How the Nintendo Switch Switched it up: Target Marketing Thought Paper
Nintendo as an entity has been around since 1889, producing a number of gaming systems that have been known throughout the world. The most recent gaming system, The Nintendo Switch, took the world by a storm. This tiny gaming system costing $299, did what so many others failed to do: it made it possible for people to use it both on the TV at home and on the go as a handheld system. This was The Nintendo Switch’s main selling point when it came out on March 3, 2017. This system also allowed for multiple people to play at the same time and for a person to play alone. It also introduced an online gaming system.
As stated by Nintendo President Tatsunmi Kimishima, “Our [Nintendo’s] core philosophy is that we want to increase the number of gamers at all ages, and there’s no change to that. So, we have no intention to lean just towards core gamers. But to communicate our new idea, when you think about who will understand it first, naturally it will be people who really understand games. To communicate that as quickly as possible, we focused on those folks who really understand games.”
While the Switch’s main target audience is everyone, especially casual gamers who don’t always want to play competitively, customer analyses shows that “the average Nintendo customer is about 35 years old and has been playing for 13 years.”
This sentiment rings true in the advertising for the Switch. When you see the advertisements for the Switch, there are a variety of people showcased from teenagers to families, to college kids. Anyone from 15+ can find games to play on the Switch. There are actually many adult games (rated Mature) available including Skyrim, LA Noire, and Bioshock.
If I were to market to Nintendo’s target audience, I would create advertisements that show a more relaxed playstyle. The advertisements would include people from all ranges of life to truly showcase that Nintendo works for everyone. I would try to make the advertisements feel how games make people feel: comforting, engaging, and alive. The main goal with this advertisement would be to show people why owning a Switch is better than owning any other system.
So why do people buy a Switch? There are a variety of reasons. One is nostalgia; Nintendo is slowly bringing back many of the games from previous systems. This includes more than 80 NES games, Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Super Smash Brothers Brawl, Animal Crossing, and even Super Mario Party. The games available on the system highly influence people wanting to buy the system. The second reason is how versatile the system is. It can be used at home or taken on the go. This is very useful for families, people with young kids, and even busy college students. The third reason is its use of both online games and the physical games. There are some people that like to own the physical game and there are others who would prefer to have all games simply stored on their Switch. Nintendo offers this in its gaming system. The Switch is also convenient and easy to use. Anyone can easily play the Switch. During the pandemic, many people decided to buy the Switch because they were stuck inside; their kids couldn’t leave the house, and they needed something to do. Switches sold out during this time and are still extremely difficult to find today.
It is important to know your target audience because you need to know who is buying your product. By knowing your target audience, you can create advertisements aimed at the people who are purchasing your product. The important thing about advertising is that the money you put into the advertisement produces a sale. The only way to produce a sale is to have a clear picture of who you are selling to. This includes their age, their gender, where they live, what their interests are, etc. It is demographics, geographics, psychographics, and behaviors. Nintendo is great at this. Their advertisements always correctly target their intended audience, and this shows in how good their sales are.