Background:
Pokémon GO is an AR-based game that gives players a real-world experience of catching & playing with their favorite Pokémon.
Challenge & Objectives:
When the game launched worldwide in 2016, many Indian players joined in full swing too. But after a while, they reached a point of stagnation in the game. Thus, our challenge was to bring back their excitement with a fresher gaming experience, attract new players, and build a better & stronger community.
Creative Solution:
Indians love to come together for festivals & celebrations, so we gave them one! Taking inspiration from Holi, one of the most widely-celebrated festivals across India, we fused a distinctive cultural narrative into the world of Pokémon GO.
Thus, we made Pokémon GO more colorful & vibrant with our #FestivalOfColors bringing everyone together.
Strategy & Execution:
We kickstarted our celebration by increasing playability – adding over 500K new in-game PokéStops nationwide to bring all players together. We enhanced the gaming experience by introducing exciting in-game features:
1) PokéStops that splashed vibrant colors when spun
2) Colorful custom avatars specially designed for this festive occasion
Our social media handles played a crucial role in taking the festivities to the next level. We actively encouraged both existing and new players to join us for the celebrations with captivating posts and reels bursting with vibrant colors & Pokémon. This not only echoed across India, but even on local pages of countries like Indonesia, Brazil, Latin America, Japan, Korea, etc. We expanded our #FestivalOfColors by leveraging multiple digital platforms like App Store & Play Store as well as targeted digital ads on platforms such as Airtel Pay, Amazon Pay, etc.
Since the game itself is about finding and catching new Pokémon, we held a social media sweepstake in a similar fashion. We got existing & new trainers to find Pokémon hidden in a colorful environment to experience & join in the fun. Various influencers and creators joined this adventure, spreading the word of this celebration across the communities.
Impact or result:
- Our #FestivalofColors became a global phenomenon, garnering coverage across the country and worldwide through various PR articles.
- We not only caught tons of Pokémon but also a reach of 150MN+, 16.9MN+ views and an Engagement of 2.8MN+ across India.
- By reigniting existing players’ interests and attracting numerous new trainers we increased our Monthly Active Users by 15.6%.
And that’s how we gave the world a #FestivalOfColors complete with fun, happiness, and a sense of community!