Nintendo : Switch Engagement Advertising

Client: Nintendo
Strategy and Research: Chris Rankin
Art Direction: Louvisa Davidsson
Professor: Denise La Bouda
MFA – Academy of Art University Student Work

Nintendo is looking to move up in the video gaming world…
… by increasing sales of Switch and it’s games.

Competitive Landscape – Nintendo is 3rd in market share, but sales of the switch slightly outperformed PlayStation the longtime industry leader.

Research – Diving into understanding the who, what, why, and how driving Switch sales strength. As a whole, females are driving online gaming growth and tween girls specifically are using the Switch.

Research Methodology- consulting  video gaming industry data I developed hypothesis and gap questions. Then I clarified and validated findings with small focus group sessions held in environments familiar to tween girls.

Venues included parkour gyms, mall arcades, boys & girls sporting clubs, and female gamer online forums

Audience types consulted:
Female youth athletes
Female video game consumers
Female youth YouTube content producers

Persona Development

Tween Girl Persona

Description – It seems like everything about herself is changing. Friendships, body parts, emotions, hormones, the way her parent’s treat her and the way society treats her. The only constant she can depend on is her technology. Connecting online and playing video games is the great equalizer. A place where the rules of engagement and performance standards are dependably constant. A social animal, she prefers game platforms like the Switch that allow her to be mobile and connected outside of the house.

She needs a way to prove  she is special on a public stage and emotionally craves her parent’s support in that effort.

Gen X Gamer Dad – a secondary persona necessary for driving sales 

Description – He grew up playing a Nintendo NES system. Nintendo’s Mario Bros. and Zelda made home video gaming mainstream. At school he watched the challenger explode on live TV. As a latch key kid he grew up struggling against stereotypes and without parental support. He’s felt the emotional trauma of not stacking up to social expectations and is sensitive to the fight against social pressure to conform. He feels like he is at his best when bucking social norms.

Insight – This audience presents an opportunity for Nintendo to stay true to their family friendly video game focus and apply their craft
to help girls stay connected to their fathers through the trials of transitioning into adults.

Creative Brief

What they think today…
“Online gaming seems to be the only thing that hasn’t changed between my dad and I, too bad there’s no future in it cause its video games are for boys.”

What they will think after this effort…
“Look out world, my dad and I make an amazing team”

Big Idea
How you play makes a difference.

Required Elements
Family building teamwork
Nintendo proprietary characters
an eSporting tie in