Pokémon GO has taken the world by storm. If you’ve not joined the frenzy yet, you surely would have heard about it, read about it, seen people play it and discuss it, came across it on social media, and so on. And it was only a matter of time that the fantasy game, which has already become the most downloaded mobile app topping three crore downloads, was tapped by an automaker.

The first to jump the bandwagon, German automaker Mercedes-Benz has recently employed the app to promote the sales of its cars. The ‘lure modules’ that attracts these pocket monsters in the game will in turn be used by Merc to attract players to its showrooms and local events.

If you are a virtual Pokémon master you would know about this feature of the game. For the rest of you, ‘lure models’ allow players, without physically moving too much, to attract and catch Pokémon that are otherwise hidden; but only for a set period of 30 minutes (unless you know those hacks).

This half an hour might period, which might seem rather lengthy to some, is what the three-pointed star brand wants to ensure players spend inside the dealerships. Mercedes has even distributed a detailed manual to its dealers in order to get them acquainted with the new sales campaign.



Furthermore, the German automaker’s dealers can also register their own PokeStops on the Pokémon GO website. Local communications channels and social media promotion are also being employed by Merc to expand the reach of this interesting campaign.

This isn’t the company’s first tie-up with a video game though. A previous association with the game Mario Kart 8 saw players drive the GLE luxury SUV within the game.


 CarDekho