Google Maps: Pokémon April Fools
The predecessor to Pokémon Go was an April Fool's stunt in Google Maps. We worked as marketing co-lead on that project, supporting the launch with a viral video (40 million views), a blog, and a proactive social-first campaign.
Task
Our Approach & Solution
The game was created in collaboration with the Tokyo team. We stayed true to the culture and tradition and delight of the Nintendo and Pokemon brand with a cross-cultural collaboration between the Japanese and American teams.
Impact & Results
Google Maps became the #1 free app in the App Store (up from #9). It also rose to the top 10 apps in 10 markets globally, with a 151% increase in downloads. The launch was the third biggest social moment on Twitter for Google that year, with 621.8M social impressions, and Google Maps trended three separate times on Facebook. Our launch film was the most-viewed Google Maps film at that time, with 40M views.
