Wii: Spending More Than A Penny
Nintendo's $200million Wii Marketing Blitz: Full Details
Apparently Wii-wanters are already forming queues in the United States prior to the November 19th launch. Whether these are genuine punters or simply people placed in queues as part of the massive marketing campaign currently in train is an interesting question. SPOnG will be sure to get you reports from our stringers on the ground as we hear (and see) more on this.
So, just how much is Nintendo prepared to spend on getting the message across in time for Christmas? Well, today it announced a $200 million ‘Wii Play For All’ marketing campaign.
While the star of the show is obviously the Wii itself (and yes, SPOnG wants one baaaad) apparently ‘the masses’ are now the ‘focus’. Yes, you heard it, no longer is the mob to be feared and loathed by those people who are not part of it. The masses now live in households and have cash to spend.
Apparently, Nintendo's message to the hearts and minds of consumers of all ages, genders and persuasions is” “Wii is the only new video game system every member of a household can enjoy.”
The press release which just landed in SPOnG’s inbox tells us:
”Gaming for the masses is seen in every element of the marketing campaign, from an online social-networking community and sampling events in average people's homes to urban ‘gaming’ hours, retail midnight madness events, a multi-city music tour and extended hands-on opportunities in malls nationwide. Across the country, men and women, young and old, experienced and not, are getting their hands on Wii and helping usher in a new generation of video gamers.”
Nintendo is rightfully keen to crow about the impressive results of its viral marketing campaigns on Wii to date, with the console having been the focus of considerable mainstream press interest prior to its launch in the US this coming Sunday (19th November).
The Wii featured heavily in a recent, rather special multipart South Park episode. SPOnG’s favourite line: “It’s like waiting for Christmas, times a thousand!” appeared on the front page of The Wall Street Journal; made People magazine's Style Watch gift guide issue; featured in a National Public Radio (NPR) report about hot holiday gifts, and had a BusinessWeek feature note that, "Industry execs and analysts are already calling a winner: Nintendo's Wii."
A key focus of the marketing blitz is the unprecedented effort to get the console into the hands of both gamers and non-gamers alike.
"Wii introduces new ways to play to expand both the appeal of games and the audience of gamers, and our marketing campaign is central to that," noted George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior VP of marketing and corporate communications.
Nintendo has kindly sent us official pics of the various peripherals we’ll all be fighting to obtain when the Wii comes to the UK on December 8th.
And now, with no any further ado here is the full, detailed breakdown, directly from Nintendo, of the ongoing campaign to get a Wii into the hands of, well, everybody:
So, just how much is Nintendo prepared to spend on getting the message across in time for Christmas? Well, today it announced a $200 million ‘Wii Play For All’ marketing campaign.
While the star of the show is obviously the Wii itself (and yes, SPOnG wants one baaaad) apparently ‘the masses’ are now the ‘focus’. Yes, you heard it, no longer is the mob to be feared and loathed by those people who are not part of it. The masses now live in households and have cash to spend.
Apparently, Nintendo's message to the hearts and minds of consumers of all ages, genders and persuasions is” “Wii is the only new video game system every member of a household can enjoy.”
The press release which just landed in SPOnG’s inbox tells us:
”Gaming for the masses is seen in every element of the marketing campaign, from an online social-networking community and sampling events in average people's homes to urban ‘gaming’ hours, retail midnight madness events, a multi-city music tour and extended hands-on opportunities in malls nationwide. Across the country, men and women, young and old, experienced and not, are getting their hands on Wii and helping usher in a new generation of video gamers.”
Nintendo is rightfully keen to crow about the impressive results of its viral marketing campaigns on Wii to date, with the console having been the focus of considerable mainstream press interest prior to its launch in the US this coming Sunday (19th November).
The Wii featured heavily in a recent, rather special multipart South Park episode. SPOnG’s favourite line: “It’s like waiting for Christmas, times a thousand!” appeared on the front page of The Wall Street Journal; made People magazine's Style Watch gift guide issue; featured in a National Public Radio (NPR) report about hot holiday gifts, and had a BusinessWeek feature note that, "Industry execs and analysts are already calling a winner: Nintendo's Wii."
A key focus of the marketing blitz is the unprecedented effort to get the console into the hands of both gamers and non-gamers alike.
"Wii introduces new ways to play to expand both the appeal of games and the audience of gamers, and our marketing campaign is central to that," noted George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior VP of marketing and corporate communications.
