by | Jul 27, 2016 | Brand, Business, Customer Journey, Experience and Service |
Pokémon Go is the latest version of the Pokémon franchise, one of the most successful gaming franchises ever produced. While Pokémon has always been hugely successful the introduction of Pokémon Go appears to have taken it to a new level of popularity, as almost everywhere you go all you see is people of all ages playing.
Pokémon Go encapsulates the classic Pokémon activities of hunting and training Pokémon, but it integrates this with the real world. This combination makes it an augmented reality game, meaning that the players must travel to real word locations to battle at gyms and must search the real world to find and catch Pokémon.
The uniqueness of the augmented reality game, and that it can be freely downloaded from the iOS and play stores has led to an unprecedented number of downloaded since it was launched just a few weeks ago.
Reports have suggests that it has been downloaded by over 75 million users worldwide, which is the equivalent of the entire population of Turkey.
It has also won a number of awards including the most downloads on the app store in a launch week ever. This huge popularity caused Nintendo’s share price to increase by 86% in a week, leading to an increase in their overall value of £15 billion, while since then it has dropped over revelations the Nintendo do not fully own Pokémon go, it is still up over 60% on the pre-launch price.
Why is the entire world fascinated with Pokémon Go
While the rise of Pokémon Go is an intriguing topic which has the entire world fascinated, you might be wondering what it has to do with marketing.
Well…I first recognised the opportunity it may present to certain businesses when I realised that across Liverpool a number of the poke stops (locations where users collect items) were actually pubs, such as the Philharmonic Dining Rooms on Hope Street, the Fly in the Loaf on Hardman Street and the Pilgrim on Pilgrim Street. While poke stops may attract some users to these locations, it is actually another feature of Pokémon Go that will truly attract avid uses to these pubs for an extended amount of time. That is lures, these are an option which can be added to poke stops that attract Pokémon to that location for 30 minutes, many keen Pokémon Go fans will locate the lures across the city and will congregate there to catch Pokémon. As many lures are often placed in the same locations throughout the day, large amounts of people often congregate on these hot-spots.
Therefore, for these pubs it should be seen as a great opportunity for them to lure potential customers into their pubs where they can enjoy the atmosphere, purchase food and drink and catch Pokémon to their heart’s content. While this might seem slightly farfetched, both McDonalds and Starbucks are being linked with purchasing poke stops for their range of cafes and restaurants. Although this option is not available at the moment, and Pokémon go are currently replying on in-app purchases, it is rumoured to be very close to being introduce.
It has even been rumoured that McDonalds have already agreed a deal with Nintendo for all of the McDonalds in Japan to be Poke stops in the near future
While this cannot be confirmed yet, it just shows how much of an opportunity they believe Pokémon Go could be for their restaurants. Research has also been carried out on current Pokémon Go users to discover their views in relation to the possibility of sponsored content on Pokémon Go.
The results were overwhelmingly positive with users stating they would happy engage in a range of different sponsorship options.
These include poke coins being available when users make shopping purchases, unique game items that can only be accessed at specific shops or restaurants or even special rare Pokémon unlocked if you spend a certain amount in certain shops.
Thus, while it is key to consider a company’s brand image when associating pubs and restaurants with games of this type, it could be a great opportunity for some smaller scale businesses who are located on or close to poke stops.
Furthermore, encouraging Pokémon go users to make the most of plug sockets in cafes for example, is another great way for smaller businesses to make the most of this current craze. One company in Liverpool who are located in a Pokémon Go hub, and are trying to make the most of it is Ziferblat who have sent out a number of Pokémon Go tweets encouraging users to visit them on the docks to charge their phones and enjoy their Wi-Fi.
View the Tweet – https://twitter.com/ziferblatedgest/status/753584238050541568
This further highlights the wide range of possible ways in which both small scale and larger companies can effectively benefit from the Pokémon Go phenomena.
Overall it is one of those crazes that seems to have captured everyone’s attention, no-one knows how long it will last but it could be a great opportunity for businesses who are willing to engage with customers at a different level.
