In celebration of the upcoming release of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Target has announced a Mario Kart themed makeover for 650+ of its stores in North America. From Mario Kart shopping carts to Mario and Luigi's heads as bollards (those massive and spherical traffic posts often seen outside the stores), Target is making sure everybody knows about the upcoming launch.
At the end of the press release discussing this short-term Mario Kart-themed makeover, the retailer also recommends consumers continue to visit Target stores for new Nintendo Switch hardware stock; of course they'd say that! With many stores running out of Nintendo Switch consoles, there's sure to be more demand as the karting title arrives.
Here is the Target press release discussing the makeover:
Wa-hoo! Mario Kart 8 for Nintendo Switch launches April 28, and we're juuuust a little excited. While our fave mustachioed plumbers gear up, we're over here dodging banana peels and flying turtle shells, and racing red carts up and down the aisles to bring you some extra-special fun—only at Target. Starting today, 650+ stores across the country are going into full game-on mode, with larger-than-life Mario action.
Target has been guests' go-to Nintendo destination for 30+ years. From scooping up the 1985 original NES to scoping out this spring's highly-coveted Nintendo Switch, Target is often fans' first stop before hitting start on a gaming adventure. So, we're out to make the shopping experience just as fun!
"Experience counts—it's what keeps guests coming in and coming back to our stores," says Scott Nygaard, senior vice president, Merchandising, Target. "So we're delivering the fun like only Target can, giving generations of Mario fans a shopping trip they won't soon forget."
Want a peek at what's in-store? Hold on tight—let's-a-go!
It's a-me, Mario
The fun begins just outside the entrance. Those big red bollards (designed to stop stray cars) are transformed, with Mario and Luigi themselves welcoming you to the store. Bonus fact: This isn't the first time the bollards have had a makeover—In 2011, we painted beach balls as part of a summer campaign, and last year we created Pokémon balls.)
Here we go…
Walking through Target doors always brings a little rush, but this time you're crossing a starting line! As you walk through, motion sensors fire up flashing lights and play Mario's catchy theme song.
So long, Bowser
Always dreamed of driving a real-life Mario kart? Here's your chance, sort of! We've decked out a handful of "Super Target Karts," featuring Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach. So go ahead, leave Bowser in the dust as you do your Target run—and keep your eyes peeled, because we have an assortment of Mario and Nintendo-related products set around the store. Bonus fact: This is the first time Target's ever decorated our carts.
Want to get in on the in-store fun? Hurry in to Target in the next few weeks before it's game over on this limited-time experience. And be sure to visit Target.com to pre-order your copy of Mario Kart 8 for Nintendo Switch.
One final bonus fact: If you're still trying to get your hands on Nintendo Switch, keep checking your local Target store! We're working hard with Nintendo to keep these crazy-popular consoles flowing in to Target stores throughout the year.
Drop us a comment telling us what do you think of Nintendo's latest marketing partnership and what you would like to see them do in the future.
I heard about this yesterday and I don't think I've been more excited to go to a store. There are 2 Target's really close to me and if neither of them are decorated I'll be very upset.
@OfNullAndVoid You need to go to Walmart to get those death stares. That place already has that down pat, including the crazy "drivers" when pushing their carts.
@SilentS Actually, I've had that same problem at Target, which is why I nowadays spend most of my time shopping online. If I still have to go out, I try to shop when I know there's hardly anyone around.
I think this is awesome. Walking in the doors triggers the famous countdown race startup theme, and by the time the second doors open, you hear Mario's "Woohoo!". It is timed quite well, actually.
I'm all for different kinds of marketing like this here in North America. I had complained for so long that Nintendo didn't market the Wii U well at all, and I am happy to see them do stuff like this. I've seen Switch ads on TV fairly regularly, and Nintendo has even sponsored "SportsCenter" a few times - which regardless what you think of sports, is great exposure for that demographic who watches that show religiously.
@OfNullAndVoid Fair enough. Just whenever you hear news on these sort of things, it always seems to be at Walmart. I rarely hear much about Target. As for shopping, I go online myself and leave the physical shopping experience for my wife.
