Pokemon GO is a free augmented reality mobile app developed by Niantic and published by The Pokemon Company. Players explore real-world locations to capture, battle, and train virtual Pokemon characters. While the game is free to download, the developer makes money through optional in-app purchases of virtual items using real currency. Pokemon GO benefits greatly from being part of the popular Pokemon franchise, which provides an existing fan base familiar with the mythology and gameplay. The primary target audiences are young adults aged 18-35 who enjoy mobile games, though the game attracted a wider accidental audience upon release.

2. THE BASICS
• Pokemon GO is an augmented reality mobile
phone app
• It is a freemium app, meaning it is free to
download
• App can be downloaded via the Apple iTunes
App Store, or Google Play Store

3. THE COMPANIES
• Nintendo owns the ‘Pokemon’
brand
• The Pokemon Company is
made up of 3 companies:
Nintendo, Game Freak, and
Creatures.
• Niantic created Pokemon GO.
• The Pokemon Company did
not have the expertise needed
to design an AR mobile app
game so brought Niantic in.

4. HOW DOES IT MAKE MONEY?
• While PG is free to download, players have to
spend real money to purchase Pokecoins in the
Pokemon Store.
• They can exchange these Pokecoins for a range of
items including Pokeballs, Lures, Incense, and
customisable items for their avatar.
• This is called a microtransaction – a financial
transaction that takes place online
• It’s not just players – companies will purchase lures
to attach to Pokestops at their stores to entice
players
• Lures are used to attract rare Pokemon to the
Pokestop.

5. HOW DOES IT MAKE MONEY?
• PG also has tie-in deals with a range of companies
including McDonalds and Starbucks.
• The stores become Pokestops and Pokemon Gyms,
where players can collect items for play and battle
Pokemon from the other teams.
• These become ‘sponsored’ Pokestops and Gyms
• When players spin the sponsored Pokestop, The
Pokemon Company and Niantic receive a % of the
cost of a coffee.
• Has been criticised because it doesn’t guarantee
that players are actually making a purchase in-
store.
• around 500 million visits to sponsored Pokestops
• Starbucks even created a PG Frapuccino

6. FRANCHISE
• Pokémon’s status as a globally popular franchise meant that PG
appealed to an existing fan base
• Within days of its release, PG! managed to break records set by other
games in the Apple iTunes Store. It did this by making the app
completely free to download and play.
• Media franchises provide an existing history and mythology that’s
already understood by the audience, giving them a head start.
• The PG app benefits from being part of a franchise because the
Pokémon audience already understand the rules of the game, including
which stats, scores, and characters matter.

7. TARGET AUDIENCE
• Upon release the intended
audience for PG! was young
boys
• Under 18s and 18-35 are the
highest users of video games

8. ORIGINAL FAN BASE
• PG! also appealed to Pokemon’s
existing core fan base
• Average age 29
• Typically male
• Enjoyed watching the films and
cartoon TV show as a child

9. ACCIDENTAL AUDIENCE!
• In the first month the largest
audience was typically…
• a white woman
• highly educated
• well-paid (around $90,000)
• 25 years old

11. WHO IS IT NOW?
• The average player now is…
• 18-34
• ‘Millenials’

13. LIST OF AUDIENCES
• young boys/young men
• teenagers
• women in their 20s
• existing fans of the Pokemon franchise,
perhaps people who enjoyed it as a
child
• fans of Nintendo
• Fans of mobile app games
• Fans of social networking

14. HOW ARE AUDIENCES TARGETED?
• In the exam you might be asked to provide examples
of marketing strategies and how they appeal to
particular audiences.

15. online marketing: You Tube channel hosting
trailers appealing to existing Pokémon fans and
new players.

16. AT WHOM IS THIS TRAILER AIMED?

17. AT WHOM IS THIS TRAILER AIMED?

18. AT WHOM IS THIS TRAILER AIMED?

22. USES AND GRATIFICATIONS: THEORY
• personal identity
• information and
education
• entertainment
• social interaction

23. PERSONAL IDENTITY
• Audiences can recognise a person or product, role
model that reflect similar values to themselves and
mimic or copy some of their characteristics
• Can you think of any media that you use for this
purpose?

