Video: Super Mario Run Commercial Is Packed With Sprinting But Light On Gameplay Footage

It's a good ploy not to focus on the gameplay. I tell you what? That ad was impressive, nice music. I'd say it was costly and time consuming to make.

@Niinbendo What masses? It's only on iOS and 20 MILLION people signed up to be notified when the game releases. If Nintendo can sell 20 million copies of the game at $9.99 it doesn't need to advertise, the Kool aid spreads itself.

When it finally gets to Android in a year or so, then advertise it.

@Niinbendo It is obviously the newest Wii Fit. Just look at all of that exercise!

I still want WFT as a playable character for possible DLC...

I actually think that this is a great commercial.

It's weird to see an Apple-ish commercial to a Mario game.

GOSH...!!!
The trailer was Awesome !
Btw...
Super Mario Run + Kiboteki Refrain song from AKB48 = Epic Japones
Super Mario Run + A Burglar in front + A Police in back + 20's Ragtime = Epic Hillarious. XD

WOW!!! Inspired commercial. Nintendo is finally going hip. Where were these commercials during the Wii U launch?
It worked for Playstation making "inspired" commercials without showing gameplay. They've just sold 50 Million consoles!!! So this type of advertising does work.

Casual. What was that about.

Seems like they spent a lot of time and money on the advert but it doesn't really show anything. You see Mario until the near end. Hope it does well

Eh, the general public doesn't need gameplay, they just need to see Mario on an iPhone.

Very well done.

They're bringing world peace on dec 15th.

I don't usually like video game adverts that show almost zero gameplay.

Word of mouth will suffice. They've obviously made a conscious decision to market in this way. I think it's rad

I know I always usually complain about no gameplay footage but I liked it. Even those that don't care to admit it know who Mario is. Is he as popular as 20 years ago.....probably not but that's seems like it's about to change. We are about to have Mario in our face 24-7!

Nintendo will be laughing all the way to the bank.

I loved it, very cool, great idea

Too long. Too vague.

It's cool! it reminds of the Pokemon anniversary Super Bowl ad - that wasn't advertising anything specifically at all- but it suggested a lifestyle. .
this advert for SMR is great - it draws you in - it looks well produced - it has parkour and healthy fun. It presses some buttons an d makes me more interested! it's aimed at everyone!

Very reminiscent of the Pokemon Go trailer.

It was basically the Pokémon GO adverts mixed with the Apple Watch adverts. The question is whether people need actual gameplay footage to make up their minds, or whether they'd rather merrily romp through a meaningless but inspiring 'aspirational trailer'. How often do you see an Apple ad where someone sits down and explains the product? It's nearly all just addictively sexy explosive colourful aspirational lifestyle clips, stitched to some trendy soundtrack.

This way people can pretend that when they hit DOWNLOAD, they become part of a global community of perfectly coreographed, photogenic, lean, toned, active and breathless but smiling super-humans (plus the baby and old-dude for balance). When in reality, they'll be playing it privately and doing nothing more active than than tapping a screen with a thumb. They might even be doing it on public transport to AVOID being part of any surrounding community.

...Which makes me sound like one of NintendoLife's sour-mouthed scrooges...

I'm not saying it's a bad trailer (I think it's a good trailer), and I'm not saying it's a bad game (it looks like a surprisingly good game), but I think the trailer is more of an aspirational hype clip than anything else. Still, aspirational hype clips are massively in vogue right now, and this may be a sign of Nintendo 'getting with the times', even if it leaves some of us who follow Nintendo closely a bit bemused.

What did Pokémon have to do with football and chess, apart from a vague connection about wanting to 'be the very best'? Nothing. Yet that particular trailer seemed to be pretty super effective.

Film a load of people getting hyped in Times Square and it doesn't matter how well you explain what the hype is about, so long as people want to be a part of it. That's what this trailer does, and I think it does it well.

Am I the only one who got goosebumps seeing Mario's happy face running in front of all those people? I love this ad, and the music too. Really captures the moment when Nintendo itself truly makes an appearance on mobile.