This is awesome they're actually advertising for once, and doing it right. Too bad Target won't actually have any Switches in stock to buy because Nintendo won't supply them in proper quantities, thus rendering their marketing pointless. First we had the Superbowl ad with no Switches to buy, now this. Would love to be proven wrong this time.
Target had a 2/3 page ad in this weeks flyer which I was already happy about, this is an added bonus.
"what you would like to see them do in the future."
um, a kiosk w/ a playable demo seems the obvious answer. This is nice and all, but those bollard covers could be for anything Mario related, and those cart kart covers will probably go unnoticed by most. I like that they are trying and marketing, but a kiosk with a playable Switch and a couple of Joycon for multiplayer is what they really should have.
The big screen kiosks with the touchpads were nice for before launch, but now almost 2 months later they should have some actual playable Switch in place.
If Nintendo keeps this up the rest of the year - Toys R Us has a walk thru arch promoting MK8D - I can't wait to see what they do for Super Mario Odyssey during the holidays.
@rjejr: "but a kiosk with a playable Switch and a couple of Joycon for multiplayer is what they really should have.
The big screen kiosks with the touchpads were nice for before launch, but now almost 2 months later they should have some actual playable Switch in place."
Cool idea, but you gotta love NOA for waiting 3 entire years to properly advertise and market one of the most accessible products they produce.
Mario Kart 8 along with Breath of the Wild, Lego City, and the inevitable Smash Bros 'remaster' are making me wish Nintendo had a little more to offer up for those of us who didn't jump ship and abandon them during the last 4 years.
@Niinbendo Psst... download the commercial video from Youtube and play it on your smartphone. Show and Let the other people (your friends, your family, your relatives, your working partner) know about Nintendo Switch.
@Spoony_Tech or that the Wii U was just meant to be a transitional system..... I think they saw phones/tablets and freaked out. At the time of the release of the Wii U, it would have cost 2x as much to produce a Switch like device. Now component costs have come down and they can obviously hit a reasonable price point.
That said, I think they were hoping for much better for the Wii U. Had it not been such a sales disaster, I'll bet that we would have seen the Switch next year rather than this year.
They managed to pull off a great launch and I'd imagine with MK8 and the two games they have coming out this summer, plus Mario in December among others, that they will have a very good year.
....Cool..I just hope they don't only let 12 people in and make you spectate from outside...and those anti gravity aisles are sure going to be tricky...
Don't think our local Target did this but there is one a bit further out. I think I'd like to visit. This is great marketing. There are plenty of people who don't know Switch but DO know Mario Kart and if they visit Target their interest will be piqued. Hopefully they make good on supplying more Switches at the same time, though.
Hope they keep at this. The budget seems to be there at least!
Why did Target have to close in Canada 😫 Haha at least I won't have the bitter disappointment of walking in only to find a noticeable lack of switches. I'm holding out hope that they'll ship some with MK8D... foolish probably
This is the type of marketing that Nintendo should have implemented in 2012 at the launch of the Wii U for its launch titles. I'm glad they have finally come forth with these kinds of ad campaigns for the Switch.
@Camilla "nintendo alrdy pushed up the switch production to over 15 million so expect more to come to stores."
Well that's what we read, but I don't recall reading how many of those 15 million will be rushed out to stores now for MK8D and how many will be dripped out until the big push at the holidays. If you've been watching Nintendo hardware the past few years they really don't like having stock on shelves, so it may be drip drip drip rather than a tidal wave. The Wii, pre-Wii U, was hard to find on a store shelf in the NY metro area for over 2 years. You could find 1 here or there, but there were never 5 or 6 on a shelf.
@aaronsullivan "Don't think our local Target did this but there is one a bit further out. I think I'd like to visit."
Of the 9 Targets w/in 10 miles of my house our "little" Target - only 1 door - is the "white trash" Target which I doubt will have this. The Target near our Temple is in a much nicer neighborhood and I'm expecting to see this there. Though the "medium" Target we used to go to alot for lunch - 1 of the first w/ Pizza Hut built in - is on a heavily trafficked road and will almost certainly have this. Though I try not to go there b/c of all the traffic.
@subpopz Nice to see pattern like this : Mario Kart 8 Deluxe pre launching = Mario Kart 8 theme of Shopping Kart. ARMS pre launching = Boxing Ring inside the Mall ??? Splatoon 2 pre launching = Splatoon themed of Squirt Gun , Paint Brush, Rolling Brush, etc and sold with Special Discount ???
