Nerd alert: I love Pokémon. Ever since we were introduced to the Kanto region, I’ve loved Nine Tails and Rapidash. I played the card game, praying for shinies…and when Pokémon Go came out in 2016, I nearly died from excitement. 

Then, like most people, I stopped playing pretty quickly. The game was in its infancy and not engaging. 

BAM! 2020 happened and I needed something to do. Niantic swooped in to save the day. My husband and I would play for hours, driving around in empty parking lots and shopping centers. It was such a great time for us and really big bonding tool during a difficult time in the world.

I was SO addicted.

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We even met a local group that met every Wednesday for Raid Hour at a local park. We could social distance while having a blast together.

One of my favorite things was finding a super rad Pokémon, like my hundo Metagross or my very weak, but adorable, shiny Furret. Some Pokémon are so hard to find, it can easily turn into an “eggplant” measuring contest.

I was so hyper-focused on this game, not much mattered outside of work.

Over a year passed before the hyper-focus passed. I recently went back to it, but the charm isn’t quite there anymore.

That’s how I’ve realized playing Pokémon Go is like prepping for a marketing strategy.

If you don’t know shit about Pokémon, then here’s a quick rundown: when you catch a Pokémon, it has inherent stats, but all of them have the potential to grow. Most can “evolve” into something super powerful. It takes a lot of grinding to get there, but the hard work will always pay off.

Marketing is just like that. You know what your success looks like and you might even know the steps you have to take to get there. Much like knowing you want a Pokémon to grow enough to be worth a darn in battle.

But it’s easy to feel like it’s too hard. In Pokémon Go, you might have to grind for months to gain evolution candy. Then gain enough stardust to power it up. But when it’s done? Oh, that success tastes so sweet.

Marketing will feel like that. Sometimes it’s a marathon you didn’t know you signed up for, but you know what the end goal is…so you keep dragging your happy ass to the finish line. And you don’t pick a new strategy because the current one isn’t working fast enough (just like you don’t let another cool-looking Pokémon distract you from the goal).

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I read somewhere that if you’re sick of your current strategy and feel like all you’re doing is repeating yourself, KEEP GOING! When you stay the course, there’s a higher chance you’ll find success. Sure, a little direction correction here and there is fine…but sometimes we have to slog through the marketing mud to win in the end.

Apparently I’ve decided to create a marketing strategy based off talking about Pokémon Go, but hey, do what makes you happy, right?