Gotta catchem’ all!
by Amanda Daniels-Allen | Aug 12, 2015 | Customer Journey, Experience and Service, Digital Marketing Speaker, Events & Conferences, Koogar |
I’ve got a website, a Facebook page and a Twitter account. I’m on LinkedIn and got several different email accounts with SEO, and PPC with more than a dash of OMG but the phone’s not ringing – Marketing simply a fluke?
Over 25 years ago the World Wide Web was first created, and since then has COMPLETELY changed the way we do business FOREVER.
Today there are well over 2 Billion regular users, it has NEVER been more important in Business to BE ONLINE!
However, in the ever increasing SEA OF SAMENESS how can you possibly compete, Stand out from everybody else and be successful?
Book your ticket for “Influence” An EXCLUSIVE Northwest Marketing Conference
Robyn Robertson… shall deliver a 40 minute interactive Keynote on Uniqueness and your Category of 1
We all know the well know saying “You never get a second chance to make a first impression” However, with the average decision making time for an internet user to determine if YOU are the right answer to their solution dropping to less than 15 Seconds! It’s NEVER been more important to Make the RIGHT Impression a LASTING IMPRESSION
Tracy Waddacor… shall deliver a 40 minute interactive Keynote on World Class Customer Service
“If the phone ain’t ringing,…….PICK IT UP!” Too many people remain reliant on customers old and new remembering WHO you are and WHEN to do business with you, yet more than 80% of Business owners are failing to accurately and effectively communicate with both prospects and customers
Liz Couchman… shall deliver a 40 minute interactive keynote on Telesales/Tele Marketing and the importance of regular communication with your clients
Google have previously announced that as much as 99% of email traffic is SPAM! And with the increase of automation SPAMBOTS and HOAX, it could be easy to dropped from a priority Client and into a SPAM FOLDER
Traci Williams… shall deliver a 40 minute keynote on the importance of data collection, what why and when to use what you’ve got to remain a firm favourite with your list
But its an ever changing world, how on earth will I ever keep up with everything?
Amanda Dodd… shall deliver a 40 minute keynote on the internet/social media trends, what’s HOT and what’s NOT, where you should be focusing your attentions and why it’s so important to do so
I’ve got LOADS from today, but I’ve got a Business to run, it all sounds great, but I haven’t got a clue where to start!
Jay Allen… shall deliver a 60 minute interactive keynote entitled WARNING: Your Marketing Might Just Work in which he’ll share the Secret Arts of HIGHLY Effective Communication to ensure you leave understanding exactly WHAT to do first to make the biggest impact and how to continue doing it to see transformational results
Don’t delay, reserve your place TODAY to ensure Koogar Influence really can INFLUENCE your future marketing from Spend to Investment.
by Amanda Daniels-Allen | Dec 22, 2014 | Customer Journey, Experience and Service, Koogar, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) |
OK, so after the 6th person asked me if I had seen “The Apprentice” I just had to watch it.
Lots of people had been talking about it and most of you may know I don’t watch TV so I had to fire up BBC iPlayer to find the 2014 Finale of The Apprentice to watch Mark E Wright (24) and Bianca Miller (25) battle it out to become Lord Alan Sugars’ 1st business partner.
*I will admit, I didn’t watch all episodes, just the final with Mark and Bianca.
During an annual catch up with a group of friends a 7th person asked me if I had watched The Apprentice and sat back as I gave my opinion of the final episode, knowing that she would have sparked something in me.
The conversation started… “I have been doing this for 8 years as Koogar (15 years in total) and I’m wondering why is now the right time for Lord Sugar to be investing money into this type of business?”
Is it because he didn’t feel the tights were a good option? Or has he suddenly realised the “Internet thing” is catching on?
True Skin
Bianca’s idea for “True Skin” was a great one and being from ethnic minority myself I have worn “tan” tights to work (which were a VERY milky tea colour / white), so I could relate to this issue and that others darker than me would most certainly have. However to ask for £20-£35 a pair they would REALLY need to be special tights.
Bianca was going for the higher quality client which is fine if you have a brand that matches their expectations, not a brand that could be seen to be equal to a cheap brand on the high street that does not portray the value of the garment inside the packaging.
Remember the 3-5 second rule. We all make a decision rather quickly and if we see a price range and a product or service that is not congruent with each other, we will leave it to one side for someone else. Understanding the people you’d like to sell to is key, I would argue the most important thing when it comes to marketing and pitching your idea to an audience.