One of the many reasons I am glad I don't live in North America.
Although you could play a store wide Mario Kart. Enter Store = Race Start. Quickly head inside. Locate what you want. Grab them. Go to counter to pay. Exit store and race ends.
As a former Target employee I can't ever step into one without thinking of the horrible way I and my fellow co-workers were treated by team leaders and upper management. I'll pass.
It's refreshing to see Nintendo trying to sell their products and not resting on their laurels. They have been spending a ton on marketing in the past 4-5 months.
I wound up sitting by the door in My local Target for 20 minutes or so yesterday while waiting on someone, and I heard a lot of positive comments from the people coming through the door. The level of recognition for Mario Kart was kind of surprising. If only they had Switch consoles in stock to sell, or at the very least a demo unit to play. While the idea of Mario Kart got across, I am not sure that people understood that it was also an ad for the Switch.
Saw this at our local Target. The ready set go tones and Mario "woohoo" coming in the door was great for my family, but it creeped out or scared a lot of other people coming in. It also doesn't really come out and say "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, coming next Friday for Switch" anywhere. Otherwise, I think it's awesome, and it's great to see Nintendo thinking outside the box on promotion. The kid loved riding in the Luigi "cart".
@Spoony_Tech Believe me, it's the nicest thing I can say about that Target, it's a mess. If you brought a blindfolded person in, when you took the blindfold off they'd probably think they were in Walmart or Kmart. On the bright side, all the prices are about noticeably cheaper than the 2 nicer Targets, so I do all of my shopping there.
I got to say, I have seen lots of TV ads for switch here in the UK. Haven't seen any PS4 or XBOX recently, but then again they are already established here, so I guess they don't need to.
Interesting co-op advertising. I've even seen Switch appear on Target's TV ads, that's a step in the right direction compared to Wii U. While I loved the console, Nintendo's really stepping up its advertising and promotions for the Switch.
@Niinbendo : I've seen Switch advertised a few times on Australian FTA TV. You're more likely to see it during more youth-oriented programming though (I seem to recall seeing an ad during Neighbours the other week).
Of course, only ''america'' cough United States cough. OK Nintendo, nice advertisement THERE, but what about a big country like Brazil? What about south America, Africa?
@Agent721 yes, that does not change the fact that they are on the decline. I don't mean it's going bankrupt tomorrow but they are slowly losing in the overall market.
Comments 105
What. The. Frick.
But, hey, it's advertising, so I'm okay with it.
I heard about this yesterday and I don't think I've been more excited to go to a store. There are 2 Target's really close to me and if neither of them are decorated I'll be very upset.
Eh, what? It's advertising I guess in America at least.
Nintendo should've did this for the Wii U but then maybe they knew deep down inside the Wii U was never well received.
Keep going hard Nintendo as for the first time since early Wii days I can say nice job advertising this, Zelda, and the Switch!
Okay, that's one of the coolest ways to Advertise a product! I'm kinda jealous I'm not in America right now! XD
Can't wait to see pictures of people pushing the Luigi kart with the death stare.
Ugh Target, the worst place I ever worked at, the company treats its store employees horribly.
I'm going straight to the produce section to get some bananas to throw at people.
@OfNullAndVoid You need to go to Walmart to get those death stares. That place already has that down pat, including the crazy "drivers" when pushing their carts.
@SilentS Actually, I've had that same problem at Target, which is why I nowadays spend most of my time shopping online. If I still have to go out, I try to shop when I know there's hardly anyone around.
Maybe I'll get to check this out. It's ... interesting, lol
Well, at least they're pushing the hardware and the games this time around, so I say "good job!"
I think this is awesome. Walking in the doors triggers the famous countdown race startup theme, and by the time the second doors open, you hear Mario's "Woohoo!". It is timed quite well, actually.
I'm all for different kinds of marketing like this here in North America. I had complained for so long that Nintendo didn't market the Wii U well at all, and I am happy to see them do stuff like this. I've seen Switch ads on TV fairly regularly, and Nintendo has even sponsored "SportsCenter" a few times - which regardless what you think of sports, is great exposure for that demographic who watches that show religiously.
