Pokémon Go can be new marketing tool for retailers

NEW YORK-the game Pokémon Go, that in record time reached the top in app stores from Apple and Android, looks ready to challenge Internet companies specializing in increasing the flow of people in small businesses and can end up having a role in the marketing of major brands, according to industry experts.
The augmented reality game from Nintendo has achieved more than 65,000,000 of users in the United States in just seven days after the release and is already helping local restaurants, cafes and small retailers to attract new customers.
The pizza bar L inizio on Long Island, in New York, said that its sales jumped 75% over the weekend by the activation of the feature "attraction" that attracts characters virtual Pokémon to the store, so attracting players close. The store manager spent 10 dollars to have a dozen of Pokémon characters placed on site, according to a report by the New York Post.
That kind of instant effect is a potential threat to the relatively new companies that have revolutionized the online marketing for small companies in recent years, such as Groupon, LivingSocial and Foursquare, among others.
The technology news site Gizmodo said on Wednesday that a student in Australia found a programming code in the game that indicated a sponsorship system and cited the network name of fast food McDonalds (http://bit.ly/2a9DjnF). The network did not comment the subject or any of its marketing plans.
Marketing experts said that small businesses can turn increasingly to the Pokémon Go-and redirect some of their spending on marketing-as the games attract a larger base of users.
"With Pokémon Go, you''re looking at the game as a way to get over a lot of digital channels (marketing) stores have relied in recent years," said Christophe Jammet, Director of mobile and social media consultancy DDG in New York.
"There was no social geolocation platform that can attract so many people at once."
Many shops are propagating be "Poke Stops", a place where players can catch new Pokemon Balls and increase their level of power within the application, to attract customers. Experts say it''s only a matter of time before major brands join this movement.
"They''re looking at it," said Tom Kelshaw, Chief Technology Officer of Maxus, a Global investment management group in New York media.