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[Plum]

I'm not saying that the wiiu will steal switch sales, but in a way or another people will know about the wiiu, what i'm saying is:

-think of people looking at the ad with just Zelda that's also on the wiiu, do you think they'll say: "Switch has lots of games!" ? I don't think so.

-wiiu is a bad legacy, it makes people more cautious, make people wonder if Switch will have third party support.

Basically the wiiu won't steal anything but it will have a bad effect on switch sales.

Again, the Wii U wouldn't even be a consideration for the general public. Just because someone on GAF may look at the Wii U's third party support and be hesitant about the Switch's doesn't mean someone a few days after the Superbowl looking to get a Zelda machine is as well. There's also the fact that, for someone researching the Switch, they'd have to actively go out of their way to research the bad points of the Wii U to even "know" about them in the first place. It's not like Nintendo's websites or retailers actively advertise the fact that Wii U barely had any third party support.

There's also a bit of a paradox in your argument. People will see Zelda being on Wii U, a literally dead console, as being an indicator of the Switch not having many games yet somehow they will also care about third party multiplats as well.

The bed scene is totally futile, a waste of time that imo won't be even liked by parents, the real important part of the ad is passing seamlessly from handheld to home console mode, once you have shown that and zelda you can spend the rest of the time showing more games to give the idea that lots of games are coming, because the point of a 30 seconds trailer isn't to make people understand what a game or console is, people won't even understand Switch or Zelda despite all the time they got, the point is to raise the interest of people, the more you show the better.

The bed scene isn't futile, it's establishing a narrative which is entirely what commercials are supposed to do. Lets look at one of, if not the most well-known adverts, well-regarded trailers of all time. most well-known adverts of all time. By your logic it would have been more effective if it only consisted of the last 5 or so seconds or if Apple replaced literally all of the other "futile" stuff with quick-fire shots of Mac software. If you want a more game-focused example then look no further than this

Again you've come to a paradox. You say that Nintendo has to pack a 30 second ad with every game they can to "let people know lots of games are coming out" yet above you've stated that customers will research the Switch to, somehow, also learn everything about the Wii U. Would those same customers not also see the other advertised games during their research? How would a consumer who learns about the lack of Wii U third party support not also know about the other games coming to the Switch?

 

[JershJopstin]

It is, and the most expensive time slot to buy an ad as a result.

Some years it can backfire if the game isn't close, but we haven't had many blow outs in Super Bowls lately (unlike the 90s) and this one is very likely to be close.

Damnit, sorry for double post. Thread was moving fast so assumed there would be some in between.

2 of the last 3 were blowouts.

I agree this one should be close though.

 

[Sandfox]

Great advert.

Still nothing I want to play that I don't already basically own or can get on the WiiU, but still, much better than WiiU's marketing.

They're definitely going all in on the casual and Nintendo fan market again like the Wii though, which I'm still not convinced is going to work a second time.

The only casual first party game on the Switch is 1-2 Switch. Everything else is more core focused.

 

[KooopaKid]

Good advert. Switch is going to do great.

 

[Milly Osworth]

I preordered one but now I want to buy another one.

 

[Scoops]

Should've had video of the guy taking it outside of the house.

People may think the tablet only works in the house, close to the dock.

 

[finalflame]

Amazing commercial, Nintendo knocking it out of the park as we get closer to release.

I sincerely hope everyone who didn't preorder as a "stance" isn't able to get one for months.

 

[2+2=5]

Neutral people don't buy consoles at launch period. The diehards are the early adopters.

This ad isn't to sell launch units, preorders are sold out and it will probably be hard to find for a month or two. It's purpose is to just get the Switch name and main concept (play as a portable or on TV) out to the mainstream who aren't online watching the prior reveal video, press conference etc. As well as maybe fire up some core gamers who were on the fence to try to track down a console during the launch window to help generate buss.

I'd imagine they'll have a lot more ads going forward, and some will probably use the "casual" portion of extended ad in later March and beyond when they need to start bringing in sales from more than their diehard fans--and especially in the fall in advance of Mario and the holiday sales season where they really HAVE to do well if this is going to be a success. A strong push for Mario Kart in March/April with the NCAA tournament and Final Four would be smart as well, if Splatoon is coming early summer market it during the NBA finals, season finales of major shows etc.