@OfNullAndVoid Fair enough. Just whenever you hear news on these sort of things, it always seems to be at Walmart. I rarely hear much about Target. As for shopping, I go online myself and leave the physical shopping experience for my wife.
This is awesome they're actually advertising for once, and doing it right. Too bad Target won't actually have any Switches in stock to buy because Nintendo won't supply them in proper quantities, thus rendering their marketing pointless. First we had the Superbowl ad with no Switches to buy, now this. Would love to be proven wrong this time.
This is awesome. XD
Hahahahaha.... !!!
Target had a 2/3 page ad in this weeks flyer which I was already happy about, this is an added bonus.
"what you would like to see them do in the future."
um, a kiosk w/ a playable demo seems the obvious answer. This is nice and all, but those bollard covers could be for anything Mario related, and those cart kart covers will probably go unnoticed by most. I like that they are trying and marketing, but a kiosk with a playable Switch and a couple of Joycon for multiplayer is what they really should have.
The big screen kiosks with the touchpads were nice for before launch, but now almost 2 months later they should have some actual playable Switch in place.
If Nintendo keeps this up the rest of the year - Toys R Us has a walk thru arch promoting MK8D - I can't wait to see what they do for Super Mario Odyssey during the holidays.
They better start making more Switch.
@SilentS
Psst... check these Manic Mom Day episode from Fairly Odd Parents. XD
This brings new meaning to the expression "off your trolly". More like on your trolly, Gentlemen start your engines, first to the booze sector wins
@rjejr: "but a kiosk with a playable Switch and a couple of Joycon for multiplayer is what they really should have.
The big screen kiosks with the touchpads were nice for before launch, but now almost 2 months later they should have some actual playable Switch in place."
Cool idea, but you gotta love NOA for waiting 3 entire years to properly advertise and market one of the most accessible products they produce.
Mario Kart 8 along with Breath of the Wild, Lego City, and the inevitable Smash Bros 'remaster' are making me wish Nintendo had a little more to offer up for those of us who didn't jump ship and abandon them during the last 4 years.
...I miss the Wii U kiosks...
@Niinbendo
Psst... download the commercial video from Youtube and play it on your smartphone. Show and Let the other people (your friends, your family, your relatives, your working partner) know about Nintendo Switch.
@Spoony_Tech or that the Wii U was just meant to be a transitional system..... I think they saw phones/tablets and freaked out. At the time of the release of the Wii U, it would have cost 2x as much to produce a Switch like device. Now component costs have come down and they can obviously hit a reasonable price point.
That said, I think they were hoping for much better for the Wii U. Had it not been such a sales disaster, I'll bet that we would have seen the Switch next year rather than this year.
They managed to pull off a great launch and I'd imagine with MK8 and the two games they have coming out this summer, plus Mario in December among others, that they will have a very good year.
Really cool I think this is brilliant, keep it up Nintendo.
That's actually pretty cool.
Now that is how you advertise.
@Don same with Walmart
Too bad target is garbage and almost no one shops there.
@Kalmaro you are so wrong, in my area the target is always full
....Cool..I just hope they don't only let 12 people in and make you spectate from outside...and those anti gravity aisles are sure going to be tricky...
@dright247 in my area it's practically empty. Everyone goes to Wal-Mart or HEB
It would be great if UK retailers did something like this.
lit
Love it!
sigh If only I lived near a Target....
But aren't those Mario Pinball pinballs outside the store?
Stay aggressive Nintendo
Don't think our local Target did this but there is one a bit further out. I think I'd like to visit. This is great marketing. There are plenty of people who don't know Switch but DO know Mario Kart and if they visit Target their interest will be piqued. Hopefully they make good on supplying more Switches at the same time, though.
Hope they keep at this. The budget seems to be there at least!
Why did Target have to close in Canada 😫 Haha at least I won't have the bitter disappointment of walking in only to find a noticeable lack of switches. I'm holding out hope that they'll ship some with MK8D... foolish probably
@DiddlyDoneDead
Good to see some optimism Also, loving the profile
@Gingadreadman
Knowing Britain... let's just leave it there
This is the type of marketing that Nintendo should have implemented in 2012 at the launch of the Wii U for its launch titles. I'm glad they have finally come forth with these kinds of ad campaigns for the Switch.
