Will Pokemon Sleep's launch this year 'catch em' ad dollars?

When it comes to sleep-related apps, the last thing anyone probably expected was Pokémon to enter the game. However, it looks like Pokémon is on the wellness trend with the revelation that it will release Pokémon Sleep across most of the world in summer 2023. 

First announced in May 2019, Pokémon Sleep aims to offer a fun and enriching experience to Trainers by having a player’s time spent sleeping—and the time they wake up—affect the gameplay, according to a statement by The Pokémon Company. 

The app will launch on iOS and Android devices and fans will get to join Professor Neroli—who studies Pokémon sleep styles—and Snorlax, to carry out research into how Pokémon sleep, according to the statement. 

To support the app, fans will also be able to purchase a Pokémon GO Plus + accessory that can be linked up with smartphones for use in both Pokémon Sleep and Pokémon Go. The accessory can be placed by a user's pillow and will have prompts when it is time to sleep or wake up in Pikachu’s voice.

The question though is if the app will see the mammoth success that its predecessor, Pokémon Go saw, and if it will see traction amongst marketers and advertisers. 

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The new game certainly goes against the trends seen in the gaming community of night owls. As such, the game might be able to create positive change in user behaviour especially with the young, explained Kimberley Olsen, co-founder of Yatta Workshop.  

If the app is able to provide adequate and insightful data on sleep patterns and influence better habits, this might then lead to monetisation potential through the likes of subscription dollars from parents of young gamers and adult gamers alike, she added.

In terms of ad placement and advertising spend, she shared that interactivity factor could draw in brands from relevant industries – but as with the gaming community, for advertisers venturing in this space, being authentic remains key.

Agreeing with Olsen, Melissa Yik, the country director in Singapore at M&C Saatchi Performance said that the habit-building and inducing potential of the app is strong, with users likely engaging with the app the first moment they are awake. This provides an opportunity to reach users first thing and in a very precise moment, she said. 

"While the app is essentially a sleep tracker, the gamification nature of Pokémon Sleep is likely to gain higher app stickiness and mass usage across fans and more, due to the huge popularity of the franchise which translates into wider reach. It is unclear exactly what data the app will track through," Yik continued. 

While the ad potentials of the new platform is yet to be seen, Desh Balakrishnan, CEO of Media360 Communications said the new offering opens an exciting opportunity for brands to be creative in their advertising approach, especially in sectors such as hospitality, health supplements and retail.

For example, hotels and resorts can potentially promote staycations and group themed execution around Pokémon Sleep game to have better rest at night, and also play the game aggressively the day after. Another industry that can ride on the sleep hype would be bedding and mattresses.

Of course, with stricter regulations in certain markets for health supplement ads, this could be a medium for advertisers to magnify their benefits to consumers for a better sleep to ‘win’ more points on the game. For now, it remains yet to be seen what Pokémon has in store for advertisers with its new app and only time will tell.

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