Earlier this week the Wall Street Journal ran a piece about Nintendo’s Wii gaming console. The popular system is coming out with Wii Fit, an add-on that it hopes appeals to women. Their new advertising and marketing is looking to captivate women who want to lose weight. Today, I was reading my newest issue of FORTUNE magazine and there is an article that speaks about the growth of women interested in gaming. Nintendo might be striking at the right time with the new addition to their popular product.
Nintendo’s new ad.. “How will it move you?”
I’ve played the tennis and boxing games on the Wii and I felt like a kid at the first day of Fat Camp. It was a helluva workout. While it might seem like a gimmick, I don’t see it that way. I think it’s a great idea that entertains people while getting them off their ass – men and women. What do you think ladies, would you buy the Wii Fit as a way to help you keep the pounds off?
Nintendo’s Wii gaming console introduced sedentary gamers to the idea of moving off the couch. Now Nintendo is coming out with the Wii Fit, an add-on to the gaming system designed to appeal to women looking to lose weight.
The $90 attachment, dubbed the “Balance Board,” expands the range of games that can be played on the Wii to include activities such as yoga and push-ups. The Balance Board — which resembles bathroom scales — also tracks a user’s weight and body-mass index.
The Wii Fit is a daring move for Nintendo, aimed at broadening the gaming market — dominated by younger men — to women. To get their attention, the company plans a massive marketing campaign ahead of the product’s release in the U.S. May 19, including a public-relations effort under way. Television, outdoor and print ads begin the week the product becomes available. Ads via Omnicom Group’s Goodby Silverstein & Partners will carry the tagline: “How will it move you?”
As part of the PR push, “Good Morning America” host Diane Sawyer tested the exercise game on the air last week. “It really does make you work,” Ms. Sawyer told viewers. Since its release about 18 months ago, the Wii has been a smash hit — so much so that it’s still difficult to buy in the U.S. In Japan, where the Wii Fit is on the market, it has also proved hugely popular. Still, the new product is something of a gamble, moving Nintendo away from core young-male gamers, who could be turned off by the fact that Mom and girls think the Wii Fit is cool.
Check out the entire article here.