And if families love it and want to buy it but don't have a switch... will there be any on the shelves?
@EdFairway thanks
I cant wait to throw bananas at people that get it my way lol. But seriously this is really cool
@DiddlyDoneDead
The wink just seals it
I call dips on the Daisy shopping kart. I'm gonna hit someone with a banana peel. Lol
So cool!
We hardly go to Target but maybe I can find an excuse to get out there soon and see if our nearest store participated.
'...and last year we created Pokémon balls.' - Target, 2017
Seems over-the-top for a non-Star Wars rerelease.
Nintendo's doing a whole lot of marketing for a game that's already been available on store shelves for the last (nearly) 3 years.
It's neat and all, but I guess time will tell whether Nintendo's investment has been worth their while.
ok great.............................................
@rjejr nintendo alrdy pushed up the switch production to over 15 million so expect more to come to stores.
@Kalmaro thats bs dude theres plenty of people that go to target in my area so maybe its just your area then.
Until a child dies from being shaken from a dumb parent racing his/her "cart". /imnegativenancytoday
@Camilla "nintendo alrdy pushed up the switch production to over 15 million so expect more to come to stores."
Well that's what we read, but I don't recall reading how many of those 15 million will be rushed out to stores now for MK8D and how many will be dripped out until the big push at the holidays. If you've been watching Nintendo hardware the past few years they really don't like having stock on shelves, so it may be drip drip drip rather than a tidal wave. The Wii, pre-Wii U, was hard to find on a store shelf in the NY metro area for over 2 years. You could find 1 here or there, but there were never 5 or 6 on a shelf.
@aaronsullivan "Don't think our local Target did this but there is one a bit further out. I think I'd like to visit."
Of the 9 Targets w/in 10 miles of my house our "little" Target - only 1 door - is the "white trash" Target which I doubt will have this. The Target near our Temple is in a much nicer neighborhood and I'm expecting to see this there. Though the "medium" Target we used to go to alot for lunch - 1 of the first w/ Pizza Hut built in - is on a heavily trafficked road and will almost certainly have this. Though I try not to go there b/c of all the traffic.
@subpopz
Nice to see pattern like this :
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe pre launching = Mario Kart 8 theme of Shopping Kart.
ARMS pre launching = Boxing Ring inside the Mall ???
Splatoon 2 pre launching = Splatoon themed of Squirt Gun , Paint Brush, Rolling Brush, etc and sold with Special Discount ???
@Camilla Target has been in the decline for a little while now Amazon taking up a lot of competition is one reason.
@shonenjump86
LOL
Banana peel. XD
They should play "Coconut Mall" theme from Mario Kart 7 consider we are shopping in Nintendo themed Supermarket.
One of the many reasons I am glad I don't live in North America.
Although you could play a store wide Mario Kart. Enter Store = Race Start. Quickly head inside. Locate what you want. Grab them. Go to counter to pay. Exit store and race ends.
@Zeargo Why would you be glad that your local stores don't advertise in a fun way?
North America? Did you mean the United States? Target doesn't exist anywhere else in NA.
Ah we never get anything this fun in the UK . Probably because our supermarkets tend to have very little focus on video games.
As a former Target employee I can't ever step into one without thinking of the horrible way I and my fellow co-workers were treated by team leaders and upper management. I'll pass.
Is this all Target stores? If it is I'll go, but I don't want to drive 35 min just to go to Target and not see Mario
It's refreshing to see Nintendo trying to sell their products and not resting on their laurels. They have been spending a ton on marketing in the past 4-5 months.
@Anti-Matter For Splatoon 2 they should have a paint pall match similar to the epic ones for the season finales of Community.
Pfft...Drive on the roads in Australia and you will get the full Mario Kart experience
@rjejr Did you just use a white trash reference lol?!
I wound up sitting by the door in My local Target for 20 minutes or so yesterday while waiting on someone, and I heard a lot of positive comments from the people coming through the door. The level of recognition for Mario Kart was kind of surprising. If only they had Switch consoles in stock to sell, or at the very least a demo unit to play. While the idea of Mario Kart got across, I am not sure that people understood that it was also an ad for the Switch.
