Ultimate Pokémon Marketing Strategy: The Top-Grossing Media Franchise (Ever!)

At the core of the Pokemon marketing strategy is the timeless “Gotta Catch ‘Em All” mantra. This rallying cry not only engaged players in the early video games but has become a cultural phenomenon, extending beyond the gaming world. The idea of completeness and the quest for all Pokemon has kept fans hooked, fostering a sense of achievement and continuity in the Pokemon universe.

Pokémon are more than just cute and cuddly monsters. The Pokémon franchise has proven to be the most valuable media franchise of all time. This is in terms of revenue generated, according to a few different sources.

Now, this isn’t to be confused with other franchises like McDonald’s and BurgerKing, which are restaurant franchise powerhouses.

This is strictly media-related. Movies, TV shows, Video Games, Toys, Trading Cards, etc. and Pokémon takes the cake on this. They beat out other mega-media franchises, the likes of Mickey Mouse, Winnie-The-Pooh, Hello Kitty, and even Star Wars. That’s right. Not Mickey Mouse, not Star Wars — Pokémon.

Since it started in 1996, the Pokémon franchise has reached a revenue of over $100 billion with said media platforms.

They really did use that phrase to their advantage: Gotta catch ’em all! Let’s dig into this further to understand how they accomplished that.

This infographic really breaks it down on the sheer numbers of it all, when you compare it against the other mega-media franchises.  One of the biggest takeaways from this graphic is how big of a deal merchandising is. In the graph below, the yellow bar shows the merchandising aspect of these franchises. You can see that it makes up over 50% or sometimes 75% of most of them:

Now, everyone isn’t necessarily going to have lovable pocket monsters to turn into cute plush toys. Or be able to create a collectible trading card game that is also a famous collector’s item. But, it does show the importance of merchandising.  All of the above categories have major merchandising going for them. And so should your media.

Be everywhere you can

Another big Pokémon Marketing Strategy is their ability to extend beyond the gaming realm. From animated series and movies to trading cards and merchandise, Pokemon has created a multi-platform experience that caters to diverse audience segments. This approach ensures that the brand remains relevant and accessible to a broad demographic.

It makes sense how Pokémon is the clear winner with all the avenues of media that they’ve created:

• Pokémon Trading Cards
• Video Games
• Apps (Pokémon Go! & more)
• Comics
• Books
• Theatrical Releases
• TV Shows
• Home Movies
• Merchandising (their biggest asset)

Based on the above, Pokémon is literally everywhere. They’ve been on the block for a good amount of time and have slowly saturated the market to become everywhere, to reach stardom.

Originally, in the first video games, players were challenged to catch ’em all. All 150 of them. Now, there are over 900 Pokémon that fans are able to collect.

This is a great scaling strategy. It allows fresh new content for new players to join this universe and keeps regulars interested, which brings on loyalty. So as the universe gets bigger, so do the fans and loyal customers.

The Pokémon games have changed little over the years. Keeping in their great original product that was a massive success and then just building upon it.

The big takeaway: don’t change what works.

Vine-Whipping Up More Modern Successes: Pokémon Go!

Pokémon Go! was a huge factor in the marketing success of Pokémon. Taking their successful formula and putting a very innovative and modern twist on it.  The game is almost the same, just different because you can see them through your phone and catch them in the real world, in actual locations around town.

I believe this one app and the amount of hype generated from it was enough to push Pokémon over the edge. I say that because look at the infrastructure Pokémon already had in place on the above chart. App sales are barely noticeable. But think of all those other products that got boosted because of the re-popularity of the brand. I also believe it contributed to Pokémon getting a real-life animated movie: Detective Pikachu. Which otherwise didn’t seem likely to ever be done.

Even Justin Beiber got behind the movement:

Keeping up with the times is important for any business. If you don’t incorporate exciting, modern, innovative updates to your products/business objectives, then your business will die. It’s evident that the Pokemon company keeps expanding and reinventing itself, as in their lastest event.

Pokemon’s genius lies in its scalable approach. Starting with 150 Pokemon, the franchise has expanded its universe to over 900 creatures. This strategic scaling serves a dual purpose: attracting new players with fresh content and keeping long-time fans invested. It’s a delicate balance that ensures the Pokemon universe grows alongside its dedicated community, building lasting loyalty.

Now it’s your turn to make a splashing success with your media. By applying the Pokémon Marketing Strategy, you can take your own business to the next level.  Even if you don’t get there tomorrow, you are starting somewhere and you are starting now.

I hope you enjoyed this blog, please let me know in the comments below if you have any questions and if this helped you at all in your marketing efforts, thank you!