Nintendo has kindly sent us official pics of the various peripherals we’ll all be fighting to obtain when the Wii comes to the UK on December 8th.
And now, with no any further ado here is the full, detailed breakdown, directly from Nintendo, of the ongoing campaign to get a Wii into the hands of, well, everybody:
Hands-on Sampling
• Wii Ambassador Program: The yearlong initiative identified ambassadors in markets throughout the country. These ambassadors are of three categories: multigenerational families, hard-core gamers and modern moms. During the initial phase, Nintendo hosted events for each ambassador and 30 of his or her closest friends and relatives. The events offered an opportunity for everyday people from all walks of life to play Wii for the first time and share their experiences with others.
• Wii Mall Experience: Starting Nov. 15, Nintendo will set up six interactive Wii kiosks for a two-month period in 25 Westfield shopping centers across the country. Trained representatives will show visitors new ways to play. For a complete list of the participating malls, visit wii.nintendo.com.
• Nintendo Fusion Tour: The annual showcase for music and video games visits cities across the country through Nov. 11. In addition to live music from headliner Hawthorne Heights and four other up-and-coming bands, concert attendees get to enjoy some hands-on time with Wii.
• Blender: Nintendo Fusion Tour headliner Hawthorne Heights shows off their slick Wii moves and talk about some of the upcoming games for Wii in the December issue.
• Urban Gaming Hours: Through Nov. 17, Nintendo is hosting a gaming take on "happy hour" at gatherings for urban influencers in fashion, music and media, such as Vice magazine and Def Jam Records. The on-site events let participants experience Wii with their colleagues.
• RISE: The December issue of this sports and lifestyle magazine for teens will feature thoughts from top teen athletes about their experiences sampling the Wii console.
Feeding the Buzz
• How Wii Play: Wii's MySpace page at www.MySpace.com/howwiiplay has attracted nearly 1 million page views from more than 200,000 unique visitors, largely by word-of-mouth. Members have created their own Wii videos and posted thousands of messages in the robust forums.
• Midnight Madness: Countdown events at Toys "R" Us in New York's Times Square and at GameStop at Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles will turn the last few hours before the launch of Wii into an entertainment frenzy. Nintendo fans of all stripes will line up to be the first to purchase the console at the stroke of midnight as they are entertained by acrobats, music, pyrotechnics, Wii interactives on Segway scooters and a general party atmosphere.
Brand Partnerships
• 7-Eleven: 7-Eleven is giving away 711 Wii consoles. Codes are printed on the sides of special Nintendo-branded Slurpee cups. Through Jan. 31, people go online to enter their codes to see if they have won. 7-Eleven also will introduce a new limited-time-only Nintendo-themed Slurpee flavor: StrawberrWii Banana. Print ads will run in Blender, Electronic Gaming Monthly and DC Comics. Print ads will also run in USA Today and The Onion. In addition, online banner ads will appear on Google, GameZone, IGN, Rotten Tomatoes and GameSpot.
• Pringles Snack Stacks: Pringles.com is giving away 100 Wii consoles. The program is supported by 7 million Wii-themed Pringles Snack Stacks packages and an additional 2 million Wii-themed Pringles canisters on display at Wal-Mart stores for the first three weeks of December. The sweepstakes runs now through April 16.
• Comedy Central: The comedy cable network will give away a Wii every hour Thursday through Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. Wii will be featured in a series of vignettes spoofing reality TV shows. At the end of the weekend, the grand prize will be a Wii console and a Scion tricked out to look like a Wii.
As Seen on TV
• Wii Would Like to Play: Wii's central ad campaign follows two friendly Japanese men who bring Wii to people's homes to demonstrate how easy and fun it is for everyone to play. Stephen Gaghan, who wrote the screenplay for and directed Syriana and won a best screenplay Oscar for writing Traffic, directed the four spots. The director of photography is John Seale, who won an Oscar for best cinematography on The English Patient and was nominated for Oscars for Rain Man, Cold Mountain and Witness. The spots begin airing the week of Nov. 13.
• Nick @ Nite: Wii will be featured on the Nov. 24 Nick@Nite episode of Road Crew. The spots feature a family from Long Island that finally finds something they can all enjoy together - playing Wii.
• Nickelodeon: A Wii ad begins Nov. 20. The 60-second spot shows a dad mistaking the Wii Remote for his television remote control. Dad becomes immersed in the fun, and soon the whole family joins in.
