• Hey everyone, staff have documented a list of banned content and subject matter that we feel are not consistent with site values, and don't make sense to host discussion of on Famiboards. This list (and the relevant reasoning per item) is viewable here.

StarTopic Nintendo Direct Speculation |ST8| Press Your (Nintendo Direct) Luck!

Reader mode
chocolate_supra said:
I see so many Nintendo advertisements. Several per week on youtube (not Nintendo's channel, just youtube in general), and they play before maybe every other movie I go see.

As far as how "bad" they are, they seem to be pretty much in-line with the types of slightly corny commercials I see on TV all the time. They aren't as cool as, like, an E3 trailer or something, but outside of Directs Nintendo is mostly marketing to the mainstream audiences so cutesy commercials that make it seem like a family toy make sense.

I mean just while I was typing this the TV had a commercial where a CGI penguin in glasses jumped around like a cheerleader spelling the name of something to do with eyewear. Hell, Nintendo commercials are actually often less cringey than what I tend to see 😅
Click to expand...
First thanks for responding respectfully

Second, I think there is a large amount of subjectivity here

I am an avid gamer who often watches Nintendo stuff on YouTube so it is surprising that I really don’t see many ads, and on tv or in the movie theater hardly ever at all

Subjectivity has its pitfalls when it comes to assessing quality but for advertising outside of really rigorous data it’s the only way to assess how well an ad works
 
placenta said:
The marketing was also criticized in spring 2020 when the internet was upset because Nintendo left it in the dark about the rest of the year and its future plans. Nintendo instead just decided to release what's to become the best selling videogame ever in Japan.
Click to expand...
True but Animal Crossing had been a really successful series before that point (although not as successful as the last game) and also Covid probably did wonders for its sales
 
0
I've seen plenty of Nintendo ads. Especially Mario Vs. DK.
Princess peach.
Generic switch game ads.


I havent bought any of those so it doesn't work/s
 
When it comes to Nintendo ads, I just think it's important to remember that they aren't really made for us (the ones that are on forum specifically for Nintendo) and that likely does influence the types of ads or how Nintendo decides to advertise. For us, I know a lot of us view it as it being good that Nintendo is advertising their games and, like with the Tears of the Kingdom commercials, analyze them to see what that might've slipped into them that we can talk about!

I also think it's just as important to note that Nintendo does rely a lot on their physical presence in stores and events (demo events at specific stores for instance) when it comes to marketing (for instance, I know many Targets around me have a Mario statue in their Nintendo sections). This is something that I feel like, in this day and age, is very important to Nintendo and they probably do put a lot of effort in on this front too (I was a lot younger in the 3DS/Wii U days and I was just more interested in getting games but I feel like the physical presence of Nintendo back then wasn't as much as it is now - likely because of how successful the Switch has been - maybe this could also be because Sony and Microsoft might not be as focused on their physical presence that it highlights Nintendo stuff even more). Finally, I do think Nintendo has leaned on word-of-mouth somewhat and that also helps, especially with the titles that they want to be evergreen like Animal Crossing: New Horizons. This also could be attributed to how Nintendo is probably the only one of the big three actively supporting kiosks at stores with demos and everything - speaking to their physical presence as well which could turn into good word-of-mouth!

For me personally, like someone has mentioned, while I don't really see many ads on TV for Nintendo stuff, I do see a lot of them on social media! I also do see them often when I go to the movies, usually in the pre-previews section where they are running local ads, for example (My first Mario Movie showing had an ad shown that highlighted a lot of the Mario games on Switch)! I do think a lot of this discussion is subjective in a couple of ways and Nintendo probably does have a lot more analytics that tell them whether the ads are working but I do feel like the fact that Nintendo did rebound from the Wii U in terms of marketing to have a console that is competing to be the best selling console of all time does show that Nintendo marketing, in whatever way they are doing it, is working! :D
 
I'll just say I see tons of Nintendo ads. I don't exactly think they're really targeting the typical internet forum-goer demographic who probably has a million other ways of staying hyper-plugged-in regarding what's going on in the world of video games

but whenever I'm in a room with, like, Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network on in the background? There's probably at least one Switch ad every commercial break for new games, old games, the general concept of owning a Switch, etc. They're definitely getting the word out, and compared to most commercials these days they're fairly straightforward and to-the-point rather than "embarrassing and transparent attempt to create a meme"

Also definitely on YouTube whenever there's a new release. Or YouTube Music at least (I never see any ads on desktop YouTube, but ever since they killed Vanced I gotta deal with ads while out and about)
 
Number1000DKFan said:
This kind of statement is hard to prove either way, but
1) last year the only time I even saw a Nintendo advertisement outside of gaming spheres (directs, Nintendo’s YouTube page, Nintendo’s Twitter page) was just for Zelda
2) the commercials themselves are just bad imo, that’s subjective but advertising’s success is kind of subjective by definition. Just my opinion!
Click to expand...
just because you are not seeing something or don't like the marketing doesn't mean it isn't happening or effective. I can confidently say that your first point is wrong.

