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Nintendo's Advertising Sucks

Posted December 5th 2006 by Curtis Brunet.

So everyone has seen Nintendo's advertising campaigns by now. At the Montreal International Game Summit this past year, Reggie Fils-Aime presented conference goers with a rough cut of the advertisements that would be forthcoming, and they were cute, at best. Here's is what everyone has been seeing:

Showing off Nintendo's mantra IS what they need to do, games anyone can play, and I understand that that, and it was decent. However, around that same time, we were also presented to the first television advertisement for a Microsoft Xbox 360 exclusive title, Gears of War, and the cinematic nature of this trailer was unbelievable, see for yourself:

Set to the tune Mad World by Gary Jules (a remake of the original Tears for Fears tune), this Gears of War ad not only sets a mood, but gets everyone watching. Every time I see it, I can't take my eyes off the screen. It was done to perfection.

What does Nintendo sponsor?

Creative, meh, kinda funny. In my opinion, not a very solid outing. The Gears of War trailer surpasses it, and then blows it out of the water. But that's only one trailer right?

Well, last night, I got the pleasure of seeing probably the best videogame tv advertisement I have EVER SEEN! Yes, this is a bold statement, but I don't think I have ever been captivated by a trailer for a video game quite like this.

Halo 3.

Yeah, I'm sorry, but that was incredible. I was never a fan of the Halo videogames. I played through the first title, and the level design was so atrocious I just couldn't get into it. The sequel was decent, but the lack of an ending was a real downer. I'm not too excited about Halo 3, but this teaser just gives me goosebumps. For the industry to be taken seriously, this is the kind of marketing certain games need to take. Is it for everybody? No. But where is this caliber of trailer for the epic Twilight Princess? Where are the teasers for Smash Bros or Mario Galaxy? We can all sit and argue that this isn't a route that Nintendo needs or wants to take, but it's going to need to. Videogames are the new medium, so let's act like it.

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User Comments

Drea-bot

Tuesday, December 5th 2006

Drea-bot

Unfortunately I have to disagree. I think what Nintendo is doing has a great feel. Before their U.S. advertising was aimed at a youth oriented market, but with the Wii they have shifted and are now focusing on everyone. The ad is well laid out, adult funny, highlights the product, and has a catchy sound that just gets peoples attention. The little jingle at the end doesn't hurt either. People will associate this commercial with the product. It's also not TOO funny, which usually takes away from what your advertising. The Halo 3 commercial is good, but from a marketing stand point I don't think they will stand out in the minds of your consumer. I mean, when you are standing in the store looking at the games will you remember the two little kids in a field or the people playing with their Wiimotes? And honestly, which looks like more fun? THE WII. As an advertising student, I advise you to get your facts straight Curtis. FOR SHAME! Picking on the little Wii like that!

Tuesday, December 5th 2006

Caster13

The Halo 3 and Gears of War commercials are definitely great commercials cinematic-wise. But the Red Steel commercial does something that reaches a wider audience: it makes people laugh. Laughter touches and can incite interest in anybody. But the Halo 3 and Gears of War commercial will, I think, only have an impact on those who know of the games already. Imagine some typical middle-aged non-gamer. If they see Halo 3/Gears of War commercial, they're more likely to think that those are ads for movies than games.

Wednesday, December 6th 2006

Robjomak

Does TP even have a commercial? The game is doing so superb they don't really need one. That's just it: Zelda is awesome and will do fine. Halo success is hype based and it's not an individually noteworthy series, at least not for its quality compared to other shooters. Gears of War? Who the heck would care about Gears of War had it not been hyped out the wazoo as if it WAS Halo 3? So, hypothetically, if Nintendo was making a really epic new game, and needed to get the word out, yes they would need epic advertisements such as these. But at this point, they don't really need them, and you can't really criticize them for not advertizing fun and social games as if they were epic games.

Wednesday, December 6th 2006

Rocksteady

What in gods name is so great about this Halo 3 trailer OR the Gears of War one? Neither is that spectacular IMO. For one thing I've never felt the Mad World song fits with GoW, do something to fit the intense mood, not to fit the monster theme which is hardly represented visually. As for the Halo 3 ad... um, hello Call of Duty 2? I got the same kind of reaction when I saw that CGI bullshit last year that Activision actually got sued for. I'm not saying the Wii commercials are any better because... well they suck ass, but when you have a console that plays the way the Wii does you have to emphasize how it works, they don't have a whole lot of time to focus on the content. But there's no doubt Microsoft has some killer marketing tactics, but GoW and Halo 3 are not leading the pack. Their print ads are above and beyonf anything I've seen in awhile, especially that Xbox Live Vision one. And most of all I've yet to see a videogame commercial eclipse the pure magic that was seen in this ad - http://youtube.com/watch?v=o1FC_6q9t-U - and that didn't even feature any game at all.

Wednesday, December 6th 2006

J Edison

This is still my favorite: http://youtube.com/watch?v=UvljN9ycqLg :|

Wednesday, December 6th 2006

Rocksteady

HAH wow I was going to post that, it's the one commercial that has always stuck with me.

Wednesday, December 6th 2006

Aipotu

I think the difference between Nintendo's and red Steel's ads and the other ones that you've posted is that, they'll all attract attention. As amazing as the Gear's ad is, or Halo's trailer is, half the people watching will get turned off once they realise what it is. Nintendo's stuff might not be dropping with dramatic flair, but they will pique curiosity. "Swrodfighting by actually swinging? Shooting by actually pointing? Bowling by actually... bowling? This warrants further investigation." Face it, anyone who doesn't say that already knows about Wii so it doens't matter.

Friday, December 8th 2006