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What metrics will GameStop use to measure the success of the Pokémon battle event (e.g., social media engagement, foot traffic, sales lift)?

Created August 07, 2025 at 05:01 PM

What GameStop is likely to track to judge the success of the sky‑high Pokémon battle

Although the press release does not list the exact KPIs that GameStop will use, companies that run high‑visibility, experience‑based marketing events—especially those that combine a brand milestone (Goodyear’s 100‑year anniversary) with a pop‑culture property (Pokémon) and a “first‑of‑its‑kind” stunt (a battle 1,000 ft in the air)—generally measure success across three broad buckets: awareness & reach, engagement & sentiment, and commercial lift. Below is a detailed, step‑by‑step breakdown of the specific metrics GameStop is almost certain to monitor, why each matters, and how they will be captured.

1. Awareness & Reach

Metric	How it’s Measured	Why it Matters
Impressions (Paid + Earned)	‑ Paid: Digital video ads, programmatic display, sponsored social posts. ‑ Earned: PR coverage (online news sites, TV, radio), influencer posts, blog mentions.	Shows the total “raw eyeballs” the event generated across all touchpoints.
Unique Reach	Unique users who saw any piece of content (social, streaming video, news article).	Avoids double‑counting and gives a clearer picture of how many people actually became aware.
Media Value (EMV – Earned Media Value)	Assign dollar value to all earned placements (e.g., a feature in Variety = $X).	Translates PR exposure into a financial benchmark for ROI.
Brand‑search lift	Spike in Google/Bing searches for “GameStop Pokémon”, “Goodyear Blimp Battle”, etc., measured via Google Trends.	Indicates heightened curiosity and top‑of‑mind awareness.
Geographic Reach	Heat‑map of where impressions originated (focus on LA metro, West Coast, national).	Helps GameStop gauge whether the event resonated beyond the local market.

2. Social‑Media & Digital Engagement

Metric	Tool / Source	Why it Matters
Hashtag performance (e.g., #GameStopSkyBattle, #GoodyearBlimp, #PokémonInTheSky)	Sprout Social, Brandwatch, native platform analytics.	Direct measure of conversation volume around the event.
Engagement rate (likes, comments, shares, retweets, TikTok duets)	Platform dashboards (Facebook Insights, Instagram Insights, TikTok Analytics, X/Twitter Analytics).	Indicates how compelling the content is; higher rates → deeper audience connection.
Video Views & Completion Rate (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Reels, X Shorts)	YouTube Studio, TikTok Business Center.	Shows how many people watched the battle footage and how many stayed till the end (critical for message retention).
Mentions & Sentiment	Social listening platforms (Meltwater, Talkwalker).	Not just volume but quality—positive vs. negative chatter.
User‑Generated Content (UGC) volume	Count of fan videos, memes, fan art that reference the event.	UGC is a powerful indicator of organic enthusiasm and can fuel further reach.
Website traffic spikes (GameStop.com, specific “Pokémon Battle” landing page)	Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics.	Reflects interest translating into site visits, a prerequisite for sales.
Conversion funnel metrics (click‑through from social → product pages)	UTM‑tagged URLs, Adobe Analytics.	Connects engagement directly to purchase intent.

3. In‑Store & Omni‑Channel Commercial Lift

Metric	How it’s Tracked	Relevance
Foot Traffic (store visits)	Retail traffic counters, iPad “People Count” sensors, or third‑party foot‑traffic analytics (e.g., Placer.ai).	Direct measure of whether the event drove people to physical locations.
Sales Lift – Pokémon‑related SKU	Same‑store sales comparison YoY/YoY‑same‑period (baseline vs. post‑event).	Quantifies incremental revenue tied to the partnership.
Overall Store Sales Lift	Same‑store net sales; compare week of event to prior weeks and to a control group of stores not targeted.	Shows whether the event had halo effect beyond Pokémon items.
Online Sales Lift (e‑commerce)	Order volume, average order value (AOV), units per order (UPO) for Pokémon products.	Captures the digital side of the funnel.
Promotional Redemption Rate (e.g., QR‑code scan → discount on Pokémon merchandise)	Redemption data from POS and e‑commerce platform.	Indicates how many engaged fans turned interest into a measurable action.
New Loyalty Program Sign‑ups	GameStop PowerUp Rewards enrollment spikes (tracked via CRM).	Long‑term value: each new member can be nurtured for future sales.
Average Basket Size	Comparison of basket value pre‑ vs. post‑event for stores near the launch zone.	Determines whether the event increased cross‑sell opportunities.
Inventory Turnover for Pokémon SKU	Days of inventory on hand before vs. after the event.	Shows supply‑chain impact and effectiveness of demand generation.