• TeleFutura: Nintendo will be at November auditions in New York for the highly successful international singing competition show Objetivo Fama (Objective: Fame) to allow contestants to sample the Wii console and calm their pre-audition jitters.
• Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Discovery Kids Network: A feature scheduled to air in December showcases kids, parents and teachers sampling Wii at a school event and sharing their experiences.
• Wii Ambassador Program: The yearlong initiative identified ambassadors in markets throughout the country. These ambassadors are of three categories: multigenerational families, hard-core gamers and modern moms. During the initial phase, Nintendo hosted events for each ambassador and 30 of his or her closest friends and relatives. The events offered an opportunity for everyday people from all walks of life to play Wii for the first time and share their experiences with others.
• Wii Mall Experience: Starting Nov. 15, Nintendo will set up six interactive Wii kiosks for a two-month period in 25 Westfield shopping centers across the country. Trained representatives will show visitors new ways to play. For a complete list of the participating malls, visit wii.nintendo.com.
• Nintendo Fusion Tour: The annual showcase for music and video games visits cities across the country through Nov. 11. In addition to live music from headliner Hawthorne Heights and four other up-and-coming bands, concert attendees get to enjoy some hands-on time with Wii.
• Blender: Nintendo Fusion Tour headliner Hawthorne Heights shows off their slick Wii moves and talk about some of the upcoming games for Wii in the December issue.
• Urban Gaming Hours: Through Nov. 17, Nintendo is hosting a gaming take on "happy hour" at gatherings for urban influencers in fashion, music and media, such as Vice magazine and Def Jam Records. The on-site events let participants experience Wii with their colleagues.
• RISE: The December issue of this sports and lifestyle magazine for teens will feature thoughts from top teen athletes about their experiences sampling the Wii console.
Feeding the Buzz
• How Wii Play: Wii's MySpace page at www.MySpace.com/howwiiplay has attracted nearly 1 million page views from more than 200,000 unique visitors, largely by word-of-mouth. Members have created their own Wii videos and posted thousands of messages in the robust forums.
• Midnight Madness: Countdown events at Toys "R" Us in New York's Times Square and at GameStop at Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles will turn the last few hours before the launch of Wii into an entertainment frenzy. Nintendo fans of all stripes will line up to be the first to purchase the console at the stroke of midnight as they are entertained by acrobats, music, pyrotechnics, Wii interactives on Segway scooters and a general party atmosphere.
Brand Partnerships
• 7-Eleven: 7-Eleven is giving away 711 Wii consoles. Codes are printed on the sides of special Nintendo-branded Slurpee cups. Through Jan. 31, people go online to enter their codes to see if they have won. 7-Eleven also will introduce a new limited-time-only Nintendo-themed Slurpee flavor: StrawberrWii Banana. Print ads will run in Blender, Electronic Gaming Monthly and DC Comics. Print ads will also run in USA Today and The Onion. In addition, online banner ads will appear on Google, GameZone, IGN, Rotten Tomatoes and GameSpot.
• Pringles Snack Stacks: Pringles.com is giving away 100 Wii consoles. The program is supported by 7 million Wii-themed Pringles Snack Stacks packages and an additional 2 million Wii-themed Pringles canisters on display at Wal-Mart stores for the first three weeks of December. The sweepstakes runs now through April 16.
• Comedy Central: The comedy cable network will give away a Wii every hour Thursday through Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend. Wii will be featured in a series of vignettes spoofing reality TV shows. At the end of the weekend, the grand prize will be a Wii console and a Scion tricked out to look like a Wii.
As Seen on TV
• Wii Would Like to Play: Wii's central ad campaign follows two friendly Japanese men who bring Wii to people's homes to demonstrate how easy and fun it is for everyone to play. Stephen Gaghan, who wrote the screenplay for and directed Syriana and won a best screenplay Oscar for writing Traffic, directed the four spots. The director of photography is John Seale, who won an Oscar for best cinematography on The English Patient and was nominated for Oscars for Rain Man, Cold Mountain and Witness. The spots begin airing the week of Nov. 13.
• Nick @ Nite: Wii will be featured on the Nov. 24 Nick@Nite episode of Road Crew. The spots feature a family from Long Island that finally finds something they can all enjoy together - playing Wii.
• Nickelodeon: A Wii ad begins Nov. 20. The 60-second spot shows a dad mistaking the Wii Remote for his television remote control. Dad becomes immersed in the fun, and soon the whole family joins in.