I agree in general but i also think that if you want to get people interested in your console you need to focus on games showing as much as you can, also you can't expect neutral people to look at all the commercials, you need to do your best to get the biggest number of people with every single ad.

 

[javac]

Nintendo going hard on Switch, I love it.

 

[louiedog]

No web browser, right? I wonder how those people got it connected to the wifi in the college lecture hall. Is there another way to get it connected on wifi like that at hotels and airports?

 

[Japanmanx3]

Dope trailers. Extended ver. really driving the point home.

 

[goldenpp72]

Should've had video of the guy taking it outside of the house.

People may think the tablet only works in the house, close to the dock.

Anyone mildly interested after the ad, will likely have the rare resource to search a Youtube video or something. You don't spend a super bowl ad detailing every little thing, people are inept but not THAT inept.

 

[Inferno313]

Should've had video of the guy taking it outside of the house.

People may think the tablet only works in the house, close to the dock.

Eh, I feel like the only people who might have that concern are the people who have a deep understanding of how the WiiU works, and those are the same people who already know everything about the Switch.

It won't read that way to most people, because most people have never used a device like the WiiU. People see Tablet and know it's a truly portable device.

 

[Cynn]

Who games three seconds after waking up? If it was me I'd be mindlessly running Link into a wall for five more minutes as I stared blankly at the wall.

Good commercial though. Would have been perfect with some outside play.

 

[lenovox1]

I agree in general but i also think that if you want to get people interested in your console you need to focus on games showing as much as you can, also you can't expect neutral people to look at all the commercials, you need to do your best to get the biggest number of people with every single ad.

No, that's not how advertising works. Particularly for a product where there will be around 700,000 units total in the first month of its release.

You aim at the market that's going to buy your first units.

 

[m4st4]

Who games three seconds after waking up? If it was me I'd be mindlessly running Link into a wall for five more minutes as I stared blankly at the wall.

Good commercial though. Would have been perfect with some outside play.

Me, during first week of owning Switch/BOTW.

 

[GDGF]

No web browser, right? I wonder how those people got it connected to the wifi in the college lecture hall. Is there another way to get it connected on wifi like that at hotels and airports?

Probably through their phones.

 

[Wadiwasi]

I didn't care for the initial presentation they did with Arms but the game actually looked kinda fun in the extended version trailer. I can see myself, brother, and nephew all having a blast with it.

 

[McGruber21]

Probably through their phones.

Ugh

 

[finalflame]

No web browser, right? I wonder how those people got it connected to the wifi in the college lecture hall. Is there another way to get it connected on wifi like that at hotels and airports?

It would be trivial to have a browser window allow for login on captive networks, even if there is not a fully-fledged web browser built into the system (was this ever confirmed?).

 

[Cymbal Head]

"Switch and Play" strikes me as kind of a low-effort slogan, but I'm sure they have marketing data that shows it being effective.

 

[Kevin]

Solid ad. Huge fan of the Switch system. Love the design. March 3rd needs to hurry. lol

 

[Barry Burton]

brew. game. poop.

best timeline.

yup.

 

[hiim_haz]

Both the Super Bowl commercial and the extended version are great. It's a much different, more positive tone than the Wii U was. I really hope Nintendo nails it and finds success in the Switch, I'd love to see them rebound after the Wii U.

 

[BNGames]

Im sure im in the minority, but that was a shit song.

Otherwise visually it got the point across well.

 

[Marow]

I actually didn't expect this, but I always wanted it. I think it was a great ad tbh. Curious if it'll help reaching out.

 

[Nostremitus]

I was hoping they'd also show their most recognizable character Mario.

They used Mario to try to prop up the Wii U. I'm guessing they are still trying to wash that taste out of their mouths. The last system that launched with Zelda sold like hotcakes.


Also, Mario isn't a launch title.

 

[StereoVsn]

Great commercial and Super Bowl is excellent for their target market. The only issue is that when people go, look at the Switch... they can't buy it. By the time to available, people will forget the commercial.

 

[lwilliams3]

Yeah this is how I saw it. Great ad, but knowing what the console actually is, especially regarding the games and third party support makes me feel sad for all the people who'll be convinced by this ad to go and buy one.

Lol. That is a bit silly to me. It is not like the ads are deceitful in showing the games coming to the system.


On that note, third party publishers will and already are noticing that people are interested in the system. In two weeks, at least 20 new publishers already talked to Nintendo after the Switch conference.

