by: Dick Stroud
[yt]JA_r9FUEgAA[/yt]About 4 years ago I was a speaker at one of the UK's 50-plus conferences and surprised to meet a marketing guy from Nintendo.
Things have moved on since then and the company appears to be doing very well in creating a new market for its products amongst an older audience.
With the black cloud of dementia lurking over the horizon, a generation of people who spent time and money attempting to keep their bodies in shape are now doing the same with their brains.
Nintendo has chosen Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman as the face of its latest advertising campaign. The press release explains all.
The TV ad doesn’t knock me of my feet. It is not one of her best acting performances. But, the message conveyed by Nintendo’s choice of Ms Kidman is that the company is adopting age neutral advertising. She is 40 years old but has an appeal that is 25 years older and younger.
It is interesting to see that the ad was put on YouTube on the 25th June and has already generated nearly half a million views.
The other marketing message that comes from Nintendo’s choice of such an attractive and high profile personality is that the free viral marketing can be significant.
Thanks to Arjan in't Veld for telling me about the ad and well done Nintendo.
Original post: http://www.20plus30.com/blog/2007/07/nicole-kidman-interesting-and-expensive.html
She may have wide appeal, but I'm sorry it's just not convincing. Not only is the ad a bit drab, I just don't believe it. Can you really see Nicole Kidman spending her time brain training. I can think of a few other celebs who could do with a bit of mental stimulation though!
Very interesting that Nintendo is focusing on such a completely different target market than most game companies. Nicole Kidman is fabulous... and she's definitely not a young man! What a way for them to show that their product isn't just for teenage guys anymore.
Now, if they would only get her as one of the advertisers for the Wii, I'd be thrilled. THAT would be a huge departure from normal game system marketing--but would also be a bold statement that the Wii is something completely different. (Although we know that already!)