@erv You may be kidding, but I think if there's a way to measure global happiness levels, I'm sure it'd go up at least a little on that day and forward

I am loving the marketing focus. Lots of people in their 20's and possibly early 30s. Hit those millennials Nintendo, hit them. Also reminds me of the pokemon go, the mario maker and the NS adverts. It is like the message is that Nintendo is still for "everyone" but millennials are going to want to play these games/system. Is it January yet?

Well I for one think it's great

Speaking as a marketing professional, I think they nailed it. They are trying to create a popular movement behind their most iconic IP that goes far beyond the detail of the game itself. I have a feeling that this will be the biggest mobile game in history, and the ad is certainly representing it as a social phenomenon.

As a gateway product to reintroduce the world to Mario, three months ahead of a new console launching alongside a new 3D Mario game, it looks like Nintendo remembered how to sell consoles.

Someone made their own version of Mario Run already.

Normally I would think a little gameplay footage would be good for the commercial, but given the fame of mario, apple, the game in general, social media buzz, and natural human curiosity, I'll be surprised if someone don't know about it.

In short, good ad. It brings the hype.

I think this is an awesome commercial. It makes me feel excited to be a part of the games community when it comes out.

I'm also curious to see how the release and popularity of this game on iOS affects the Nintendo Switch release next year. I could imagine a bunch of people, old and young, enthusiastic off the good feelings that this game has given them being much more willing to give the Switch a chance.

A shame the Wii U didn't get some advertising of this magnitude.

I think it's great and will get people talking.Everyone has their phone on them or close to them at all times,see this advert,think "Mario on iPhone?" 5 minutes later they're playing it and messaging their friends and showing their work mates the next day.This is going to be a monster hit.

Good ad. Quite long but will certainly get people talking about it.

Great ad. Considering 90% of commercials are those that you can't tell what they're advertising till the end, this is perfect. The fact that there is no gameplay would appeal more to people and make them go check it out. This ad is for the casual gamers who wouldn't care about the gameplay, just as long as it was 'cool'.

Poor, to long, not to the point, the Jimmy show footage was a better advert

One of the better ads from them in recent times, IMO.

20 million registering interest is enough.

Nice. And no problem not showing gameplay footage, as you can't can't actually see gameplay, you can only experience it.

Now if a notification popped up on your phone that the game is installed and ready to play as soon as the ad finishes, that would be pretty cool.

I like it. And I'm normally a right negative old goat

THIS AS WAS SOOO GOOD

That was an excellent commercial!!!

This goes right on the lines of the Switch release video and it's about damn time. It's nice to see Nintendo come to 21st century.

Reminds me of this Japanese commercial for Super Mario Advance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO2c_Mre2Nw

Finally got around to watching it, 4 hours after my first comment.

The game is called "Super Mario Run". Mario is in the trailer (I can't call anything over 60 seconds a "commercial") I dont think they really need to show anything else. Besides calling the game "Super Mario Autorun: Touch the Screen to Jump" I don't think the old title leaves too much to the imagination.

And besides, it's free to start, so everybody will get to see the game for themselves before deciding whether to pay $9.99 for it or not. This isn't a trailer for a $60 game on disc w/o a demo where we need to see the gameplay.

Fallon last night, this ad today, maybe spending so much time w/ Apple is paying off? Or, Wii U was there low point, only way to go from here is up?

Man I LOVED this commercial! And you know why? Not because it was an amazing advertisement but because it was WEIRD!

I missed the super weird and unnecessary commercials Ninty did back in the day, specially in the GBA and GameCube era. All those crazy commercials went away with the Wii and Wii U era, all we got were boring clips of happy perfect families playing video games together BLAH! but just the idea of getting dumb crazy commercials for the Switch is super exiting haha.

Bring the quirk back Nintendo! Besides, the masses don't NEED gameplay, all they need is to see Mario on an iPhone and they're set, trust me.

@rjejr I definitely think Apple rubbing off on Nintendo is a pretty good thing hahaha

@Xaessya No way Nintendo can compete with that.

