Yahoo! Finance
September 25, 2001

Nintendo Gamecube Marketing Enters Final Phase
Staff Reporter

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 24, 2001--With eight weeks before the U.S. launch of its innovative NINTENDO GAMECUBE(TM) home video game console, Nintendo of America Inc. enters the final phase of its most comprehensive and fully-integrated marketing campaign ever, with national advertising, non-traditional consumer sampling, online viral campaigns, partner promotions, retail marketing, and a major entertainment industry event.

The multi-pronged marketing punch will culminate in a "Cube'' Sunday, November 18 launch, coinciding with the beginning of the most important retail shopping week of the year.

The $75 million launch campaign focuses on what Nintendo does best -- create the world's greatest video games-- and will run simultaneously with dedicated campaigns for five exclusive first- and second-party games and more than 10 third- party games, for a total of nearly 20 exclusive titles and 1.1 million systems on store shelves by the end of year. The campaign targets all gamers with an emphasis on enthralling and fun game play, and world-class graphics.

"NINTENDO GAMECUBE is built from the ground up for one purpose only-- to play games,'' says Peter Main, executive vice president, sales and marketing, Nintendo of America, Inc. "Our extensive campaign has one central strategy-- to make it as easy as possible for players to quickly get their hands on our exclusive, groundbreaking Nintendo games.''

Advertising

The heart of the multi-media campaign starts next month when seven different television commercials begin airing virtually everywhere-- the media buy ranges from primetime television to MTV to Saturday morning cartoons.

Top production talent for the television creative includes the director of photography for the motion pictures "Seven'' and "The Beach.'' The multi-national production involved shooting, editing and post production work in the United Kingdom, Italy, France and the U.S. One of the commercials features more than 500 cast members, adding to the epic scope of the television advertising campaign. Holiday moviegoers will see NINTENDO GAMECUBE commercials on the big screen in November and December, airing along with blockbusters such as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.

Read the Full Article