Branding is about setting the levels and expectations for your audience and also working out how much THEY value your product or service. It not just about giving them something you think they need, which most certainly helps but it’s the EXTRA little things that people remember.
I do appreciate Bianca only had one focus group and not a lot of time to create the brand and packaging. Displayed in the right way and in the right place I would certainly buy a pair.
Climb Online
Climb.media – A brain storming suggestion for the company.
What a great domain name for a company… said in a slightly different way could bring out lots of different connotations…. This did make me chuckle!
My 1st impression of Mark wasn’t much at all in all honesty, he didn’t look passionate about anything during the session and even when he said he was stressed he just looked laid back and not really bothered, although as individuals we display these feelings in many different ways. His knowledge of the industry came across as basic / old to an extent and he wasn’t doing anything new, which Lord Alan noted in the boardroom so I’m not sure what was so special?
The saying “getting people to the top of the Search Engines” is a vague and overused term which a lot of business owners have heard, maybe tried before (with one of the telesales companies calling them and pushing them into a contract they might not be able to get out of) and have also realised that it is not possible unless you put a decent budget behind it and not just a couple of hundred pounds over a few months. Search Engine Optimisation (S.E.O) is a long game and you need a strategy to go with it. Having all the right marketing elements (on and offline) to back up your online presence is essential. That said this is an issue that most business owners and marketing managers want to conquer and it is up to us (as Digital Marketeers) to educate our clients, set their expectations and show them there is another way without using outdated lingo.
Mark set the starting budget of £400 for businesses he wanted to work with, which is a good place to start as you are qualifying your lead right from the outset. However, you have to back it up with some actual wins you have delivered to your clients. He was obviously going for the business that has that budget to spend but the video for me didn’t display it well with a builder and various other business owners hanging off a climbing frame. If you are going for a bigger business you have to been seen to be equal to them.
His business model was a sound, by taking people on as the company grew ensuring each person is sustainable by either coding or selling. Again, I understand that Mark had a tight time frame to deliver his pitch in and think with some tweaking he could do well!
Congratulations for Mark and Bianca for being in the final of The Apprentice 2014 as it was no mean feat. Koogar have started following Mark Wright on twitter and we wish him the best of luck with his new venture. He sure has the capital to start him off well!
What did you think of the finale? Did you think the right person won? I’d love to hear your opinion…
by Amanda Daniels-Allen | Mar 6, 2014 | Customer Journey, Experience and Service |
Personalisation is something we talked about at the beginning of the year (2012) when it comes to Digital and Social Marketing, and it has started to happen off line too.
A great digital version of personalisation is email marketing or social media. Those emails you get that say “Hi [your name], Did you know that we could help [your company name] do…” or were your Facebook news feed shows you updates from a page you Liked the day before.
In Marketing the first and foremost element you need to look at is your target audience. These are the people or businesses who buy from you, will come back to you and will recommend you time and time again. Most of the time they are an oversight because you are to busy selling your product or service. The super brands have this down to a tee.
Coca Cola and Starbucks are prime examples of personalisation, were they have added your name to their product making you feel that little bit more special or even Amazon recommending another book based on the ones you have already read.
Lets take Coca Cola as an example; Coca Cola changed our weekly shopping trip were we are greeted with a large plastic container or fridge to rummage around in to “Share a Coke with…” someone you know or love. Taking you 5 minutes or more to find your names just to make the other person feel special.
They will forget what you said,
they will forget what you did,
but they will never forget how you make them feel
Within your Marketing you need to be taking your target audience on a journey that gives them your brand/company experience. By that I mean what are the steps you take to make sure they end up at the final goal, which is to purchase something from you and how can you make that person buying from you today feel like they are your only client?
This also goes for automated tweets which gives the same message to each person who follows you, even though they may be following you for different reasons. A personal experience is what we all expect from the person, company or brand we are buying from.
I am not a number, I’m a free man! – Number 6 (The Prisoner)
Personalisation should be used in the right place at the right time across the right marketing elements (within your brand/company experience) or you can make people feel like they are being stalked which can be a little creepy. Google remarketing has a knack for that.