• TeleFutura: Nintendo will be at November auditions in New York for the highly successful international singing competition show Objetivo Fama (Objective: Fame) to allow contestants to sample the Wii console and calm their pre-audition jitters.
• Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Discovery Kids Network: A feature scheduled to air in December showcases kids, parents and teachers sampling Wii at a school event and sharing their experiences.
Companies:
Nintendo
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Comments
Joji 13 Nov 2006 16:16
1/3
Pennies from heaven are well spent to get the word out there. I just want some damn good tv ads like they have for DS.
PistolPete 14 Nov 2006 13:14
2/3
'Oh look son... look at that' Mother points to the massive screen that could never fit into a typical (the masses) living room, which has a rather pretentious dick-weed standing silhouetted, more-than-likely grinning while talking of the 'massive potential for all the family to enjoy'.
'That's the Wii, GOD don't you know anything' similarly typically ignorant child demands.
'The wee?' the mother questions naively. 'oh is that the thing I saw on the t.v (around 14-21 inches) with the magic wand?'
Grimacing the child replies
'Oh just get me it I want it I WANT IT NOW'
'Ok' wandering over to the grinning prat, 'how much is that thing you have there'
'Madame, it is not about how much this fantastic non-gimmick-like console is, it is about how much enjoyment you're all going to receive from playing the unbelievable Wii sports, fun for all the family, even you. But don't let words sway you, let your eyes sell it to you for me...'etc. the man finally surmises and shoots the price at the woman
'well for all that it doesn't seem too unreasonable' the woman half-ponders
'it isn't' the overly excitable clean cut w****r quickly adds.
'Mum stop standing here and buy it but IT NOW'
'Oh ok precious, but this means you won't have anything else for greed-mas or for the next couple of months.. ok'
'No, I want a ps3 too, take out another mortgage'
'what's a piss3?'
'let's just leave mum' pressing his little fingers onto the bridge of his nose.
'oh I know what a piss is, it's that thing you have at home. I remember buying you that thing years ago and you got that..' looking at the now slightly angry at much talk no buy t**t 'do you know, I buyed him a web-cam thingy for it last year because he told me to and he played standing in front of the t.v for around a week or so, and then his friends came in and joined him but they got bored very quickly because they - being lazy kids - only wanted to sit and control with their fingers on that piss pad, and quickly realized that flailing around like spasmodic zombies in front of the little t.v screen made them look silly and tired and stuff... this, this isn't going to happen on this thing is it...?'
'Madame' the man ignores, walking towards similarly naïve parent 'it is not about the price, but the enjoyment we all will receive from this wonderful....’
The woman stands still
'bitch' the son concludes.
'That's the Wii, GOD don't you know anything' similarly typically ignorant child demands.
'The wee?' the mother questions naively. 'oh is that the thing I saw on the t.v (around 14-21 inches) with the magic wand?'
Grimacing the child replies
'Oh just get me it I want it I WANT IT NOW'
'Ok' wandering over to the grinning prat, 'how much is that thing you have there'
'Madame, it is not about how much this fantastic non-gimmick-like console is, it is about how much enjoyment you're all going to receive from playing the unbelievable Wii sports, fun for all the family, even you. But don't let words sway you, let your eyes sell it to you for me...'etc. the man finally surmises and shoots the price at the woman
'well for all that it doesn't seem too unreasonable' the woman half-ponders
'it isn't' the overly excitable clean cut w****r quickly adds.
'Mum stop standing here and buy it but IT NOW'
'Oh ok precious, but this means you won't have anything else for greed-mas or for the next couple of months.. ok'
'No, I want a ps3 too, take out another mortgage'
'what's a piss3?'
'let's just leave mum' pressing his little fingers onto the bridge of his nose.
'oh I know what a piss is, it's that thing you have at home. I remember buying you that thing years ago and you got that..' looking at the now slightly angry at much talk no buy t**t 'do you know, I buyed him a web-cam thingy for it last year because he told me to and he played standing in front of the t.v for around a week or so, and then his friends came in and joined him but they got bored very quickly because they - being lazy kids - only wanted to sit and control with their fingers on that piss pad, and quickly realized that flailing around like spasmodic zombies in front of the little t.v screen made them look silly and tired and stuff... this, this isn't going to happen on this thing is it...?'
'Madame' the man ignores, walking towards similarly naïve parent 'it is not about the price, but the enjoyment we all will receive from this wonderful....’
The woman stands still
'bitch' the son concludes.
kid_77 14 Nov 2006 13:21
3/3
That reminds me of my relationship with the PSP