Pandemic Relief, I Choose You
One of the worst things about self-isolation protocols is the way they interfere with AR games. In the beginning, it was really hard to hatch eggs and visit Pokestops when you weren’t even supposed to leave the house. Really lucky people might live within swiping distance of a gym, but the rest of us are left to defy lockdown or suffer (we at COGconnected do not recommend defying lockdown, even if does give us priceless headlines). Niantic had our backs when it released at-home raids, and now, as the world slowly returns to life, Niantic is using the power of Pokemon Go to save small businesses. COVID-19 hasn’t slowed down Pokemon Go one bit, but the same can’t be said for countless other small businesses around the globe.
“We understand that many local businesses have experienced unprecedented hardship over the past few months — and we want to help,” said Niantic’s official website. Their vision has always been to turn the world into one big game board, highlighting the interesting places that exist around us. Now, they’re selecting thousands of nominated small businesses to sponsor on Pokemon Go. This gives selected businesses both in-game marketing and very real foot traffic free of charge.
Over 38,000 businesses were nominated by Pokemon Go players around the world, and the first 1,000 have already been chosen. They include Colorado family-owned western apparel shop F.M. Light & Sons, Mexico City game shop Chop Chop Shop MX, West Sussex inclusive hair shop Blitzkrieg Chop, and Liver, Nova Scotia’s family-owned cafe and bakery Five Girls Baking.
If you’re in the neighborhood, why not swing by and check them out? You might find some good deals. Or better yet, a shiny.
What sponsored locations are you eager to hit up? Let us know down in the comments, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook.