Wii gets big marketing budget

Nintendo commits over $200 million to Wii advertising

November 14, 2006

Nintendo of America has committed over $200 million U.S. in marketing dollars to advertising the Nintendo Wii over the next year. That amount is about 20% more than what was spent on the GameCube.

Beginning on Wednesday, Nintendo will start showing television ads depicting all sorts of people playing with the Nintendo Wii. The purpose of the ads is to demonstrate that video games aren't just for kids and basement-dwellers anymore — Nintendo hopes to capture the imaginations (and the money) of people of all ages and demographics.

The first advertisment will feature three generations of a family (grandparents, parents and their children) all gathered around a Nintendo Wii. The initial run of the ad is a full two minutes long.

The Wii's design and marketing is focused on brining wider audiences into casual gaming.

Nintendo's senior VP of Marketing, George Harrison, states the obvious: "GameCube didn't meet our expectations."

"There were lessons in there for us that led to the Wii," he continues. "The first lesson is that just trying to be like the others in the marketplace wasn't the answer."

Indeed. Nintendo has done a complete 180° with the Wii, introducing a new motion-sensing remote control that redefines the way games are played.

The Nintendo Wii will be released this Sunday, November 19 in North America.