 

[2+2=5]

Again, the Wii U wouldn't even be a consideration for the general public. Just because someone on GAF may look at the Wii U's third party support and be hesitant about the Switch's doesn't mean someone a few days after the Superbowl looking to get a Zelda machine is as well. There's also the fact that, for someone researching the Switch, they'd have to actively go out of their way to research the bad points of the Wii U to even "know" about them in the first place. It's not like Nintendo's websites or retailers actively advertise the fact that Wii U barely had any third party support.

There's also a bit of a paradox in your argument. People will see Zelda being on Wii U, a literally dead console, as being an indicator of the Switch not having many games yet somehow they will also care about third party multiplats as well.



The bed scene isn't futile, it's establishing a narrative which is entirely what commercials are supposed to do. Lets look at one of, if not the most well-known adverts, well-regarded trailers of all time. most well-known adverts of all time. By your logic it would have been more effective if it only consisted of the last 5 or so seconds or if Apple replaced literally all of the other "futile" stuff with quick-fire shots of Mac software.

Again you've come to a paradox. You say that Nintendo has to pack a 30 second ad with every game they can to "let people know lots of games are coming out" yet above you've stated that customers will research the Switch to, somehow, also learn everything about the Wii U. Would those same customers not also see the other advertised games during their research? How would a consumer who learns about the lack of Wii U third party support not also know about the other games coming to the Switch?

I will never stop saying that neutral people want consoles with as many games as possible, yes even non exclusives, and that the lineup(and marketing) is the reason of the success or failure of a console.

No paradoxes, if all that you show is a game that's not exclusive people can only wonder why nintendo didn't choose something else, doesn't Switch have exclusives?
You and neogaf are informed on the switch, the rest of the people judge based on what they see so Nintendo should have put everything they could.

If you show that many games are coming, exclusives or not, people won't fear that switch will be like the wiiu, if you bet everything on a single game that isn't even exclusive neutral people will start doubting, it's simple, no paradoxes.

Let's not make comparisons that simply aren't there, the two ads have absolutely nothing in common, the 1984 ad is comparable to the old weird sony ads because all they want to do is to gain attention without even say anything about the product, the switch ad on the other hand is an ad exactly like many others, today ads all have a little of narrative and cutting the bed scene wouldn't have destroyed the narrative.

 

[Red Devil]

I was hoping they'd also show their most recognizable character Mario.

I'm Surprised they didn't go with a more casual tone, e.g. Showing motion controls, 1-2 switch, multiple people playing, etc.

By the sounds of it they're being shown in the extended version.

Probably through their phones.

I have done that with my 3DS on a couple of occasions.

 

[Malus]

Im sure im in the minority, but that was a shit song.

Otherwisee visually it got the point across well.

I'm fine with the song, but the Wii U commercial theme has lowered my standards.

I know it's been posted before but reposting for emphasis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVmW_qM1mmg

edit: Listening to the Switch commercial theme again I think it's really fitting. Good stuff Nintendo.

 

[2+2=5]

No, that's not how advertising works. Particularly for a product where there will be around 700,000 units total in the first month of its release.

You aim at the market that's going to buy your first units.

But as someone else said lauch units are already all preordered, are you saying that nintendo made an ad for those who have already preordered switch? I don't think so

 

[AdanVC]

I find Nintendo's "examples" of Switch use ridiculous.

Who's going to do this. Who.

Me. I like to go to the park and I just recently meet a lady who enjoys videogames so I'm already making plans to go to the park with her and play 1 2 switch this way and I'm pretty damn hyped for that :3 I'm already imagining playing Milk... it's gonna be awkward af I'll probably skip that game when I play with her, lol!

 

[RowdyReverb]

Great commercial and Super Bowl is excellent for their target market. The only issue is that when people go, look at the Switch... they can't buy it. By the time to available, people will forget the commercial.

It's still important to begin embedding the Switch in the public consciousness.

 

[skypunch]

Great advert.

Still nothing I want to play that I don't already basically own or can get on the WiiU, but still, much better than WiiU's marketing.

They're definitely going all in on the casual and Nintendo fan market again like the Wii though, which I'm still not convinced is going to work a second time.

You can't play Xenoblade 2, Super Mario Odyssey, and Splatoon 2 on Wii U.

