How do you market something that can’t be demonstrated in traditional commercials or advertisements? Something like the 3DS, for example? Even with a neck-tie camera pointed directly at the screen, the 3D effect is totally lost, replaced by a slight blurring and a queasy feeling. Despite the fact that the device doesn’t even require players to wear glasses, its main draw and innovation simply can’t be demonstrated at all to anyone not holding the thing.
Marketing the Wii and the original DS, both of which managed to somehow catch on with non-gamers, was simple in comparison. At the same time though, Nintendo’s reputation has never been better than it is right now. Will their track record and word of mouth alone be enough to make the 3DS as successful as its predecessors? In the latest issue of Edge, via CVG, 3DS boss Hideki Konno admitted that the company will have to look beyond “traditional advertising methods.”
“We are constantly discussing how to market the product,” he said. “Our internal PR departments are saying that we should use cinema advertising, because cinemas are capable of showing 3D movies.” Seems like a smart idea, but there’s a catch. “Our key point with 3DS is that you don’t need glasses, which you obviously need to use in cinemas,” he added. “So we think regular marketing and promotional activities will be very tricky for us. I think that a lot of awareness about 3DS will be spread by word of mouth.”
The general public won’t be convinced of the idea that the 3DS displays excellent 3D graphics without glasses if their first experience with the handheld’s visuals comes in a movie theatre in which they have to where the glasses to see the effects.
“Word of mouth,” however, will likely play a large role in the success or failure of the device. All the positive buzz that surrounds it right now is the sole work of the gaming press; journalists attending E3 were universally skeptical until they actually held it in their hands, at which point most doubts evaporated. We’ve been hard at work ever since telling the gaming world about it, and it’s up to our readers to tell their non-gaming friends, parents, coworkers and mortal enemies.
The only other viable strategy for Nintendo will be for them to try to get the 3DS into as many people’s hands as possible without them having to purchase one. A seldom discussed facet of this is store display models, like the ones at Target or Gamestop that feature demo versions of console and handheld games for anyone to try. Will demo versions of the 3DS, like the ones available to E3 attendees, be rolled out before its release? What about publicity events where consumers can go wait in line somewhere to get an early look? Letting a lot of people see the technology as early as possible will only increase the word of mouth factor exponentially.
And then there’s the commercial shown during Nintendo’s E3 press conference, seen above. While many gamers are tickled by it, non-gamers would likely wonder who these funny looking people are and why the hell they should care about the whole thing. How else can Nintendo market a device that only works if it’s right in front of you?
