Is it crazy to think that Pokémon GO is less than 3 weeks old? Marriott’s social media has been all-in with the craze from putting Pokémon monsters in pools knowing that guests will photograph them and possibly go viral, to surprising guests in rooms with Pokémons on their beds when they check in.
So when the first person in North America collecting all of the known Pokémon monsters in the region, Marriott agreed to sponsor his travel to Japan, Australia, and Europe to catch more Pokémon only available abroad. (“Mr. Mime, Farfetch’d and Kangaskhan are reportedly only available in the wild in Europe, Asia and Australiasia, respectively.”)
Copyright photootohp / 123RF Stock Photo
Nick Johnson claims to have walked 8 miles a day and says he lost 8-10 pounds since the game launched. Here’s his routine:
After getting off at work around 6:00 pm at Applico, a platform innovation company, Johnson would meet up with his girlfriend, have dinner and then together head down to Pokémon hotspots such as Grand Army Plaza in Central Park. Many times they would get to know fellow Pokémon trainers (players) searching in the park and then they would wait for the top or the bottom of the hour when Pokémon tend to spawn.
If she decided to leave before him, he said she would give him her phone to help her collect more monsters and he usually found himself heading home around 12 a.m. or 1 p.m., the normal time he goes to sleep.
…Johnson said that he had a couple of nights, when he got around the 135 Pokémon mark, that kept him out till 2 a.m. to 5 a.m.
The most impressive thing? Spending 5 or more hours a day on Pokémon is consistent with having a girlfriend. Here are two tips he offers for Pokémon GO (not for finding a girlfriend):
- Learn from others. “[S]tay.. in touch with other trainers to suss out valuable intel on Pokémon locations: “I probably wouldn’t be here, having caught them all, if I hadn’t got those great tips like the Dratinis in Jersey City”
- Walk in a stright line to catch an egg. “[T]he game uses a distance displacement calculation so walking in circles or zigzags won’t do you any good.”
For the thrill of it, he might see if Marriott will sponsor an extra stop at the one town in South Korea where you can play the game. Google Maps are illegal in the country, but one city is apparently miscategorized as being in North Korea.
(HT: @UTFOZZIE)
Lol, the whole Pokemon GO has been impressive. There’s a fella in New Zealand who has been hired by a gaming company due to his Pokemon Go dedication.
If it makes people travel locally, that is awesome as we tend to not explore our own country enough. So many jobs have been created for ‘pro Pokermon GO’ players, jobs that no one knew existing 4 weeks ago.
This is one of the dumbest things I have ever read. I am surprised Marriott jumped on board with such a stupid thing. I guess any press is good press even if it involves a man-child playing a stupid virtual game. If Marriott would sponsor my travels I would be willing to help people in foreign countries and actually do something positive than waste my life playing an idiotic game meant for preteens.
@Captain Obvious
Based on the demographics of the users, pretty sure this was not meant for pre-teens, but all the Millennials who grew up playing Pokemon.
Actually a pretty good marketing move by Marriott to appeal to the Millennial generation