Frazer Blog

Pokémon Go… Away

by | Jul 14, 2016 | Funeral Home Marketing

Someone holding a phone with Pokemon Go on it

Unless you’ve been under a rock or off the grid for the last week, you’ve undoubtedly heard about or seen the Pokémon Go craze.

Pokémon Go is a free-to-play mobile game that allows users to capture, battle, and train virtual Pokémon that appear in different places in the real world.

Because of how the game is set up, it’s done a great job of getting people off their couches and out into the real world to explore. Many businesses have capitalized on this by setting up Lures, which attract the players to their business, in turn leading to brand awareness and even sales.

But while some businesses are reaping the benefits, others are frustrated by people who trespass and are otherwise disruptive. This is especially true when it comes to funeral homes and cemeteries, because playing the game in these locations can be very disrespectful to those who have passed as well as their grieving families.

If you’ve found yourself in a situation where unwanted Pokémon Go players are coming to your funeral home, cemetery, or other place of respect, have no fear. There are steps that you can take to change that.

The first thing you need to do is visit the Pokémon Go support page to report an issue with a Gym or Pokéstop. On the form, enter “removal request” or a similar subject.

Fill out the rest of the form with your contact information, reason for removal request, and the address or latitude/longitude of the location. Though the latitude and longitude are not required, including them can help the support team find you easier. If you don’t know your latitude and longitude, you can find out by using Google Maps.

In the “reason” drop-down menu, there aren’t any options for removal, but you can choose “report a Pokéstop on my personal property” or another similar selection. If you don’t know the exact name of the Pokéstop, you can simply enter the name of your funeral home or other business.

After that, it’s just a matter of waiting to hear back from the support team. If you don’t hear back within a week, try re-submitting the form.

If you’re not sure if your funeral home is a Gym or Pokéstop but want to be proactive about it, you can find out by searching on the Ingress Map. Be forewarned, though — in order to use the map, you must first log in with your Google account and create a player account as well.

Pokémon Go players aren’t all inherently disrespectful people — many just really enjoy the game and want to have fun. Unfortunately, though, sometimes competition gets the better of people’s judgment and they end up in places where they shouldn’t be.

If your funeral home is the location of a Dratini, for example — one of the rarest Pokémon you can catch in the game — you can bet players will start to flock to you. Take the necessary precautions now so that your families can continue to celebrate their loved ones in peace.

1 Comment

  1. Steve

    Seriously! This Pokemon craze might work for some businesses, but my funeral home is NOT a playground. It’s a place for respect and reflection.

    Reply

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