Nintendo marketing
The video game developer and publisher Nintendo has engaged in a variety of marketing campaigns, ranging from early efforts to appeal to teenagers with "Play It Loud!"
Originally, all marketing operations for Nintendo of America were based out of the company's Redmond, Washington headquarters.
[1] In May 2007, the company announced plans to move its sales, marketing, and advertising divisions to either San Francisco or New York City.
Reginald "Reggie" Fils-Aimé joined Nintendo in December 2003 as the Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
He was responsible for all sales and marketing activities for Nintendo in the United States, Canada, and Latin America.
Fils-Aimé shot to fame in May 2004 with the opening line of Nintendo's E3 press conference: "My name is Reggie.
His theatrical antics, flying in the face of Nintendo's long-standing "kiddie" image, gained a cult following soon after, with many gamers calling him the "Regginator".
Fils-Aimé is considered to be responsible for revamping Nintendo's public relations in North America, leading many fans and members of the press to dub his arrival the "Reggielution" (after "Revolution", the code name for the Wii).
[3] He speaks highly of the "blue oceans" strategy, which attempts to bring in people who are not traditionally gamers.
[5] On February 21, 2019, Fils-Aimé publicly announced that he is now retiring and handing over his presidency of Nintendo of America to Doug Bowser.
[6] She appeared onstage for Nintendo's E3 2008 press conference, demonstrating Shaun White Snowboarding and Wii Sports Resort.
Moffitt previously worked at Henkel and PepsiCo, and was tasked with providing new life to the Nintendo 3DS and Wii.
[10] In August 2015, Scott Moffitt was succeeded by Doug Bowser as the Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
[11] Nintendo engages non-employees (known as Brand Ambassadors) to do marketing too, an example being NintendoCade Gaming (channel name).
[12] In late May 2020, Nintendo dropped several Brand Ambassadors, including Wood Hawker, without giving specific reason.
[15] Facing intense competition from Sega, Nintendo decided to alter the trajectory of its marketing and pitch a new image to the public.
Dan Coyner, marketing manager at Nintendo of America, noted that previous campaigns felt "like an adult talking to a child," while Play It Loud!
"[15] The advertisements extensively used youth slang of the day, advising viewers to "hock a loogie at life" and "give the world a wedgie.
[15] Nintendo Power released the Play It Loud Original Soundtrack: Volume 1 on April 1, 1996 as a gift to subscribers.
was a campaign back in 2003 intended on promoting Nintendo's console and handheld systems, the Game Boy Advance and the GameCube.
The promotion would take the form of advertisements in places such as cinemas, print, billboards in major cities, transit, mall banners, and in-store merchandising.
Nintendo extensively advertised the Virtual Boy, and claimed to have spent US$25 million on early promotional activities.
[28] Advertising promoted the system as a paradigm shift from past consoles; some pieces used cavemen to indicate a historical evolution, while others utilized psychedelic imagery.
Confronted with the challenge of showing 3-dimensional gameplay on 2-dimensional advertisements, the company partnered with Blockbuster and NBC in a coordinated effort.
[29] Despite its popularity, the rental system proved harmful to the Virtual Boy's long-term success, allowing gamers to see just how un-immersive the console was.
To promote the launch of its unconventional Wii console, Nintendo chose a unique approach to advertising.
[49] Due to the lower sales of the Wii U, Nintendo made the decision to focus their advertisements towards an older audience.
They also use YouTube for uploading Nintendo Directs in which they announce and discuss upcoming games and products in more detail.
[65] Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw identified The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask as exemplifying the type of complicated game beloved by core gamers that would not be replicated by newer titles emphasizing accessibility.
[67][68] The release of the New Nintendo 3DS, with more complicated controls and launch titles, was seen as a pivot back towards a hardcore gaming audience.
