In an effort to move out of last place in the gaming console wars -- behind Microsoft and Sony -- Nintendo is made one of its strongest marketing moves in years. They spent more than $200 million to advertise and market its next-generation Wii console.
The company went to what it called "unprecedented lengths" to let people see, feel and experience the Wii system. The marketing campaign was designed to convince the masses that the Wii can be enjoyed by more than just gamers.
"Our plan to market Wii broadly, with hands-on experiences, continues to pay off," said George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "Wii introduces new ways to play, to expand both the appeal of games and the audience of gamers. Our marketing campaign is central to that."
Nintendo's concept of "gaming for the masses" is evident in every element of the marketing campaign. The company set up an online social networking community and scheduled sampling events in average people's homes. Urban gaming events, retail midnight madness promotions, multi-city music tours and hands-on play opportunities in malls nationwide.
There is something to be said for Nintendo's gaming for the masses marketing strategy, according to In-Stat Video Game Analyst Brian O'Rourke. The controller is similar to the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox, he told TechNewsWorld -- that is, enormously complicated.
Nintendo has gone back to basics, he added. The movement of a user's hand on the joystick determines the action on screen, which is very intuitive.
"Anyone can pick up a Wii controller and play relatively well relatively quickly."
- Brian O'Rourke
Wii - TV add
Wii's central ad campaign follows two friendly Japanese men who are shown demonstrating the Wii's ease of use and playability. The TV spots also include a series of vignettes spoofing reality TV shows.
In other television initiatives, Comedy Central hosted a contest to give away a Wii every hour throughout Thanksgiving weekend. At the end of the weekend, the grand prize will be a Wii console and a Toyota Scion that is tricked out to look like a Wii.
The spots feature a family from Long Island that finds they enjoy playing a Wii together.
Nintendo's viral efforts have already payed off. Wii's MySpace page has attracted nearly a million page views from more than 200,000 unique visitors. Members have created Wii videos and posted thousands of messages in the forums.
In a 24-hour period in early November, Wii served as the centerpiece of a multipart "South Park" episode, appeared on the front page of The Wall Street Journal, made People magazine's "Style Watch" gift guide issue, and was featured on a National Public Radio report about holiday gifts.
Will the flood of cash and strategic marketing measures pay off for Nintendo? The marketing certainly helps, O'Rourke noted, but what helps more is a solid console with a fair number of games available at launch.
"The combination of the fact that Nintendo's technology is a bit less expensive to develop and they have those big title characters -- like Mario and Zelda -- to depend on will help them succeed in the next generation."
- Brian O'Rourke
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