Nintendo UK doesn’t think people will be confused about the 2DS, appealing to kids, advertising, rest of 2013 games lineup
MCV recently caught up with Nintendo’s UK marketing director Shelly Pearce to talk about all things 2DS. Topics include potential confusion with the introduction of the new portable, appealing to kids with the device, advertising and marketing, and the rest of the company’s handheld lineup for 2013.
You can find a roundup of Pearce’s comments below.
On not being concerned with possible confusion…
“2DS looks very different, that’s one key advantage. There’s no mistaking that this is a different product to the DS. And we will clearly communicate to retail and we will clearly communicate online. We will be supporting 2DS on TV. And the name itself helps. I don’t think it will be an issue. When you first look at it you might think it’s complicated, but it’s quite a simple proposition. It does everything 3DS does, but at an entry-level price point and in 2D.”
On how 2DS is targeting kids in particular…
“We saw an opportunity in the market for an entry-level gaming device. It is a streamlined, value gaming system for those younger kids. We have had great momentum behind 3DS, and we are moving into peak season with some key titles that will appeal to that younger kid market. We are essentially appealing to existing DS owners or young gamers about to enter gaming for the first time, who were perhaps mucking about on Mum and Dad’s phone and they are looking for a good in-depth gaming device. That is where we see 2DS fitting in.”
On Pokemon X/Y and the 2DS, plus two advertising campaigns for the two products…
“Pokémon X and Y is going to be huge. And it launches alongside the 2DS [October 12th]. We have a very big peak season campaign for Pokémon, and 2DS will feature heavily in that campaign. It will be a good size campaign talking specifically to kids but also to mum, because it is Christmas gifting season and we want to make sure that she is very much aware of it. We will be relying on retail to clearly communicate it in store. We have spoken to our key retailers about it, and they are very excited and see 2DS as a big opportunity.”
“We are looking at TV, we will be online, we will be working on specific point-of-sale within retail, we will be looking at 2DS outdoor advertising, and we will have 2DS messaging on radio. And it will complement the Pokémon advertising, which sits alongside Animal Crossing as our biggest campaign of the year, and will kick off towards the end of September, with a big TV, print and online campaign.”
On upcoming software…
“Behind the heart of it all is the software. We have some massive IPs that will be big released this peak season. We have just launched Animal Crossing, and we think that can really appeal to young girls. Pokémon will be a big hardware driver, because we still have a huge Pokémon fanbase, and many have yet to upgrade from DS. Then there’s The Legend of Zelda. And we have Professor Layton, too. There’s a strategic opportunity here with Layton. We know there is quite a few people who bought Layton 4 but not Layton 5. There were lots of people who were keen to get it, but weren’t sure about investing the amount of money into a new piece of hardware. 2DS is a great opportunity.”
