Shrygue
October 15th, 2007, 18:41
via Computer and Video Games (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=173691)
Outgoing Nintendo of America marketing executive Perrin Kaplan says consumers were getting tired of gaming before Nintendo reinvigorated the market with its Wii console.
Kaplan, Nintendo of America VP of marketing and corporate affairs, was speaking after Nintendo received yet another marketing honor for the delivery of its mass-market friendly message that has helped its Wii console prosper in the next-gen console battle.
"A major insight that Nintendo had early on was that they saw that gamers were getting bored, even though they didn't know it yet," Kaplan told Advertising Age, which named Nintendo Marketer of the Year for its success in attracting a wider consumer demographic to gaming.
Kaplan's opinion is backed up by Robert Matthews, NOA's senior director of consumer marketing, who suggested that people were growing tired of having to play games for long stretches rather than being able to dip in and out of the fun.
"Just look at the way people consume entertainment today. The idea that you would spend hours playing video games is just not real anymore," said Matthews.
While acknowledging the success of the Wii marketing campaign, fellow exec George Harrison said that Nintendo didn't spent more on getting its message across than it had in the past.
"It was one of our biggest [campaigns] in terms of impact, although the actual [media] spending was about the same as the year before," Harrison said. "We didn't just double our budget to blanket both audiences [gamers and non-gamers].
"In our PR, we've always done outreach, but in this case, when we noticed something interesting happening online -like the weight loss using Wii Sports - we would draw it to the media's attention," he added. "The little things that kept showing up were picked up and blown out in marketing. ... When we saw what people were doing or how they were getting creative, we would move on it."
The commercial success of the Wii, in conjunction with the continued popularity of Nintendo's DS handheld console, has seen Nintendo's stock rise to new heights in recent times. The Wii is currently the fastest selling next-gen system, and despite announcing its intentions to supply "unprecedented" stock to market Nintendo says it won't meet consumer demand this holiday season.
With Harrison and Kaplan having announced their plans to leave the company in the near future in the wake of the marketing division's planned relocation from Redmond, Washington, to San Francisco and New York, Matthews says the company's marketing message must be clear and consistent if its success is to be maintained.
"It really comes down to a very essential strategy if Nintendo is truly going to expand the marketplace with products," said Matthews. "It can't be an 'or' strategy; it has to be an 'and' strategy, and it also needs to be built on a strategy of advocacy."
Outgoing Nintendo of America marketing executive Perrin Kaplan says consumers were getting tired of gaming before Nintendo reinvigorated the market with its Wii console.
Kaplan, Nintendo of America VP of marketing and corporate affairs, was speaking after Nintendo received yet another marketing honor for the delivery of its mass-market friendly message that has helped its Wii console prosper in the next-gen console battle.
"A major insight that Nintendo had early on was that they saw that gamers were getting bored, even though they didn't know it yet," Kaplan told Advertising Age, which named Nintendo Marketer of the Year for its success in attracting a wider consumer demographic to gaming.
Kaplan's opinion is backed up by Robert Matthews, NOA's senior director of consumer marketing, who suggested that people were growing tired of having to play games for long stretches rather than being able to dip in and out of the fun.
"Just look at the way people consume entertainment today. The idea that you would spend hours playing video games is just not real anymore," said Matthews.
While acknowledging the success of the Wii marketing campaign, fellow exec George Harrison said that Nintendo didn't spent more on getting its message across than it had in the past.
"It was one of our biggest [campaigns] in terms of impact, although the actual [media] spending was about the same as the year before," Harrison said. "We didn't just double our budget to blanket both audiences [gamers and non-gamers].
"In our PR, we've always done outreach, but in this case, when we noticed something interesting happening online -like the weight loss using Wii Sports - we would draw it to the media's attention," he added. "The little things that kept showing up were picked up and blown out in marketing. ... When we saw what people were doing or how they were getting creative, we would move on it."
The commercial success of the Wii, in conjunction with the continued popularity of Nintendo's DS handheld console, has seen Nintendo's stock rise to new heights in recent times. The Wii is currently the fastest selling next-gen system, and despite announcing its intentions to supply "unprecedented" stock to market Nintendo says it won't meet consumer demand this holiday season.
With Harrison and Kaplan having announced their plans to leave the company in the near future in the wake of the marketing division's planned relocation from Redmond, Washington, to San Francisco and New York, Matthews says the company's marketing message must be clear and consistent if its success is to be maintained.
"It really comes down to a very essential strategy if Nintendo is truly going to expand the marketplace with products," said Matthews. "It can't be an 'or' strategy; it has to be an 'and' strategy, and it also needs to be built on a strategy of advocacy."