Over the past week or so, you may have noticed an increase in the number of kids running through your yard talking about PokéStops and Pikachu’s (or who knows, maybe you’ve been running all over trying to catch ‘em all). Pokémon GO has swept the nation and captured the attention of children and adults alike. Here are a few things we can learn about marketing in today’s world from this unique game.

Word can spread fast
Although it may be hard to imagine a world without Pokémon GO, this app became an overnight success and, within a few hours, almost everyone was talking about it. Whether bad or good, information about your company has the possibility to travel fast. Be aware of this when it comes to your company because you never know what story may be picked up next in your local paper.

It’s okay to try something new…
Who would have thought that in 2016, Pokémon would make as big of a comeback as this? Although the franchise has been known for keeping things traditional, it’s breaking out of their shell and trying something new – an augmented reality app – that allowed them to climb back to the top. You never know what might or might not stick with your audience until you try it. Although sticking with what you know may be comfortable, you’ve got to risk it to get the (a href=”http://www.pokemon.com/us/pokedex/diglett” target=”new”>Diglett.

…But it should fit within your brand
That being said, just because you think you have a creative and out of the box idea, doesn’t mean it will cause an overnight success. If the innovation isn’t executed properly to fit within your brand, it may leave your consumers scratching their heads. Lucky for Nintendo, moving Pokémon into an augmented reality-based app was a natural progression and the app fit seamlessly within their brand.

Marketing can (and should) be fun
For those already working in the field of marketing, this is sort of obvious. But no matter how much we enjoy our work, we sometimes get stuck in the day-to-day habits of doing the same things that have always worked over and over again. Although the Pokémon franchise may have been stuck in this pattern for several years, breaking out of what they know is what boosted their brand. Marketing should be fun and (usually) fun marketing is effective marketing.

Trends only last for so long
Although Pokémon GO is the hottest thing to do right now, chances are in a few months the craze will go down, kids will go back to school and adults will remember they have to work. Just because your big hit isn’t so big anymore doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means it’s time to go back to the drawing board and get into the think tank to come up with your next selling idea.

Looking for ways to use Pokémon GO to boost your marketing? Check out this article for some ideas.