And the statement isn't hard to prove either way imo. Nintendo didn't just get lucky selling 140M units of a system. They didn't get lucky selling all of this software, with multiple IPs or series selling more units than they ever had before. It's true with the switch and it was unbelievably true with the wii and ds, especially the former. We've all criticized some aspects of Nintendo's marketing, but even with that they've succeeded. Their games continue to sell and their system continues to exceed expectations even to chagrin of gamers like us desperately waiting for a whisper about the successor lol.
 
Number1000DKFan said:
This kind of statement is hard to prove either way, but
1) last year the only time I even saw a Nintendo advertisement outside of gaming spheres (directs, Nintendo’s YouTube page, Nintendo’s Twitter page) was just for Zelda
2) the commercials themselves are just bad imo, that’s subjective but advertising’s success is kind of subjective by definition. Just my opinion!
Click to expand...
If you don't like the switch ads then don't look up any of the Wii U ones.
 
Hocot8 said:
just because you are not seeing something or don't like the marketing doesn't mean it isn't happening or effective. I can confidently say that your first point is wrong.

And the statement isn't hard to prove either way imo. Nintendo didn't just get lucky selling 140M units of a system. They didn't get lucky selling all of this software, with multiple IPs or series selling more units than they ever had before. It's true with the switch and it was unbelievably true with the wii and ds, especially the former. We've all criticized some aspects of Nintendo's marketing, but even with that they've succeeded. Their games continue to sell and their system continues to exceed expectations even to chagrin of gamers like us desperately waiting for a whisper about the successor lol.
Click to expand...
You can confidently say I didn’t see much advertsing last year?????

Also Nintendo didn’t magically acquire a new advertising strategy when the switch dropped, it’s simply a good system and word of mouth is important
 
Number1000DKFan said:
Also Nintendo didn’t magically acquire a new advertising strategy when the switch dropped, it’s simply a good system and word of mouth is important
Click to expand...
See in my opinion Nintendo's advertising got worse with the Switch gen, because they stopped doing skits like Bill Trinen vigorously eating donuts
 
Number1000DKFan said:
You can confidently say I didn’t see much advertsing last year?????

Also Nintendo didn’t magically acquire a new advertising strategy when the switch dropped, it’s simply a good system and word of mouth is important
Click to expand...
Were you not insinuating that Nintendo didn't really advertise outside of gaming circles? That was the conclusion I came to but if it was wrong I apologize haha.

As to your second point I don't believe that's accurate .Their marketing strategy is noticeably different than it ever has been specifically with how they announce and market new games. There are similarities like promoting the system and a lot of Nintendo games as family games but nevertheless there are significant differences imo.
 
Certainty here in the UK, Nintendo ads tend to focus on children, families and the casual demographic, often being about having fun with others. They might come off as a bit cheesy but I think it's cool to see an ad for one of your favourite games in somewhere like a cinema (where I see them more often, I don't watch linear TV). So yeah like others are said they're not trying to boost awareness among the typical "gamer" market, it's more targeted at the general public.
 
Onosume said:
So yeah like others are said they're not trying to boost awareness among the typical "gamer" market, it's more targeted at the general public.
Click to expand...
Yeah the "gamer" market doesn't need awareness of Nintendo to be boosted, we're so aware we literally seek them out.

Case in point: we're in a thread titled "Nintendo Direct Speculation." 😎
 
In Europe, Nintendo ads are all over the place in children shows with a clear focus on kids. There were some with a more adult focus like Tears of the Kingdom and Ring Fit Adventure, but barely anything else.

Anyway, they suck and are still mostly following the guidelines from the Wii era with just some people playing on their living room. At Swith launch they seemed to twist it a bit, but nowadays for most games they have given up and are back to the couch and the happy families with some cringe slogan like "your console, your rules".
 
HockeyBird said:
I don't think Nintendo is in panic mode. I think fans are in panic mode and a projecting that onto the company in a desperate attempt to explain why a Nintendo that was only rumored and never promised hasn't shown up yet.
Click to expand...
I hope you didn't detect that in my post that basically says "they could be in panic mode, or there's switch 2, idk but I'm curious"
 
0
BlightStar said:
All Nintendo has to do to make the Nintendo fanbase happy again is to tweet a picture of Samus with the letter 4 behind her.
Boom, Nintendo is BACK, babeh
Click to expand...
They don't even need to do that at this point 😭😭! They could tweet the words "Metroid" "Prime" and "4" all in the same tweets - not necessarily being connected at all and I'm sure everyone here would have their lives changed, especially myself
 
3dsboss said:
They don't even need to do that at this point 😭😭! They could tweet the words "Metroid" "Prime" and "4" all in the same tweets - not necessarily being connected at all and I'm sure everyone here would have their lives changed, especially myself
Click to expand...
The'll post a crude art of Samus drinking coffee and 5 minutes later the entire internet is full of Theory videos about what this means for Metroid Prime 4, haha.
... but yeah please just give me Prime 4, before I die of old age and sadness
 
