The latest ads from Nintendo are a perfect example of a bad TV advertisement.
In case you haven’t seen them, they feature pop star women using Nintendo DS with assorted games (Brian Age, Nintendogs, Mario, etc). That’s fine, but the format of the ad is worse than bad… it’s alienating.
Yes, this is pretty much every second of the three ads…
Nintendo clearly is targeting people outside of their core audience; young women who are less than causal gamers. The problem is that the ad is simply filming people playing the game. All the ad winds up being is some annoying soft sounds from the game and a few “oh cool”(s) from the person playing it. It’s stereotypical, and something that has me reaching for the mute button.
This ad would be just as annyoing if male pop starts were playing a game in total silence. One thing I learned long ago; nobody wants to watch you playing a game. Don’t make a TV ad that winds up doing the same.
I was planning on buying a Wii. These ads tell me to wait for a price cut, because I don’t buy things that annoy me into listening. I may not be the target market, but the hallmark of a bad ad is one that winds up leaving a bad aftertaste in those that are the core audience.
Moral of the story: Don’t alienate your core audience with an ad that tries to reach out to new target audiences. It will wind up having your core audience start to be more interested in the competition.
I have to agree with you on this one. It seems Nintendo is moving away from the audience that sustained them when they fell from their former #1 position. I have to laugh at all of the ads related to the Wii because it comes off like a cheap novelty rather than an investment in entertainment.
This is Pong and Atari VCS all over again.
I think it accomplishes what it set out to do. I fall right into this demographic and it caught my attention. The only thing it’s stereotypical of is what the ad people think women “want,” but for the most part it captures those ideas effectively:
— Problem: women want “me” time
— Solution: Why not play a game with Nintendo DS?
–Problem: Women think video games means games that involve war and blasting things into oblivion
–Solution: Show a commercial where women are using a Nintendo DS to sharpen their skills or play with puppies
–Problem: Nintendo means ugly gray clunky “Geek” equipment
–Solution: No it’s not, it’s a cool, sleek, and fashionable “accessory” item that all the celebrities are using.
I think the ad conveys all of these messages and captures the demographic (women age 18-30) well.
I think you just have to be in that demographic to realize it.
Or I’m just totally dumb and bought the Nintendo DS based on a really stupid ad.
I agree with Leslie, but I have a different perspective on it.
By not necessarily aiming for their target audience, Nintendo has broken away from stereotypes, by not only branching out towards women, but also to young adults and the elderly, in order to reach a demographic that really hasn’t been targeted by any other gaming corporation.
Instead, these ads are a light hearted, somewhat fun approach in order to diversify Nintendo’s total market. And as for their core audience, I don’t believe this will deter them from buying consoles, or games for the DS based on this ad alone. The reason for Nintendo taking a “gamble”, if you will, with this campaign, is because there is already a stable market for the product meaning they have the time and money to spend on attracting a whole new wave of users. And as for competition, the only main rival of the DS is the Sony PSP, and if you compare those statistics, the DS is:
– More compact and sleek
– Cheaper
– More games
– And most importantly, reaches a wider demographic (children AND adults)
Whereas the PSP is overpriced, bulky, you only use part of it’s functionality (most people already have an MP3 player), and there is a lack of games, even for the their demographic which is much less than the DS.
I’m rambling a bit, but this ad has done a whole lot of good for Nintendo, and if the whiny noises are all that is keeping you from buying their products, 50 people elsewhere are probably buying a console right at this minute.