@rjejr If I'd seen this without knowing what it was, the little hint music and the lead up really draws you in. A viewer thinks, this seems important, what are they running towards? (It does go long, and I think there will be a nice short version made from this) By the time you hit the end it's Mario and he's just so charming and for many a nostalgia pang that it seems just fine that the important thing everyone is running to see is Mario jumping on a pole. Then it's on a smartphone! Message delivered. We've been way, way over Nintendo reaching smartphones but for some it's going to be a "oh yeah, that hasn't been on smart phones before has it! That's sort of a big deal."

Every type of gamer can appreciate it and the best part: no supply shortage... if you don't count Android. lol.

I think it's really great. Remember when Mario was the center of the preview to the Tokio Olympics? This felt the same way, only this time it's about a game.

I've a feeling this game is gonna sell boatloads.

The general idea for the ad is pretty good, but I definitely think they should have had some gameplay footage peppered throughout the video, rather than just a few Mario sound effects and one glimpse at Mario at the very end of the video.

@aaronsullivan "no supply shortage... if you don't count Android. lol."

I saw somebody somewhere say "2 weeks" for the exclusivity. How long do you think? I think 6 moths would be optimistic, 1 year more likely. That's based on the way they revealed it. Miyaamoto at an Apple conference. youd on't do that unless it's meaningful. If it had been in a ND and Nintendo happened to mention it woudl be on iOS first, Android later, then any time frame would do. But an Apple conference and what basically amounts to a commercial for iPhone? (could have been an iPod Tocu in there but don't think I saw any iPads) I think it's going to be awhile.

Which raises the bigger question - will Nintendo make up for it w/ FE and AC n Android first, or at least at the same time, or will they too be timed exclusives?

Questions for another day, its so rare I get to be happy here. Is it a blue moon outside?

I liked the ad. It was nice. As long as they keep them darn kids out of their advertisement im happy. (That one kid in this commercial at the end and the baby were okay though)

Can we have this same level of advertising for the Switch, PLEASE?!

I liked the ad. At first while I was watching it and saw no gameplay footage I was thinking "why would Nintendo do this", but once you start hearing that all too familiar coin jingle I couldn't help but start to smile. By the time the ad ends all I could think about was that the Android version can't come soon enough.

MOAR LUIGI PLEASE

@Maxz Perfectly said!!!

There was no gameplay in this ad either. Despite the difference in length, it's what it reminded me of most.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrATmeFoJPE

People this game is not designed for us true gamers.This is to entice casuals into downloading this game on their phones, and to re-energize the Nintendo name brand again.

Makes me think of the Japanese Super Mario Advance 4 commercial

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7GyJbNLZkc

..phew..think I'll sit this one out..

Reminds me of the "Train On" and the Pokemon Go from the Pokemon Company, and I think it will attract the attention of the mobile crowd, the intended market - not us.

People are gonna skip this because they think it requires exercising now.

Lol: Look at those amazing Switch graphics!!

Seriously, utter, utter pants!

Nintendo was always like "let the gameplay do the talking". Now they even dumped THAT philosophy! How the mighty have fallen...

@rjejr First gut reaction is Android version in about 6 months. I think that's reasonable. I will say that making it in time for Holidays and new devices and iTunes gift cards is probably satisfying enough from Apple's perspective, so it could be earlier. March? Just in time to remind Android users that Nintendo doesn't hate them and hey, there's a Mario game on Switch, too!

Hmm... so maybe 2 months to give Mario some time to leave an impression.

As for the other two mobile games we know about, I'm not quite sure if they'll start as iPhone exclusives. I don't know if Nintendo could expect any kind of similar support from Apple around those. Kind of depends on how they all feel about this particular deal. I don't think they'd start with anything besides Mario on Android though. Gotta give them that first. The recognition is an order of magnitude higher for Mario compared to the others.

@aaronsullivan I still think a year for SMR, but that's just me, I'm a negative person. But AC and FE don't need to be Apple exclusives. I wonder what the pricing will be like?

My kid needs to watch Youtube videos before going to bed, I'll have to get to the rest later.