The Play Nintendo YouTube channel is an interesting beast - it targets a young audience and featured Shigeru Miyamoto being particularly cool with some kids during E3, but has struggled to truly take off. Occasionally long gaps between videos may be a factor in that, but nevertheless it continues to promote Nintendo games in very friendly ways with smiles, arts and crafts and bright colours.
Its latest series aims to promote Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, a spin-off with every chance of success off the back of the affection many hold for New Leaf. It's hosted by Meghan Camarena who's better known as Strawburry17 on YouTube; bizarrely her YouTube name and profile isn't shown off in the video, which is an odd move considering the fact her channel has over one million subscribers. Aside from her standard sign-off there's little effort - in the video - to utilise her fame to boost the profile of the Play Nintendo channel. Even Nintendo of America's tweet for the video doesn't promote her fame in a notable way.
To be fair, over the weekend Nintendo of America did at least retweet Camarena's weekend post for her Sunday appearance at the Nintendo store in New York.
In any case, complaints about Nintendo's social media marketing aside, check it out below and let us know what you think; remember that this channel does target a specific - and young - audience when providing your critique!
Comments 13
I thought it was going to be an animated video, not a walkthrough.
There's so much about this article I don't understand...
I thought Play Ninteod was a website for toddlers, not a youtube Channel.
Like @amiiboacid above, I thought this was going to be a series like on the 3DS. Why didn't the Wii U ever get Dinosaur Office? Dinosaur Office is great.
Who is this woman and why should anybody care to meet up w/ her at the Ntinedo store - is Nintnedo trying to compete w/ Tinder?
So confused.
I got 32 seconds into the video and had to stop, too cringe worthy. I do understand the toddlers will probably really enjoy it though, she was going for a Magic Garden vibe.
Every animal crossing player I know is 30+, while all the kids play minecraft and call of duty... learn your audience, Nintendo
A few things suggest Nintendo really is going for a younger audience with this IP. Other AC games have the player work towards goals over a period of time. HHD is much more about immediate rather than delayed gratification and that generally pleases a younger, more impatient audience. Amiibo Festival (whether good or bad) sits firmly in the family entertainment bracket. Now this advert is directed squarely at a young audience. Broadening or changing the target demographic?
@rjejr Camarena did one of the Mario Maker Levels for one of Nintendo's promotions. Must be how she got this gig.
There's Nintendo of Japan... there's Nintendo of America... there's an ad agency that organises Nintendo's marketing... there's the key demographic that watches cool Youtube sites but doesn't play new Nintendo games... and there's the actual Nintendo customers of 30-somethings and their young children who aren't so commited to youtube.
It seems like they should be all connected but in reality they aren't that connected at all...
@Sakura Thanks, at least that gets her almost sort of connected to them. Looks like she only stopped by the store b/c of her appearance at Comic Con. Her FB page has plenty of CC stuff, but only the above tweet a week before it happened, guess nothing good happened to her there. Probably got herself a lot of 3DS hits though.
@MrGawain Nintendo Company Ltd, no company titled "Nintendo of Japan" exists, just like there's no Microsoft of America.
That channel is literally everything I hate about YouTube, painfully mixed together with my favourite games.
No thanks.
And there was me thinking that The Cat Mario Show was torture...until this came along. It's great for kids, I get that, but until Nintendo takes its misguided little head out of the sand and starts catering to its adult fans, I'm pretty much done with the company.
@Jimtaro K
I don't get the hate. I liked it, I thought it was kinda cute, just like Animal Crossing.
byeeEEeee! o< -v-
Nintendo needs to jump to 2015, we aren´t anymore in 80´s where the internet doen´t exist.
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