The Innovative Marketing of Nintendo

Nintendo is a company that has been in the video game business longer than any other major video game corporation. Nintendo's main competitors, Sony and Microsoft, have only been in the business since the nineties. Nintendo has been in the business since the late seventies. They have always been successful in this area. This is due to a few reasons. First, their attention to innovation always gives their audience a fresh and new experience. Second, they always provide good content for their players. Lastly, they work to make their games appeal to everyone.

Nintendo has always been a company of innovators. Their first system, NES or "Nintendo Entertainment System," was something that revolutionized video gaming. It was one of the first video games to be played through a Television set and it came at an affordable price. This system featured the latest graphics using 8-bit technology. The system came packaged with a "zapper" that was shaped like a gun and could be pointed at the screen and players could shoot at objects. This was something that had never been done before. It was a huge hit. The term "Duck Hunt" is still well known. Several years later the Super Nintendo Entertainment System came out. This was the first major system to attempt three dimensional graphics, which are now the norm. The release of the Nintendo 64 saw the release of the first all 3-D platform game, Super Mario 64. This game was monumental, breaking ground in the 3-D gaming world that would change the way video games were made forever. Today, Nintendo just recently released their newest innovation, the Nintendo Wii. The Wii is the first console to feature point sensor technology. The controller is the shape of a remote control. The device uses sensors to detect exactly were a person is pointing on the screen. This innovation to many before its launch was speculated to be a very bad idea. Most critics believed it would feel gimmicky and not perform to the expectations of players. The latest reviews now are completely different. Critics openly have admitted that the Nintendo Wii is not a gimmick, it is here to stay. Sales have also shown that America loves the Wii. Nintendo's launch of the Wii did much better than Sony's launch of the Playstation 3. These are not all of Nintendo's innovations, only a few of the most important ones. In the future I'm sure there will be more.

Nintendo's attention to content has been uncanny throughout the years. If you ask any group of people what their favorite video game is, odds are they will say a Nintendo game. The franchises like Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Pokemon, and Donkey Kong are all household names. Every system that Nintendo has released has had it's own specific hit games. This is not to say that every game on every Nintendo system is good. However, the good will always out weigh the bad with Nintendo.

Lastly, Nintendo has always marketed their systems to the whole family. The NES's name in Japan is "Famicom," which means Family Computer. They have never been a company to target only one section of people. The Nintendo Wii is stated by Nintendo to be the game system that will make video games accessible to everyone. Even the older generations have a good reaction to the Wii and its many functions.

I have learned that the Nintendo Corporation is a very intelligent one. Their marketing strategies are more affective than any other video game company. I know that they will be successful for a very long time.

Annotated Bibliography

Chmielewski, D.C. (2006). 'Alpha Moms' Pitch Nintendo Wii. LA Times.

This article discusses Nintendo's attempt to market their new system to a new audience. In particular they chose a handful of moms from Los Angeles to serve as spokeswomen for the system.

New York Daily News. (2007). Nintendo Rises High on Booming Wii Sales. Associated Press.

This article talks about Nintendo's recent success with their new system, Wii. Some mentioning of advertising tactics are present. The article also discusses Nintendo's Competition, Sony and Microsoft.

Nintendo.com. (2007).

This is the home page for the video game company, Nintendo. The site features advertisements and information on their different products.
Millard, E. (2007). Nintendo Brings World News to the Wii. News Factor Network, Inc.

This article discusses Nintendo's latest addition to the Wii interface. The Wii News option will connect game owners to worldwide news via the internet.

Wii.com. (2007).

This is the home page for Nintendo's newest console, Wii. The site features a list of games and features of the console. Also, videos of people playing the Wii.