Pokémon Catches Absurdity and Nostalgia in Reality TV-Inspired Social Ad Campaign

The latest game release from the franchise sold 6.5 million copies globally in its first week

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Many video game commercials follow the same formula: a family in their living room playing a video game with minimal dialogue. It serves the purpose of showcasing gameplay, but can be stale.

For the release of Pokémon Legends: Arceus on the Nintendo Switch, the EMEA marketing team in the London office of The Pokémon International Company had the idea of commercials that place puppet versions of Pokémon into reality TV scenarios inspired by popular programs like Antiques Roadshow.

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