With the celebration of 20 years of Pokemon, we think about what it means to successfully create a brand culture that lasts through generations.

Relevance: Pokemon is a shining example of this. Allowing your brand to evolve keeps it relevant. Pokemon has connected with children from 3 different generations and continues to grow and adapt to new technology to keep their brand alive. Adapting over the last 20 years, they have developed new characters to fall in love with and have re-imagined the Pokemon world from console to console to stay relevant each present day. Technology has been used to their advantage to bring their product to multiple countries and people of all ages. The Pokemon company has not been afraid of change but rather embraced it. The ability to adapt to your target market and technology will help create a timeless brand.

Nostalgia: Nostalgia has a huge impact on a lot of people and Pokemon has used this tactic to their advantage, especially with engaging the older generations (or Gen 1) Pokemon fans. I personally remember spending hours at friends’ houses playing Pokemon on our Gameboys and then getting the music stuck in my head making it hard to sleep that night. I remember trading and collecting the cards and what it felt like to open that brand new pack to see what was inside. It didn’t even matter that their actually was a game you could play with the cards because we were so excited by just collecting them. This nostalgia factor was captured perfectly in this new commercial for their newest game release.

Emotion: We have mentioned the power of emotional advertising and Pokemon just reinforces how important connecting to a person’s emotional bias is. A brand that lasts a lifetime is a brand that listens to its consumers and partakes in their culture. You have to embrace change, tap into the emotions of your customers and always be there to remind people of the nostalgia that has developed around your brand.

Are you ready to turn your logo into a brand? Get our free eGuide and get started.