Nintendo has done a poor job marketing the Wii U. For starters, the name confused many casual gamers, who believed that the “Wii U” was the GamePad accessory to the original Wii. Nintendo has released several ads and comparisons between the two consoles, which hasn’t helped a lot.
Nintendo is now trying again with a new video, explaining the Wii U and its benefits. The video is very simplistic and shows the type of audience Nintendo is targeting this Holiday season: the very casual gamer, the mom who’s looking to buy a new games console for her kids and needs to know the difference between the Wii and Wii U.
It seems that all of these Nintendo ads/videos are missing something. They’re not exciting — they’re just infomercials. A narrator explains what the Wii U is and we look at some actors who pretend to have fun.
Nintendo doesn’t need anymore of these infomercials. They’re not selling blenders, they’re selling videos games: excitement, fun, adventure.
Remember the genius “Wii Would Like To play” Wii ads from years ago? They were arguably the best ads for a games console ever made. That’s how you advertise a games console. That’s how you generate buzz and excitement. That’s how you stand out from everyone else.
The Wii U is the most unique console of this generation, yet Nintendo is marketing it like an appliance. Like a blender.
Just compare the above ad for the Wii U to the one below for the Wii.