4. Experiential & Brand‑Equity Metrics

Metric	Method	Why it’s Important
Post‑event brand‑awareness surveys (online panels, in‑store kiosks)	Ask respondents “Recall the GameStop‑Goodyear Pokémon event?” and measure aided/un‑aided recall.	Provides a direct measurement of memory lift.
Net Promoter Score (NPS) change	Compare pre‑ vs. post‑event NPS among GameStop customers.	Indicates shifts in brand advocacy.
Brand sentiment lift	Sentiment analysis of social chatter + survey data.	Positive sentiment correlates with higher purchase intent.
Media coverage quality (tone of articles, placement)	Media monitoring tools categorize mentions as positive/neutral/negative and rank outlet tier.	High‑quality coverage adds premium value to the partnership.
Influencer KPI performance	For any partnered creators (e.g., Pokémon YouTubers), track their specific metrics: reach, engagement, affiliate link clicks.	Validates the effectiveness of influencer collaborations within the event.

5. ROI & Cost‑Effectiveness

Metric	Calculation	Insight
Cost per Impression (CPI)	Total media/activation spend ÷ total impressions.	Benchmark against other brand activations.
Marketing‑Attributed Revenue	Revenue from Pokémon SKU + incremental store sales × attribution factor (e.g., 30 % lift credited to event).	Determines the direct financial return.
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS)	Marketing‑Attributed Revenue ÷ total spend on the activation.	Core efficiency metric.
Earned Media Value (EMV) vs. Paid Spend Ratio	EMV ÷ Paid Media Spend.	Shows how much “free” exposure the event generated.
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) uplift	Projected CLV of new loyalty members vs. baseline.	Long‑term profitability impact.

How GameStop Will Likely Pull All This Together

Dashboard Integration – Using a Business‑Intelligence platform (Tableau, Power BI, or Looker), GameStop can merge data streams—social listening, Google Analytics, POS, foot‑traffic sensors, and media monitoring—into a single “Event Impact” dashboard that updates in real time.
Attribution Modeling – A multi‑touch attribution model (e.g., linear or time‑decay) will allocate credit to each touchpoint (social post, PR article, QR scan, in‑store display). This helps isolate which channel drove the biggest sales lift.
Control Group Analysis – Stores outside the Los Angeles market or not exposed to the event’s localized promotions serve as a baseline for comparing foot‑traffic and sales changes, ensuring that observed lifts are not simply seasonal.
Post‑Event Survey & Sentiment Study – Shortly after the battle, GameStop can field a brief online poll to its PowerUp Rewards members and to a broader consumer panel to capture recall, favorability, and purchase intent. The results enrich quantitative data with qualitative insights.
Executive Summary – At the end of the measurement window (typically 4‑6 weeks post‑event), GameStop will compile a KPI scorecard that includes:
- Reach: X M impressions, Y M unique users, $Z MM EMV.
- Engagement: # of hashtag uses, video views, engagement rate.
- Commercial Lift: % increase in Pokémon SKU sales, foot‑traffic bump, new loyalty sign‑ups.
- ROI: ROAS, CPI, CLV uplift.
- Brand Impact: lift in aided recall, NPS shift.

Bottom Line

GameStop will evaluate the Pokémon battle’s success through a blend of awareness, engagement, and commercial metrics—including impressions, hashtag usage, video views, sentiment, foot traffic, sales uplift (both in‑store and online), loyalty‑program growth, and overall ROI. By triangulating data from social platforms, media monitoring tools, POS systems, and post‑event surveys, the company can quantify how effectively the sky‑high partnership with Goodyear translated a spectacular spectacle into tangible brand and revenue gains.