 

[Buggy Loop]

I'm not saying that the wiiu will steal switch sales, but in a way or another people will know about the wiiu, what i'm saying is:

-think of people looking at the ad with just Zelda that's also on the wiiu, do you think they'll say: "Switch has lots of games!" ? I don't think so.

-wiiu is a bad legacy, it makes people more cautious, make people wonder if Switch will have third party support.

Basically the wiiu won't steal anything but it will have a bad effect on switch sales.

The bed scene is totally futile, a waste of time that imo won't be even liked by parents, the real important part of the ad is passing seamlessly from handheld to home console mode, once you have shown that and zelda you can spend the rest of the time showing more games to give the idea that lots of games are coming, because the point of a 30 seconds trailer isn't to make people understand what a game or console is, people won't even understand Switch or Zelda despite all the time they got, the point is to raise the interest of people, the more you show the better.


I agree but neutral people don't buy a console at launch just for launch games, neutral people want to be sure that there will be a constant flow of games.

You're thinking way too much about what the superbowl audience knows and WiiU perception.

Hint, generally, peoples are sheeps. Wii was a huge success, not because of Nintendo directly or favoritism, or company allegiance that they somehow all went PS4 because WiiU "was bad" in their mind.

A single showcase of 1/2 switch on a show like Ellen DeGeneres, her milking cows or popping the cork (sexual innuendo..) would probably sell more units than WiiU did.

When something catches on and goes viral, it's not always because of games, because it's a good company or anything, it just does. Superbowl audience is exactly for that, it's not targeting hardcore gaming fans.

 

[KevinG]

This ad is quite stellar. The 30-second spot does exactly what it needs to do, and the 4-minute extended version compliments it with a wealth of other content.

March 3rd is much too far away.

 

[Lunar FC]

Me. I like to go to the park and I just recently meet a lady who enjoys videogames so I'm already making plans to go to the park with her and play 1 2 switch this way and I'm pretty damn hyped for that :3 I'm already imagining playing Milk... it's gonna be awkward af I'll probably skip that game when I play with her, lol!

How much planning does a trip to the park take bruv? 😅

 

[HotHamBoy]

Extended version's focus on motion controls is alarming and unappealing.

And what jerk is dragging a pro controller around so they can set up the screen in fromt of them instead of just using the attached joycons?

Also, look at that asshole throwing hadoukens with an analog stick.

 

[kubev]

I do really like the Switch trailers/commercials up to this point. I feel like the Switch event could've benefited from this sort of brevity. I feel like these do an excellent job of showing how the system works while packing a lot of content into a short period of time.

 

[Deleted member 752119]

2 of the last 3 were blowouts.

I agree this one should be close though.

Really just the Seahawks over the Broncos. Last year was only a 14 point game. Denver mostly dominated, but it was low scoring so no reason to turn it off in the 4th quarter in a two possession game.

Other than that you have to go back to 2003 to find a game that someone won by more than 14. Out of 17 Super Bowls played in the 2000s, 10 have finished 7 points or closer. So that's why they can charge more for 4th quarter ads. Compared to the 1990s where only 2 out of 10 Superbowls finished with margin of victory of 7 or less.

 

[routerbad]

People are kidding themselves if they really think anyone is dropping 50 bucks on 1-2 Switcg to play as some ice breaker at parties

I will be, lots of people buy party games like Apples to Apples, Cards Against Humanity, pictionary, etc. Some of them even have you doing, saying, writing, or pairing cards to say ridiculous things. Kindof like a game system having you milt a cow or shake a bottle. It's not outside the realm of possibility or viability to have something that does this.

My main point was people didn't have to spend a cent to play Pokemon Go. It was a free game on a device they'd already owned. You wouldn't have seen hardly anyone playing if it was a 3DS game where you had to go around and capture Pokemon in public.

Re: campuses, maybe 3DS is just less popular in the US. I took mine to campus a several times to try and get street passes on days I was teaching large classes and walking all over campus. This was around N3DSXL launch in the US. I usually only got 1 or 2. Think one day I got 5 as the max. And this is an urban campus with over 30,000 full time students and isn't he middle of a big city with lots of non-students around.

Even most days I got street passes, I never saw anyone playing them in the student center dining area, library plaza etc. where students congregate.

But like I said, who knows if Switch will have more appeal and be used often in public. I'm very skeptical. But despite being around millienials regularly, I make no claims to understand the things they're interested at all and feel way bigger a generation gap between them and me at 38 than I probably should.