Another thing about marketing, release scheduling and already a future letdown for people: Nintendo will not re-release Wind Waker and Twilight Princess in a double pack nor at the same time and for sure not at a nice price. These are mainline 3D Zelda games with a huge fanbase in a series that is more popular than ever. Many young adult gamers grew up with the beauty of Wind Wakers timeless artistic perfection and are nostalgic about it. Peope will be willing to pay full price for a Wind Waker 4k Switch 2 release so Nintendo has no need to de-value its franchise by doing a double pack or dual release.
 
placenta said:
Another thing about marketing, release scheduling and already a future letdown for people: Nintendo will not re-release Wind Waker and Twilight Princess in a double pack nor at the same time and for sure not at a nice price. These are mainline 3D Zelda games with a huge fanbase in a series that is more popular than ever. Many young adult gamers grew up with the beauty of Wind Wakers timeless artistic perfection and are nostalgic about it. Peope will be willing to pay full price for a Wind Waker 4k Switch 2 release so Nintendo has no need to de-value its franchise by doing a double pack or dual release.
Click to expand...
I miss the days when Nintendo devalued their games 10 years after release…
 
Last edited:
I hope we hear about the Level-5 event soon! It was weird that they announced it so early and we are coming close to the halfway point of the month and haven't really heard anything... It would be kind of bonkers to have both this and (maybe, hopefully, possibly) a Nintendo Direct in the same week!
 
X or Y person not seeing ads is purely anecdotal and particular to that person. The fact is that Nintendo, as in, their main and sub branches, have a Marketing plan that encompases distribution of media in several channels, be them traditional (TV) and social (Facebook, X, etc.). Whether or not X or Y person sees it, the strategy is there happening.

You don't forecast monthly/trimester/yearly sales based on sales potential. You also do it based on the fact that you have a product that's getting promoted actively, independently or alongside its software.

----------

placenta said:
Nintendo will not re-release Wind Waker and Twilight Princess in a double pack
Click to expand...
I don't know where people got the impression that we'll get a double pack of Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD. They're Wii U era games that can easily be sold on $49.99. The only way I'm seeing those two games cost $59.99 is if Nintendo gives them a boost in the next gen console.
 
ziggyrivers said:
X or Y person not seeing ads is purely anecdotal and particular to that person. The fact is that Nintendo, as in, their main and sub branches, have a Marketing plan that encompases distribution of media in several channels, be them traditional (TV) and social (Facebook, X, etc.). Whether or not X or Y person sees it, the strategy is there happening.

You don't forecast monthly/trimester/yearly sales based on sales potential. You also do it based on the fact that you have a product that's getting promoted actively, independently or alongside its software.

----------


I don't know where people got the impression that we'll get a double pack of Wind Waker HD and Twilight Princess HD. They're Wii U era games that can easily be sold on $49.99. The only way I'm seeing those two games cost $59.99 is if Nintendo gives them a boost in the next gen console.
Click to expand...
Just this once, please make me be delusional in which Nintendo will release a dual pack for TWP and WW and it’ll both get a 4k patch for the switch 2

matthew-mcconaughey-interstellar.gif
 
Xbro said:
I just woke up from a dream in which the announcement of a Xenoblade X DE was dropped on twitter. It had entirely new assets, but then music interruptions were the same
Click to expand...
I couldn’t count how often I dreamt of a new 3D Mario just to wake up and realize it’s still not there.
 
EvilChameleon said:
Didn't post a question yesterday so everyone in the path of the eclipse could enjoy it, myself included. That changes today though!

Will we see any movie news (be it live action Zelda, the Mario Bros sequel, or something else) in the next Nintendo Direct?
Click to expand...
in regards to motion pictures based on Nintendo IP, the sequel to Super Mario Bros movie might be shown next year, the Legend of Zelda is still too soon for Nintendo/Sony Pictures to shown any news regarding the movie
 
Kevin said:
I can smell the desperation from here. Felt like Nintendo was nearly begging people to buy the Wii U back then lol.
Click to expand...
For me, the worst part of this and other similar ads they were doing at the time is that they wanted to illustrate that the Wii U was not a Wii or a Wii accessory, yet they insisted on the terminology "upgrade" which made it even more confusing.

I absolutely cannot fathom why they made that decision vs calling it what it was: a new console.
 
Joe said:
For me, the worst part of this and other similar ads they were doing at the time is that they wanted to illustrate that the Wii U was not a Wii or a Wii accessory, yet they insisted on the terminology "upgrade" which made it even more confusing.

I absolutely cannot fathom why they made that decision vs calling it what it was: a new console.
Click to expand...

I grew up on Nintendo and was absolutely OBSESSED with the N64 but during the Wii and Wii U era, Nintendo nearly completely lost me. Never liked either system and therefore skipped most of the games that launched during those years. The Switch was the first system that made me fall in love with Nintendo again. Just wish we could get an updated model.
 
Reader mode
You must log in or register to reply here.


Back
Top Bottom