When I was in high school, I had entertained the idea of advertising; the idea of finding innovative ways to influence someone’s interests in a specific product was intriguing. I have a very creative mindset, and felt that I could generate new and exciting advertisements. Although my interests shifted to military service, I was still fascinated by how advertisements guided our daily norms, ideal perceptions, and notions about what we wanted, or thought we needed. As I began to pursue my degree in sociology I began seeing the subtle ways advertisements shaped our daily lives. I saw, what people thought were their own ideas, that companies guided social norms.
In the 1980’s and 90’s video games, and movies became the voices in children’s heads …show more content…
Unlike traditional viral marketing, where one utilized an existing media platform to market a specific product, I began to notice the unintentional marketing of unrelated products, and services with connection to a viral game: Pokémon Go. There have been many research studies, and peer review literature articles on viral marketing, and unintentional marketing, but there has yet to be an in-depth look at the unintentional consequences on business when an application, such as Pokémon Go, drives customers to or near a business that has no ties to the core product. I intend to evaluate the positive and negative results of unintentional viral marketing for small businesses. I am interested in how these types of marketing techniques truly affect the bottom line of local and small businesses and possibly why some work while others …show more content…
Conversely, small and local businesses have less product or brand recognition in larger market areas. There are local advertising mediums, and possibly a few social media related sources of advertising, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Etsy. However, there has been a recent bleed over of viral marketing from an unlikely source, the application game Pokémon Go! The core framework of the game relies on geocached locations which hold historical or social significance – churches, art (individual pieces, and locations), public parks, and historic buildings -- many of whom are in historic downtown locations with small businesses
In the 1980’s and 90’s video games, and movies became the voices in children’s heads …show more content…
Unlike traditional viral marketing, where one utilized an existing media platform to market a specific product, I began to notice the unintentional marketing of unrelated products, and services with connection to a viral game: Pokémon Go. There have been many research studies, and peer review literature articles on viral marketing, and unintentional marketing, but there has yet to be an in-depth look at the unintentional consequences on business when an application, such as Pokémon Go, drives customers to or near a business that has no ties to the core product. I intend to evaluate the positive and negative results of unintentional viral marketing for small businesses. I am interested in how these types of marketing techniques truly affect the bottom line of local and small businesses and possibly why some work while others …show more content…
Conversely, small and local businesses have less product or brand recognition in larger market areas. There are local advertising mediums, and possibly a few social media related sources of advertising, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Etsy. However, there has been a recent bleed over of viral marketing from an unlikely source, the application game Pokémon Go! The core framework of the game relies on geocached locations which hold historical or social significance – churches, art (individual pieces, and locations), public parks, and historic buildings -- many of whom are in historic downtown locations with small businesses