24. INFORMATION AND EDUCATION
• The audience wants to acquire information,
knowledge, and understanding by using a
media product
• Can you think of any media that you use for
this purpose?

25. ENTERTAINMENT
• Audiences use the media for enjoyment.
• It may allow the audience an escape from their
real lives
• Can you think of any media that you use for
this purpose?

26. SOCIAL INTERACTION
• The media helps audiences to produce a topic
of conversation between people.
• The media might bring people together
• Can you think of any media that you use for
social interaction?

27. WHY DO PEOPLE PLAY POKEMON?
• Pokemon GO fulfils many uses and gratifications of it
audience
• The primary gratification is social interaction
• Video games can be a solitary pursuit as it is usually played
at home.
• Multiplayer is now common however over a wifi connection
• PG forces players outside
• To defeat a strong Pokemon in a raid you need to team up
with other people
• During ‘Community Day’ rare special Pokemon are released
into parks for people to catch.

29. • People play Pokemon Go to be entertained and to
escape from the real world
• The game presents a world of perfect green fields and
mystical colourful creatures
• The mise-en-scene is constantly positive and uncluttered,
tranquil and safe
• By using augmented reality to place the exciting
monsters, provides a thrilled distraction from our own
boring lives.
• The game encourages you to walk around your location,
navigating you towards culturally or historically
interesting locations.
WHY DO PEOPLE PLAY POKEMON?

30. • The game casts the player as the protagonist
(which is typical of video games), but it also
makes your real world location the setting.
• Rather than identifying with someone else,
you are creating an online avatar that you
can design yourself.
• You can select a Pokemon to be your buddy
and walk alongside you collecting candy.
• Nostalgia is also a big part of personal
identification.
WHY DO PEOPLE PLAY POKEMON?

31. • The game requires you to walk around your
location to visit Pokestops
• Many Pokestops are placed at locations of
historic or cultural significance.
• While the app doesn’t give the player any further
information, players are in a position to learn
more about the location.
WHY DO PEOPLE PLAY POKEMON?

32. • the player must download the app in order to play
• the player must create their own avatar – they might bring in their own
identity (personal identity)
• the player must walk to activate the gameplay, spin Pokestops
(education)
• the player must ‘hunt’ Pokemon and catch them (entertainment and
exercise)
• the player can buy in-app upgrades
• the player can trade Pokemon with their ‘friends’ (social interaction)
• the player can send gifts to their friends. (social interaction)
IN WHAT WAYS ARE THE AUDIENCE
ACTIVE?

33. ENIGMA CODES
• Roland Barthes talks about the importance of enigma to engage
audiences in media products
• Mystery, puzzle, problem to solve.
• Various examples of enigma in PG including:
• when you catch a Pokemon you can have it appraised by the Team
leader, you want to find out if it will be strong in battle or even if it is a
‘Perfect’ Pokemon
• will the Pokemon be a ‘Shiny’?
• waiting to find out what treats you will get from a Pokestop
• what Pokemon will you get from the egg you have hatched by walking
kms?
• will your team be strong enough to defeat the Pokemon in a raid battle?
• for how long can your Pokemon defend a gym before being knocked
out?

34. REGULATION
• The Video Standards Council is responsible for rating
video games in the UK
• They use the PEGI system which became part of UK law
in 2012
• Pan European Gaming Information – a rating system
• Helps consumers make decisions when buying games
and apps
• PG was given a PEGI3+ rating in the UK

36. REGULATORY ISSUES
• Is PG really suitable for 3+ years olds?
• iOS store states 9 years and over
• lobby group Commonsense Media says
it is only suitable for 13 plus due to
privacy and personal safety concerns.

37. NSPCC
• Meeting people they don’t know face-to-face
• Physical risk – being lured to places that aren’t safe for
children
• Monetary cost
• Access to personal data – upon release the app
requested full access to users’ Google account if they
signed in using their Google ID.
• Privacy nightmare – access to camera, GPS location,
how is data used?