@Niinbendo You don't watch enough Australian TV, as I have seen more than a few adverts.
Wow, when has NoA ever done something this big before in advertising?
Saw this at our local Target. The ready set go tones and Mario "woohoo" coming in the door was great for my family, but it creeped out or scared a lot of other people coming in. It also doesn't really come out and say "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, coming next Friday for Switch" anywhere. Otherwise, I think it's awesome, and it's great to see Nintendo thinking outside the box on promotion. The kid loved riding in the Luigi "cart".
@rjejr i saw in an ad from target they got more switch in stock.
I can just see people not grabbing a specific cart solely based on the character. Why no bowser cart?
@Spoony_Tech Believe me, it's the nicest thing I can say about that Target, it's a mess. If you brought a blindfolded person in, when you took the blindfold off they'd probably think they were in Walmart or Kmart. On the bright side, all the prices are about noticeably cheaper than the 2 nicer Targets, so I do all of my shopping there.
I got to say, I have seen lots of TV ads for switch here in the UK. Haven't seen any PS4 or XBOX recently, but then again they are already established here, so I guess they don't need to.
My local target = NADDA
My local target = Still has a display hanging for Mario Kart 8 on Wii U, lol
@Don - Sounds like every store level job in every company. Also, your particular store may have been awful while others are not.
I work at target and I was so upset today when I found out that my target was not one of them that promoted it!!!!!!!!! But overall... that's cool.
I don't like when Nintendo advertises more a port than the original version,they did the same with DKC Returns 3D.
@Randomname19 You think it better to not advertise Switch games?
I had no idea what a bollard was nor ever seen any in real life, but now I know.
This is some all-out advertising from Nintendo, wow.
I guess this means no MK8D+Switch bundle. At least the homeless have an opportunity to become rich by 'reselling' those shopping 'karts'.
@GrailUK No,I think it's better to advertise totally new Switch games.Especially ARMS,since it's a new IP.
@Randomname19 I am sure ARMS will get a big push too
@rjejr So then you're part of the problem then at that Target then lol.
I like Target... Thats where i found my precious Zelda Wii u copy 😜
Oh my God. Actual advertizing.
@Spoony_Tech "So then you're part of the problem"
Well I'm not exactly bringing the property values up any, no.
Yes that is a van w/ shag carpet walls and a bed in the back.
I think I will join my wife for her weekly Target shopping trip real soon!
@Kalmaro
Target is the 2nd biggest retailer, with a store presence, in the US. Only Walmart is bigger, and of course Amazon, online.
Only 650 stores...chances are none of the Targe't stores near me will have this.
@Don
all stores do. It's American retail.
You're better off working locally, or hope you get a nice manager to offset corporate's bad decisions.
probably get beat up rolling around target with one of those
Interesting co-op advertising. I've even seen Switch appear on Target's TV ads, that's a step in the right direction compared to Wii U. While I loved the console, Nintendo's really stepping up its advertising and promotions for the Switch.
This is marketing done absolutely right. 😊 If only UK marketing wasn't so embarrassing and always trying to be so cool...
Lemme guess, my Target is not included...and Switch is still nonexistent in my area. >_>
There's not a Target in 100 miles of me.
@Niinbendo : I've seen Switch advertised a few times on Australian FTA TV. You're more likely to see it during more youth-oriented programming though (I seem to recall seeing an ad during Neighbours the other week).
When I first saw that picture I thought Nintendo had announced a new game along the lines of Super-Mario-market Sweep.
We go to Target at least once a week. I'm excited to see if our local Target gets the advertisement. The stuff looks really cool.
....but I'm also a bit annoyed with the fact that I'm seeing quite a bit of advertisement for something I can't buy.
Of course, only ''america'' cough United States cough. OK Nintendo, nice advertisement THERE, but what about a big country like Brazil? What about south America, Africa?
@Agent721 yes, that does not change the fact that they are on the decline. I don't mean it's going bankrupt tomorrow but they are slowly losing in the overall market.
@dkxcalibur EXACTLY! It's like a sick joke...you can't even buy a Switch in the first place!
@keihtg Yes, and add that to the fact that they stopped making the NES Classic before the majority of people who wanted one, could buy one.
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