokémon Go to lure possible homeowners. Different ads are now using the Pokémon status as a selling point. Below are some of the examples.
Being placed near Pokémon Gyms is now a selling point for a house.
Jesus. #PokemonGO pic.twitter.com/Fpb97HTdVp
— Ryan Brown (@Toadsanime) July 11, 2016
Pokemon Go is having major implications in the real estate market pic.twitter.com/G8A88uGH0R
— Matt McDonough (@McDooogle) July 11, 2016
A benefit of using a current trend for your real estate marketing strategy is of course, the perks of getting exposure. There’s no harm in adding a bit of wit into your ads. If the younger generation is the niche audience that you are trying to attract, then you are definitely at the right track for using Pokémon Go. Using this type of marketing strategy can quickly rise the clicks on your website or get more engagement on your social media platforms.
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
Aside from raking in with the ads, Pokémon Go is also a huge opportunity not only for those who are planning on selling their property but also to those who are looking for a business getaway. If your location is a Pokémon gym or a PokeStop, you can sell merchandise to those players who are stopping by.
CAN IT ACTUALLY GENERATE SALE?
But if you’re thinking of using Pokémon Go as a technique to generate a sale for real estate, then you must get to know its audience first. As mentioned, most of the audience of Pokémon Go are millennials and younger. If the audience is a bit too young and still have no buying power, then the sudden surge of your property’s value can be fleeting.
Pokémon Go can actually be bad for your property’s price. If the players who are coming to your gym or PokéStop are a bit rowdy, this can cause for restrictions from other neighbors and future buyers. Future buyers might not actually want a house where random strangers stop by to battle each other or to catch some Pikachu.
In the end, real estate marketers must be able to use every trend that come their way for their own benefit. As they say, strike while the iron is hot. If you property has a Balbasaur lurking around or has three PokeStops, then we say milk it ’till you make it. But don’t put all your bets that Pokémon Go will truly rise your property to the top. It’s just a trend after all.
