Pokemon Go in Dubai and Abu Dhabi - One man's struggle against the worlds latest online phenomenon!

So I caught this guy 3 days ago in the car park of our office.  Yes, I was in the car - no, I wasn't driving.  What is he?  Well he or she (not quite sure) is a Squirtle or more importantly, a Pokemon from the massive mobile game phenomenon Pokemon Go.

Why, as a grown man did I catch him - it's difficult to tell.  I have managed to convince myself I’m learning the game so I can teach my kids, but so far they haven’t even played it yet. Perhaps it's a mid life crisis, trying to recapture my youth, who knows? What is important is that i'm not alone.  Since its launch, it has been downloaded in the US over 7.5 million times and now it's coming to the UAE with a reported arrival date in the UAE app store of 27th July.  Luckily, I have a US iTunes account so I managed to get in there early ;)

So right now you might be saying, "great thanks Andrew, we get it you love playing this game but how does it impact me?"  The thing is, without sounding too corny if you're an individual or business that prides itself on being ‘up to date’ relevant or ahead of the curve, it's important to know what's out there trending, and Pokemon Go at the moment is all that's trending. Look at the social media stats alone.

On Twitter

PokemonGo Reach: 3,402,858 - Impressions: 3,413,516

Twitter Reach: 2,511,751 - Impressions: 2,525,600

Pokemon Reach: 2,674,380 - Impressions: 2,689,692

Twitter: Reach 2,196,529 - Impressions: 2,214,985

On Instagram

#PokemonGo 1,303,443

#Pokemon 8,492,374

Every time I catch one of these guys, I take a screenshot and share it on Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook and I suspect that a lot of you are seeing Pokemon Go dominating your own timelines.

How can brands / businesses leverage the buzz and excitement surrounding Pokemon Go?

When something is this big, is it better to ride the wave or let it crash over you and wipe up?  My thought is that it is far better grab your board and catch the big one when you can.  Businesses have already starting using the app to attract customers in the US. How? Where there are Pokemon, there are people so a few business have started buying lures (a clever in-app purchase) to attract Pokemons to their location and hence people.

Even if you think it’s childish or completely irrelevant, at least ask yourself or the guys that look after your brand online if you could ride this wave and leverage this huge phenomenon.

If you want to grab a coffee and talk about the Pokemon Go or go out and catch Pokemon with me, tweet or snap me @digigeekster.  I’m ready!

Want to hear more about how Pokemon Go can increase awareness and foot traffic to your business? Reserve your spot for our "Pokemon Go and Your Business" event on 8 August: