Photo by Jeff Krasko
It's possible that this topic has little relevance to you. The beauty industry is not known for attracting gamers (not that it never does). But rest assured, whether you're aware of it or not, Pokemon Go is going to affect your business, if it hasn't already. Don't worry. For the most part it's a good thing, a chance to engage clients in a new way, and advertise your business… Or not, depending on how you feel about it. You just need to be aware of a couple details to prepare yourself for what's about to start happening around you, and possibly in your chair.
People Are Going Outside and Spending Money
Barely two weeks live and Pokemon Go is already a more popular app than Twitter. That's a huge cultural phenomenon, and the good news moving around outside is a big part of it, and they get very free with their money. The bad news is most of the time these people will be looking at their phone. So while the game increases foot traffic, traditional strategies for grabbing attention will not work quite so well. Many businesses have already started using the game to bring people in. However the majority of those businesses are food vendors. For them the game is a natural ally, since, as it happens, trying to catch them all is thirsty work. You'll have to be a little more creative to pull people in with the game.
These Are Mostly Millennial Nerds
For the most part, the people you'll hear talking about this game spent their childhood inside with their face stuck to a Gameboy. That's where this whole beast started. So if the majority of your clientele didn't spend much time in front of a screen in the 90's, this might not be such a big deal to you. But if you deal with a lot of people around 30 and under, well, odds are you've already heard plenty about this. Settle in and get ready to get engaged with this, though, because it's not going away anytime soon. This game could be a gateway to a new demographic for you.
It's a New Chair Distraction
If you get annoyed when people text and talk on their phone while you're working you haven't seen anything yet. These gamers are going to point their phones at every inch of your salon and will likely start gushing a string of unintelligible phrases about the Charizard on your shampoo unit. Don't panic when this happens. They are not cursing your business. They just found a magic animal on their phone and they want to tell you about it. In fact, at this point you can forget about talking to them about anything else.
You're About to See a lot of Pokemon Inspired Hair
If there's one thing a nerd loves almost as much as video games, it's cosplay. And colorists notoriously love patronizing that love. You're about to start seeing some outlandish hair styles out there (at least, they'll be outlandish if you don't know your Pokemon), especially on Instagram. If you're feeling adventurous, trying your hand at Pokemon inspired hair colors would be a good way to garner some attention on social media. That's up to you. Mostly we just want to warn you about the flood of yellow and black Pikachu hair you're about to see.
It's All About Exploring
At its heart, Pokemon is about searching the world for something new and exciting. Any hair artist can understand that, even if you've never touched a Nintendo system. People believe this is the closest they've ever come to seeing magic in the real world, so it's understandable they're all excited. If you really want to get in touch with this new evolution of culture, that's the feeling you need to tap into.