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Nintendo Untethered
By Tobi Elkin
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Nintendo of America on June 17 unveils a TV
campaign for its WaveBird wireless video-game controller, part of an
effort that will boost total ad spending by 25%.
The quirky campaign for the WaveBird ($34.95),
created by Bcom3 Group's Leo Burnett, Chicago, features three
15-second spots flagging the wireless controller's ability to work
untethered up to 20 feet away from the GameCube console.
One spot features a guy covered with chicken pox clutching a
WaveBird outside the house and playing on the GameCube through the
window. Three of his buddies are playing inside because they don't
want to get near him. The copyline: "Nothing comes between a
man and his game." Another spot shows a teen transfixed on the
TV while clutching a WaveBird underneath the dinner table.
Ads will run in heavy rotation for five weeks on network, cable and
syndication. Viacom's MTV, the Sci-Fi channel, Fox and the WB are
all part of the buy targeting 12- to 17-year-olds. Print includes
gaming magazines, The Source and TransWorld titles. Internet media
includes streaming video, interstitials and large-format ads on
cartoonnetwork.com, Yahoo and others.
Nintendo's increase comes as the company plans multiple
product launches over the course of its fiscal year that began April
1, including ad campaigns for "Super Mario Sunshine," set
for Aug. 26 release; "Animal Crossing," Sept. 16;
"Star Fox Adventures," Sept. 30; "Metroid
Prime," Nov. 18; and "Legend of Zelda," due February
2003. A TV campaign referred to as a "Summer Library
Campaign" starts this week to support games such as
"Spider-Man" and "Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the
Clones" for the GameCube console and the hand-held GameBoy
Advance.
Increased spending
"With more software titles to support, it warrants increased
spending across the board," said Rob Matthews, Nintendo's
director-advertising and promotions.
Nintendo spent $83.5 million in measured media in the U.S. in 2001,
and $7.6 million from January to February of this year, according to
Taylor Nelson Sofres' CMR.
WaveBird is another step in the process to make gaming a mass
entertainment form. Nintendo has made strides with GameBoy Advance,
a product that has attracted adults as well as children and teens.
Earlier this year, Sony launched its own portable solution, a
PlayStation console and LCD screen that plugs into a vehicle's
cigarette lighter to help occupy the children during road trips.
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