The company plans to integrate an all-encompassing five-year strategy to make a bigger impact in India, committing to an amount of Rs 125 crore. The company is actively looking for new agency partners as it seeks to strengthen brand presence across India through this initiative.
Best known for its popular augmented reality games such as Pokémon Go and the newly released title, Pokémon Unite, as well as its trading cards and animated series, Pokémon is bidding to connect with its audience through a diversified media strategy that uses everything from television, digital platforms, print media, and live events for building a more integrated content experience among fans.
It is working on advertising and marketing partnerships but has been considering collaborating with both the Japanese agency Dentsu and a number of Indian firms. Its local marketing team is on the lookout for the right partnerships that may be able to expand the brand's reach in the Indian market.
At the just concluded Mumbai event, Pokémon unveiled a set of initiatives tailored to Indian consumers. The most prominent of these is the first two Indian-themed costumes for its mascot, Pikachu—a sari and a kurta. Such designs will be used in campaigns going forward, especially during the festive season.
As an annual budget of INR 25 crore on marketing activities, Pokémon has partnered with the Mumbai Indians cricket team and cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal earlier, which speaks volumes about cricket's popularity in India. Therefore, the company is exploring more tie-ups in the near future, such as collaborations with movie stars from Bollywood. Very recently, hot couple Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh have been appointed brand ambassadors of Pokémon in India.
This collaboration will further strengthen the bond of the brand with Indian consumers, also part of the company Pokémon's localization strategy. Genelia Deshmukh welcomed the tie-up saying that "Pikachu in a pink sari is such a delightful representation of our culture. And being a mother, it's wonderful to see Pokémon celebrate Indian traditions in such a fun way."
During the festive campaign, the firm will be hosting in-game events on Pokémon Go and can be seen sporting traditional clothing. Exciting celebrations are planned at Phoenix Market City in Bengaluru on 3 November 2024, three days of Pokémon Mela in Pune from 6-8 December 2024, and Pokémon Carnival and Run in Mumbai from 27 February to 1 March 2025. The Mumbai event will come alive with lively dances and parades with participants in Pokémon T-shirts.
These will also enable players to catch Pikachu in a sari and kurta. Susumu Fukunaga, Corporate Officer at The Pokémon Company said, "We are trying to find ways to develop the Pokémon experience for India, online and offline."
Along with these prominent events, Pokémon has also launched a limited-edition gift box called Festivities as part of a tie-up with Yakult Danone India. Customers who purchase four packs of Yakult will be gifted with the special gift boxes containing Pikachu in traditional attire. The gift boxes would be available at selected retail stores in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru till 31 October, 2024. The gift box will be available at Rs 336 and Rs 400 based on flavor combination. The boxes will also be delivered to customers' homes by over 250 Yakult representatives.
Pokémon has also released a set of 10 Pikachu digital stickers for social media that one can view until January 15, 2025. In addition to common greetings there are a number of other stickers which read messages in Hindi, so that fans may share festive greetings with a Pokémon twist.