NINTENDO SWITCH
MARKETING CAMPAIGN
By: Manish Rai

INTRODUCTION
• In this presentation, I am going to
discuss the success of the Nintendo
Switch Marketing Campaign and
reflect on this achievement on how
this was the best product launch
from Nintendo. The Nintendo
Switch was released on March 3,
2017, with critical acclaim
(Awesome Games Wiki).

WHAT IS THE NINTENDO SWITCH?
• •Nintendo Switch is a hybrid gaming
console, which is their most
innovative approach in design. A
tablet that allows you to play video
games in high-quality and then be
able to dock that tablet in the Switch
dock to display on the TV. It also has
removable controllers. It appealed to
both the handheld and console
markets. The concept of playing on
the go and at home hence the name
Nintendo Switch. The ability to
switch between play styles was met
with critical acclaim.

MISTAKES LEARNED
• After the end of the Wii era, Nintendo had decided to
create a new video game console based on the Wii.
This was called the Wii U and was one of the biggest
mistakes the company has ever made. The Wii U sold
13 million in its lifetime while its predecessor with
over 100 million (Nintendo). This was mainly due to
the Wii U’s bad marketing as people were confused as
if this was a new video game console or an add-on for
the Wii (Tassi). Not only, but it also failed what the
Wii marketed to being kids to seniors while Wii U
was only for kids making it lose the competitive edge
against Sony and Microsoft. They had learned a
valuable lesson from this mistake and re-evaluated
their target market for the next console launch.

NINTENDO SWITCH WAS THE RIGHT CHOICE
• •Nintendo Switch was going in the
right direction in terms of
marketing as it now appealed to
kids to seniors again. As of
December 31, 2021, It sold 103.54
million units meaning it
surpassed the Wii (Nintendo).
• • Valuable insight gained was
Nintendo understood their target
market again and kept up with
new trends to appeal to everyone.
They have become a leader in the
gaming industry.

MARKETING CAMPAIGN
• •Prior to the Nintendo Switch launch,
the company worked with placing
advertisements on the Superbowl to
gain attraction that a new hybrid
gaming console is hitting store
shelves on March 3, 2017. This was a
good step in gaining a large audience,
it shows they are not limiting their
target market to just kids now but
wants to reach more people such as
adults and seniors. From the music
to its showcasing, the advertisement
proved useful in getting people
engaged with the convenience this
system provides.

NINTENDO SWITCH SUPER BOWL AD
*If you cannot
view the
video, here is
the link:
https://www.
youtube.com/
watch?v=W6
VnEbFZ4Dc

SUPERBOWL MARKETING LAUNCH TITLE
• With many Super Bowl ads, the
shown previously also marketed a
first-party video game for the
Nintendo Switch called The
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the
Wild as a launch title. This was a
game that was the most
anticipated and having it for the
Nintendo Switch led to boost sales
around 25% of the hybrid console
in lifetime sales so far. The video
game has sold over 25.8 million
units as of December 2021
(Clement).

KEY TAKEAWAYS OF SUPERBOWL MARKETING
CAMPAIGN
• Spend $5 million on Nintendo Switch TV ad regardless it was successful rather
it showed they were confident, and it was an investment for success (Buckley).
• Marketed a highly anticipated video game to launch with a gaming console to
get people hooked and interested. Redefined the Zelda Franchise into a non-
linear gameplay format.
• In 2017, a month before the launch of Nintendo Switch in March, the average
amount of viewers were over 100 million giving Nintendo a massive reach
(Rahming).
• Nintendo giving a message to potential buyers that it is a console made for
everyone (Rahming)

FINAL THOUGHTS
• As Nintendo learned over the years, their marketing for the Wii U was poorly
done in reaching a target market only meant for kids. They did however go back
to their roots that made them successful, which was the Wii era. Nintendo
changed their core focus that Nintendo Switch should be a gaming console for
everyone to enjoy which led to them planning a comprehensive marketing
campaign that helped skyrocket their overall audience at the Super Bowl by
showing a 30-second ad that effectively shows the ease of switching gameplay
styles. It also showed the Zelda game and how players can expect to play at their
convenience. Nintendo is now dominating the overall gaming industry in their
approach in marketing with sales over 100 million, gaining more profits and
revenue. In my opinion, this was the best marketing campaign that helped
Nintendo get back on track and be competitive again.

ENDING
Thank you for
watching!

MLA WORKS CITED
• Buckley, Sean. “Nintendo’s First-Ever Super Bowl Ad Is for the Switch, of Course.” Engadget, https://www.engadget.com/2017-02-01-nintendos-first-ever-super-
bowl-ad-is-for-the-switch-of-course.html. Accessed 15 Feb. 2022.
• Frank, Allegra. “Nintendo’s First Super Bowl Ad Is All about the Switch (Update).” Polygon, 1 Feb. 2017, https://www.polygon.com/2017/2/1/14470720/when-
does-nintendo-switch-super-bowl-ad-air.
• “IR Information : Sales Data - Dedicated Video Game Sales Units.” Nintendo Co., Ltd., http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/finance/hard_soft/index.html. Accessed 14
Feb. 2022.
• Link Wave GIF - Link Wave Goodbye - Discover & Share GIFs. tenor.com, https://c.tenor.com/NKn7lAk8tPYAAAAC/link-wave.gif. Accessed 15 Feb. 2022.
• “Nintendo Allows User Ratings On The EShop.” Gameranx, 27 Feb. 2018, https://gameranx.com/updates/id/140521/article/nintedo-allows-user-ratings-on-the-
eshop/.
• “Nintendo Switch.” Awesome Games Wiki, 13 Feb. 2022, https://awesomegames.miraheze.org/wiki/Nintendo_Switch.
• “Nintendo Switch GameCube Logo, Nintendo, Text, Rectangle Png.” PNG EGG, https://www.pngegg.com/en/png-xqiiz. Accessed 13 Feb. 2022.
• RAHMING , A. K. RAHMING. “The Nintendo Switch’s Advertising Campaign Is Perfect.” Nintendo Enthusiast, 6 Feb. 2017,
https://www.nintendoenthusiast.com/the-nintendo-switchs-advertising-campaign-is-perfect/.
• Tassi, Paul. “The Switch Has Had Nintendo’s Best Marketing Campaign In Years.” Forbes, https://www.forbes.com/sites/insertcoin/2017/01/28/the-switch-has-
had-nintendos-best-marketing-campaign-in-years/. Accessed 14 Feb. 2022.
• The Reason the Nintendo Switch Super Bowl Ad Was Such a Success. www.youtube.com, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-v_0gunpT4. Accessed 15 Feb.
2022.
• “Zelda Breath of the Wild Unit Sales 2021.” Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1248052/zelda-botw-unit-sales/. Accessed 15 Feb. 2022.