Would you pay to have your building become a pokestop?

Pokemon Go makes its money through microtransactions in its in-game shop. Players can use real money to purchase gold coins. These coins can then be traded in for various items and upgrades.

Another option exists for the more thrifty player: the Pokestop. Scattered all around cities and suburbs and (perhaps fewer) rural areas are designated “Pokestop” areas. Once the player gets within a certain distance to the stop, it activates, granting the player small amounts of the same items that can be purchased in the shop. There is also an option to place a 30 minute “lure” on the stop, which draws pokemon towards the location.

These Pokestop locations are random, picked from various landmarks across the map. Some are community signs and murals. Others are bigger: libraries and buildings.

It is these buildings that interest me. Unbeknownst to the owners or current tenants, their place of residence/work has now become a somewhere frequented by the local population of players. Moreover, if a player chose to place a lure, the place would become a beacon for both human and pokemon that wish to enjoy its benefits. Friends have been made in this manner. Kids have been mugged in the same way.

What if there was an option to make your building a Pokestop? The creators have not announced this form of monetization yet, but honestly who knows? Just last week, who would’ve thought the kids of today would be outside, walking and running about, partaking in glorified cockfighting?

Let’s pretend you own a commercial business, a McDonald’s since I could use some of their signature apple slices. Turning your location into a Pokestop would draw people there. Sure, they may not buy anything, but at the same time, think about it in terms of television ads. We see commercials on TV during a break in a big game. Do we immediately spring up and buy it? No. Instead, our brain processes the image of greasy goodness and associates it with “yum”, with “hungry”. Somewhere down the road, when we crave that “yum”, when we are “hungry” enough, when McDonald’s is in close enough distance, we WILL go make that purchase.

It’s the same idea here. Out of all of the businesses on the map, only yours has a glaringly obvious blue post sticking out of it. When these players, hungry for supplies, click on it, they see emblazoned on their screen “McDonald’s Pokestop”. It becomes a mind game. You’re now in their heads.

On the other hand, there’s no telling how long this phase will last. Perhaps the game will burn big and bright, and die in a week. If it does, a hypothetical 12-month contract with Niantic and the Pokemon Company sounds absurd.

Of course, this is all hypothetical anyways. But the idea is out there now. If the offer from the creators does come, and the price is right, and the competition is unwilling… why not give it a shot?