Are you on the hunt for that elusive Snorlax? There might be one lurking near Verity Credit Union in Seattle.
The $490 million asset credit union launched a social media campaign at two of its branches that is designed to entice Pokémon GO players by setting lures—to attract rare, sought-after Pokémon and those looking to capture them. It also aims to bring awareness to the credit union.
When Pokémon appear, Verity posts on Facebook and Twitter to alert Pokémon players. Staff at the branches have credit union swag to hand out to people who catch Pokémon in and around the branch.
“We were fortunate enough to have PokeStops near two of our new branches,” says Melina Young, Verity’s director of marketing and brand. “We figured it was worth testing. Pokémon GO is what people are talking about right now, and a lot of our staff members are playing, so we decided to use the game to have a different type of conversation in our communities.”
Branch staff have engaged in conversations with many people who are playing the game, not only about the game itself, but also about the credit union.
“The lures are definitely bringing a lot of Pokémon, and the trainers are in the area to play,” Young says.
A branch manager said some players “thought it was cool that a credit union was helping people play and they would switch to be with a cool credit union.”
Whether Pokémon GO ends up being a fad or a game that catches on, Verity believes getting involved was worth the effort.
“Being different is what sets us apart from the competition,” Young says. “We focus on community at Verity, and right now Pokémon GO is important to the communities where we have branches.”