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Nintendo’s Christmas push aims to further legitimise video games as a pastime in the eyes of the mainstream.
As its Real Stories campaign kicks off this week, the format holder has told MCV that there’s still a long way for the industry to go in terms of securing mass market acceptance.
The Real Stories ads focus not on famous celeb endorsements but real customers who say their lives have benefitted from owning a Wii or DS.
Key faces in the campaign include a Methodist Minister, a burlesque dancer, OAPs who love Wii Sports, plus Leyton Orient FC and a ladies’ rugby club.
By putting the spotlight on some of games’ most passionate mainstream champions, Nintendo says it can re-educate doubters.
With this campaign we are tackling those people who hate or don’t care about video games head on,” explained marketing manager Rob Lowe.
We are trying to raise the cultural value of video games to be an entertainment format equal to that of TV, books or music. To do that we need to tell the most interesting and heart-warming stories to come from interaction with our products.
We all know how great games are – others are not so easily or readily convinced.”
The campaign sees Nintendo ‘return to its roots’ with a high-profile TV push, plus online and PR drives and a national sampling tour (see ‘The Real Thing’).
Added Lowe: We are trying to convince people that video games should be socially acceptable to everybody.”
HIGHLIGHTS FROM NINTENDO’S REAL STORIES CAMPAIGN
TV
Already running on TV, the campaign features 12 Nintendo ‘stories’; six for Wii and six for DS. The films were originally shot as documentaries and will be shown as two 60-second montages for each platform. In total the spots will run 700 times, alternating week by week between the DS and Wii until Sunday, November 28th.
Regional PR
Nintendo plans to work with regional press in areas where each of its real subjects live to publicise their experiences with Wii or DS.
Online
Extended films run on the Nintendo Stories microsite and these will be further complemented by display advertising in sources such as MSN and Facebook.
Sampling
In the build up to Christmas Nintendo will host various events across 11 different locations from Wednesday, November 10th right up until Sunday, December 19th.
