Tracking the global conversation through an arsenal of real-time social monitoring tools, M Live pinpointed the perfect opportunity to engage. Nick Johnson was the center of a worldwide conversation as the first gamer reported to have caught all available Pokémon in the U.S.. M Live and Marriott Rewards immediately engaged Nick to give him the opportunity to fulfill his dream to travel around the globe to locations where exclusive Pokémon existed, while also driving a high volume of social media engagement, reach and PR impressions for Marriott.

Working with the M Live hubs in the Asia Pacific and European regions, Nick captured content throughout his journey across three major continents, generating huge awareness for the portfolio, while the brands and Marriott Rewards chronicled and amplified his journey on their social media accounts.

With limited budget and a tight deadline on Nick’s journey to be the first Pokémon Champion, M Live focused real-time efforts on two social platforms: Twitter and Snapchat. Not only was conversation around Pokémon Go significantly higher on those platforms, 9 million total potential reach on Twitter alone, but according to Marriott's first-party portfolio-wide data, they also offered the highest potential for organic reach, greater than both Facebook and Instagram by 400%.

As news of Nick's journey around the world led to organic PR coverage, Marriott Rewards' involvement was seeded into many social and online conversations resulting in coverage from high-profile news outlets. These news outlets included USA Today, CNN, Buzzfeed and Business Insider among others. Earned editorial coverage and UGC resulted in:

- 800+ Global news outlets covering the story

- 281 M Total PR Impressions

- 9 M Global Twitter Impressions

Using an integrated network of real-time content experts and social listening tools, M Live soon found its breakthrough opportunity with Johnson's quest to capture all 145 Pokémon. Nick's journey authentically entered the zeitgeist conversation and matched Marriott Reward's messaging of engagement. It was the perfect fit. Marriott Rewards and M Live offered Nick a trip to three major continents to 'Catch Em' All'. Throughout Nick’s travels, Marriott PR would work to communicate with leading news agencies throughout the social space to spread awareness and generate buzz on a global scale.

Marriott wanted to generate buzz and awareness for Marriott Rewards, M Live, and our global portfolio of brands, as opposed to generating revenue – the organization's standard modus operandi. With a global user base between the ages of 18 and 34, Pokémon Go created an opportunity to engage in a social conversation with millennial audiences that perfectly aligned with the global marketing objectives of Marriott's portfolio of brands. They geared their activation toward travelers worldwide with a special focus on the U.S., Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Sydney, by enabling travel and accommodations for Pokémon Go super-star Nick Johnson’s quest to be the ultimate Pokémon master. Throughout his travels, Nick would generate spectacular visibility for Marriott and, ultimately, achieve his goal of “catching them all.”