GET THE APP

..

Journal of Global Economics

ISSN: 2375-4389

Open Access

McDonald's Japan: AR and IoT Marketing Strategy with Pokemon GO

Abstract

Jorge Calvo

This business case introduces the marketing campaign launched by McDonald’s Japan in July 2016, using the new smartphone version of the popular game Pokémon GO, whose extraordinary success attracted the attention of social platforms, businesses, and academic audiences. The alliance between McDonald’s Japan and Niantic-Pokémon is a good example of the social impact of modern games based on geolocation and augmented reality, and how this can embody new business models and marketing strategies. For McDonald’s Japan, this alliance attracted a large number of new consumers to its restaurants at a trivial cost. The results for the company were immediate and significant, driven by the community of 3.4 million game subscribers in Japan: it received 1.5 to 2 million daily visits across its 3,000 locations, had an estimated sales increase of 22%, and earned an increase in market capitalization of 9.8%. This marketing strategy connected the underlying culture of the former players of the first Pokémon GO for Nintendo DS with the values of the McDonald’s brand, attracting to the restaurants a new segment of customers aged from their mid-30s to their 40s as well as their children.

PDF

Share this article

Google Scholar citation report
Citations: 1931

Journal of Global Economics received 1931 citations as per Google Scholar report

Journal of Global Economics peer review process verified at publons

Indexed In

 
arrow_upward arrow_upward