Why is this work relevant for Brand Experience & Activation?

The Pokémon Company’s brand purpose is to enrich the virtual world and the real world with the Pokémon characters. We aim to bridge the gap between nature and modern children who only play digitally. We created Pokémon Wonder, recreating the Pokémon video game experience in nature by turning a 48,000-square-foot abandoned forest into a game field. Players searched for Pokémon crafted with natural materials. The joy of the search reconnected them with nature, and it became a completely new brand experience.

Background

The Pokémon Company’s purpose is to enrich not just the virtual world but also the real world. Modern children only play digitally and not in nature. Our challenge is to bridge the gap.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

To reconnect children with nature, we created Pokémon Wonder, recreating the Pokémon video game experience in nature by transforming a 48,000-square-foot forest into a game field. Over 50 Pokémon were crafted with natural materials and hidden in the forest. The players’ mission was to look for Pokémon as if searching for natural creatures. The joy of the search reconnected children with nature and it strengthened their sense of wonder. We took the digital experience of catching Pokémon within a video game and designed a real-world game where players engage all their senses as they search for Pokémon in nature. It’s an all-natural brand experience built on digital ideas.

Describe the strategy (20% of vote)

Our aim was to reconnect children with nature. Pokémon games are loved by people of all ages around the world. Using born-digital Pokémon characters, we made a field where children could freely play in nature. By reproducing the digital experience of searching for Pokémon in nature’s wonder, we aim to encourage children to play outdoors.

Describe the execution (30% of vote)

To reconnect children with nature, we created Pokémon Wonder, recreating the Pokémon video game experience in nature by transforming a 48,000-square-foot forest into a game field. Over 50 Pokémon were crafted with natural materials and hidden in the forest. The players’ mission was to look for Pokémon as if searching for natural creatures. The joy of the search reconnected children with nature and it strengthened their sense of wonder. We took the digital experience of catching Pokémon within a video game and designed a real-world game where players engage all their senses as they search for Pokémon in nature. It’s an all-natural brand experience built on digital ideas.

List the results (30% of vote)

The first-ever Pokémon nature experience became a popular topic on news media and SNS worldwide. 10,000 players participated in just half a year in spite of limited and exclusive access to the forest. It scored a satisfaction rating of 9.6 out of 10. Tickets are always sold out.

Please tell us how the brand purpose inspired the work

The Pokémon Company’s purpose is to enrich the virtual world and the real world with the Pokémon characters. As Pokémon GO demonstrates, we value a connection with the real world just as much as digital games and anime. Pokémon Wonder focuses on connecting children with nature and aligns with our brand purpose.