The action I would like you to take is to understand your audience on a personal level and the benefit to you will be longer and stronger relationships!
by Amanda Daniels-Allen | Feb 19, 2014 | Customer Journey, Experience and Service |
Walking in my Shoes (Depeche Mode, 1992)
I would tell you about the things,
They put me through,
The pain I’ve been subjected to,
But the Lord himself would blush,
The countless feats laid at my feet,
Forbidden fruits for me to eat,
But I think your pulse will start to rush…
From this article I want you to understand your current and potential clients from THEIR point of view.
In my time, I have heard some horror stories from business owners who we have worked with and are still working with, about the web designers/agencies they have been working with; for example a website not going live for two and a half years, not being able to reach the web designer to make changes to then find out they have gone out of business, general lack of communication with regards to being too technical or just not replying at all!
Here are a few questions that will help you understand how you can work with your current clients better and how to work with potential clients in the future:
Q1: What is it they need from you?
It will be your product/service and one or two other things like: commitment, proactiveness, creativity, communication!
These additional wants are what the previous supplier didn’t give this customer, so how can you make sure that they don’t have the same experiences with you which could make them want to leave and move on again?
Q2: How do you need to communicate with them?
Do you need to use email more or pick up the telephone? The answer is: it depends on the client.
Each client likes to be communicated with in a particular way. For example; one of our clients just likes a text message so he can get in touch in his own time. Another client likes to have a teleconference every 2 weeks to see where we are up to with things.
Make sure you communicate with your clients in the way they prefer you to.
Q3: What are their challenges and fears when it comes to your industry?
Obviously this will depend on the product or service they have purchased from you. Maybe they don’t have much time on their hands, which is why you are getting involved or they are unsure what to do and this is why they need your expertise.
Q4: Are your clients having the same problem with previous suppliers?
Without mentioning names, ask why they are thinking about leaving or why they have left their current supplier. This will give you an insight into what not to do which will build and grow your relationship with that client.
Q5: Have you asked the question of why they have come to you?
The answer to this question can help you with your Purple Cow!
Now knowing what they had in the past that didn’t make them happy, you can work with them in the future to make their experience of working with you and your product/service life changing.
Questions leads to answers, answers lead to customer rapport and customer rapport leads to profit! – Jay Conrad-Levison of Guerrilla Marketing
When you understand the issues they have faced, you can then help them move forward by outlining the benefits of working with you.
by Amanda Daniels-Allen | Jan 8, 2014 | Customer Journey, Experience and Service, Websites, Mobile & UX |
Keeping your website up to date shouldn’t be a chore nor should it be ignored. When you visit a website that has information which isn’t up to date even by a month your confidence in that company drops, thoughts going through your mind are;
- Are they still going?
- Mustn’t be successful or wanting to grow
- They obviously can’t be bothered
And its natural to think if they can’t be bothered why should I be? I don’t want to have to trawl the Internet for information on them unless this item/product is rare and that I MUST have it.
Most business owners know that having a website is essential for the company, not only to backup what you do but it’s also there to make sure people can find you. In fact, a website is much more than that! It’s a place where you should share experiences others have had with you and the experience of working with you and your company. A website should not be built but it should be “created” and moulded into a marketing tool that helps you sell your company to the audience you want to attract.
“Create a beautiful online experience” – Randy Zucherberg (iStrategy 2012; Amsterdam)
Design the journey you want the audience to take. Move them through the website by clicking on various links. Get them to read pages, posts and testimonials and look at images to make them think about things.
13% more people buy when images and words are together!
When designing your website always have in mind; “What the end goal?”. Is it to get the user to fill in a form? Pick the phone up? Book an appointment with you? Whatever outcome you want, you need to guide them to it and all things related to it.
By keeping your site up to date and engaging you will do 4 things:
- Evolve the website together with the company, brand and ethos
- You will be found more easily
- Keep your visitors coming back to see more
- Create something that is similar to the face-to-face experience
All I hear is, we want more hits to the website, people commenting on our blog posts, more emails from people interested in buying from us as well as being found naturally for the right keywords.
When creating this experience, remember it is for your audience to ‘walk past’ your on-line ‘shop window’, get to the next step and ultimately buy from you – make it easy for them and enjoyable!
Article written for The Edge Magazine (2012)