I'm in the US, but I totally agree it's going to be more popular some places than others. I don't necessarily see it being in your face every where you go, but the ad just normalizes it like... you could if you wanted to.

You give fair points, though. Streetpass also isn't going to be included in switch, but it's going to be a staple at LAN parties. My company has a LAN party every quarter, and we're already planning on doing a switch centric one.

 

[Skronk]

Awesome, this thing sells itself when you present it like that to the general public.

 

[marc^o^]

Awesome, this thing sells itself when you present it like that to the general public.

What sells itself is the amount of use cases. And they didn't even show table-top.

 

[routerbad]

This is hilarious.
I'm so uninterested that i have it preordered.

It's amazing how you can see an add about someone not dropping the game for one second being about people who have shit going on... Yeah real people have shit going on so they play a game at some point in the day, not all the time everywhere lol..

I didn't say you're not interested in the system. I don't know you. You're obviously not interested in the messaging here, based on your comments.

I totally get your last point, but the point the ad is trying to make is that it doesn't have to be either or. You can adult and get shit done and still enjoy gaming here and there. It can be part of your daily routine (young professional people, that should resonate really well)

 

[SalvaPot]

Me. I like to go to the park and I just recently meet a lady who enjoys videogames so I'm already making plans to go to the park with her and play 1 2 switch this way and I'm pretty damn hyped for that :3 I'm already imagining playing Milk... it's gonna be awkward af I'll probably skip that game when I play with her, lol!

Way to go! Best of luck x),

 

[Plum]

I will never stop saying that neutral people want consoles with as many games as possible, yes even non exclusives, and that the lineup(and marketing) is the reason of the success or failure of a console.

No paradoxes, if all that you show is a game that's not exclusive people can only wonder why nintendo didn't choose something else, doesn't Switch have exclusives?
You and neogaf are informed on the switch, the rest of the people judge based on what they see so Nintendo should have put everything they could.

If you show that many games are coming, exclusives or not, people won't fear that switch will be like the wiiu, if you bet everything on a single game that isn't even exclusive neutral people will start doubting, it's simple, no paradoxes.

Sorry, but no, nobody will see the Wii U having Zelda as a sign that the Switch won't have games. You're projecting incredibly hard here, the average consumer (i.e. those who aren't informed) might find out about the Wii U version but they won't care because, to them, the Wii U might as well not even exist. They aren't going to jump to conclusions like you're doing.

And yes, it's a paradox, because by knowing about the Wii U they will also know about all the games coming out on the Switch, it's inevitable. So, therefore, there would be no need for the advert to have so many Switch games and no reason for consumers to take Zelda being on Wii U as a tell of how many games it will have. You can't have both arguments at the same time without them cancelling each other out, hence a paradox.

Let's not make comparisons that simply aren't there, the two ads have absolutely nothing in common, the 1984 ad is comparable to the old weird sony ads because all they want to do is to gain attention without even say anything about the product, the switch ad on the other hand is an ad exactly like many others, today ads all have a little of narrative and cutting the bed scene wouldn't have destroyed the narrative.

No, they're great comparisons. The very core of marketing, especially in the mainstream tech business, is leaving a lasting impression, information overload does not leave a lasting impression. The reason those commercials work is because they convey a message, a more complicated message than the Switch's for sure, but a message nonetheless. That message isn't "the Macs have superior processing power and software capabilities than other PCs!", it's "the Macs are a metaphorical revolution in computing." The 30 seconds in the Switch commercial show two clear messages: "The Switch is a console/handheld hybrid" and "You can play the latest Zelda on it." Anything more dilutes things and, when you only have 30 seconds and likely one chance to grab people's attention, that seriously hurts your message. The commercial is there to grab people's attention and encourage the further research that will, hopefully, lead to a purchase. Game showcases are for extended cuts of the advert on Youtube, not your first major American advertisement at the Superbowl.

Believe me, I know about marketing, I'm doing a damn degree on it.

 

[Barryman]

Wait, someone is saying the bed scene could be cut? You mean, the scene where they show off handheld mode?

Right...

 

[Mory Dunz]

It's really smart to advertise on the Super Bowl. Great move, Nintendo;

And, basically, a Harry Potter minigame in 1-2 Switch!

So how does this game work?
Extreme hapatic feedback on your hands? That could be cool

maybe they should make a Kamehameha like game.
oh wait pls no-