Topic: I think Nintendo is starting to improve on their marketing

The point is, Nintendo has an image problem as being just 'for kids', and when they are seemingly only airing ads during cartoons and kids programming, how does that help them break that stereotype? An ad during a football or basketball game in prime time could help them, but then again, that would require spending money on advertising, something Nintendo seemingly has no interest in doing.

Nintendo should try to get ads on during sporting events or reality tv show competitions in addition to getting on YouTube/Hulu/etc.

Those are the best spots to market in the US.

What makes you think it's something worth "breaking"? They've had that image for an age and the Wii/DS hardly broke that "stereotype" either. Even when they were marketing their games for those sort of demographics it was always about making it about childlike fun. The only core franchise that would line up perfectly with the sort of demographic you're talking about would be Metroid. Even then Metroid is hardly as "blokey" as CoD or GTA and would match the age and gender but not the tone. You could just as easily complain about how nobody advertises for JRPGs during the sport. It would be almost as ridiculous.

If they are going to push for ads during sports it'll more likely be for Wii Sports Club

What they really need to is advertise their eshop games and show the different functionaries of the wii U. Instead of showing commercials that makes it look like an add on to wii.

To be fair, why else would someone in their 20s buy a wii u other than to play Nintendo games. If this were the case, they would make the decision to buy it without the need for ads. Hence why commercials aimed at them are useless when announcements and Nintendo Directs are fine enough. And for those who don't want to buy the Wii U, why would they care about commercials? I think word of mouth and gameplay videos would work better in this case.

They need to focus on the family with Wii Party U and Wii Fit U.

I would assume it would make sense to first publish games made for a more adult audience before advertising to a more adult audience? Which they haven't done yet (at least what you would think of as games made more for an older audience specifically, barring the fact that they should have taken advantage of any Pikmin 1 nostalgia that might exist better than they have).

also i think adults are part of families...that's usually true last I checked

That's why you see ads in those timeslots for the Batmans, CoDs and Assassin's Creeds. Why would those people be interested in Mario if they don't already know about it? Sure some will but it'd be a fraction of the viewership.

Kids are going to tell the adults in their life about the Wii U. Who else is going to buy one for them?

So, preach to the children and you will gain the adults too. That's how I see it!

The mere fact the Wii U is the cheapest out of the Big 3 is already a great marketing tactic. If I was Nintendo, I would keep saying that over and over: "We're offer the cheapest console. Check out some games like Lego City: Undercover and others. Did I mention we have free online?"

and Microsoft and Sony will just say we both have systems even cheaper than the Wii U with 5X the games as well. Most users are okay with paid online since PS+ and Xbox Live on current gen nets you free games every month alongside things like cloud saving. Plus as greatly expanded Nintendo's online component is its just not as fleshed out and don't have enough games that support it.

Nintendo would look dumb as hell saying we have free online that barley any of our own titles even take advantge of.

Ehhh... I don't feel like arguing over the online thing because it really comes down to opinion. Sony's Playstation Plus (which most people use because of the benefits) service is really a rental thing. You never truly own a game you get from Playstation Plus (the service is still awesome) because the second you don't play for the service... the game is gone until you pay for the service again. Microsoft's service lets you keep the game but people tend to complain about the deals that Xbox Live offers.
There was quite the uproar when diehard Sony lovers realized that the gotta pay for online multiplayer for most PS4 games. Not all but most.

Why the heck would they advertise the PS3/Xbox 360 this holiday season?!?!?! They already gotta deal with convicing their massive install base to jumping to their new consoles. Thats already difficult as heck. If Nintendo were to say the Wii U was cheapest of the Big Three, would could Sony/Microsoft do? Release a commercial of a cheap 360 or PS3? No, that would be taking a step backwards. I don't think most families in America's terrible economy will buy their kid or teenager a console that costs more than a cheaper console unless they really had to.

Most people who will be buying the PS4/Xbox One early are the ones who really are tired of current gen and are too freaking eager to get their hands on something new.
Not all Nintendo games use online but most of them do. Most 3DS games use online in some way. The Wii U does have some games that use online, too...

Talking cost of entry and cost of service vs the "coreness" of the content ey? Well there's a good chance that the entry-level Steam Box will beat all of them. At the end of the day it comes down to content and cost, simple as that. The fact is Nintendo has the most unique content whether you think it's the "right" content or not. It's certainly doing more things that gamers demanded during the Wii generation if not all of them.

Right now PS4 vs. XBOne is going down to cost and the relative restrictions of each. PS4 appears to have an early lead in hype because of that. So keep your eye on what content Valve can deliver because they're certainly going to deliver something that's better in terms of those other specs. Meanwhile let Nintendo do their thing in that other space, they've been playing an entirely different game since DS and continue to do so.

The difference here is that Wii U has a much larger audience to attract since its install base is small. I would come up with a tactic to combine the good price, bundles, and Nintendo games to market to this audience. Mario 3D world is a good start because it's a Mario game with great visuals and (apparent) gameplay...and it's Mario

As I said earlier, the core audience would buy the Wii U based on the games, not the marketing. I don't even know why Microsoft and Sony bother with their commercials to be honest.

Well if you look at the games that do get advertised you'll have your answer. Call of Duty, Assassin's Creed, Batman, Halo, The Last of Us, FIFA and so on aren't gamers just for the core audiences. Those games are all mass market products purely because of the sort of sales they generate and they're also aimed at an older audience. So it makes sense that you see ads for them on TV and in the sort of media that a slightly older gamer would be engaged with.

They market content appropriately, that's why it's ridiculous for people to be saying these sorts of things.

I don't think Nintendo wants to be branded as the "cheapest" console. It might be something to mention but not what they really drive home- focus more on the value. For $400, you can get mario/luigi, Nintendoland and then a game of your choice. I think their target on the family is a good strategy.

You'd be surprised at this. The PS4 will beat the One simply because it's cheaper. Nintendo can use this to their advantage (along with bundles and good software)

I'm inclined to agree with LZ on this latter point, which is a shift in thinking for me.

Right now market diffusion seems to be the most necessary tactic, and with the bundles I think there is a lot of evident value.

But you don't have have violent/mature video games to advertise to an older audience. Take this commercial for example...

Smash Bros is a very 'childish' game, with big colorful Nintendo mascots jumping around and hitting each other, but it was marketed in a fun and humourous way that would appeal to young and old.

Again, a commercial for Super Mario 64, that although dated and having a very 90's vibe, is still appealing to gamers of all ages. Hell, it features a guy in his late 20's.

Nowadays, most of Nintendo's advertising features little children gaming on white couches in sterile, non-aggressive livingroom environments while mommy and daddy clap their hands and wave wiimotes around. Your average 13-25 year old male cannot relate to that, let alone does it make them think the product is made for them.

^old videogame commercials were awesome! they looked so exagerated and so funny it made people want to part of the fun!