At the time of the Wii's launch, there was really no competition in the environment. No other videogame console offered the flexibility in terms of demographic appeal within the market. However, soon after the launch of the Wii Microsoft Xbox launched the Kinect, which mimicked the sensor's ability to account for movement without for controlling game development with the complicated joystick board game pad. However, the Kinect focus on the camera lens as a way to track gain user movements, rather than the Wii's use of the small controllers as a way to show censors without the use of the camera. Nintendo's old fierce competitor, Sony, eventually came out with its own adaptation of the Wii. Sony launched the PlayStation move, which was similar to the Microsoft Kinect in I use the camera, rather than sensors placed on small controllers, as a way to use utilize user movements within…...
mlaReferences
Farhoomand, Ali. (2009). Nintendo's disruptive strategy: Implications for the video game industry. Asia Case Research Center. University of Hong Kong.
Huse, Tim. (2010). What can we learn from Nintendo? Harvard Business Review. Web. http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/08/what_can_we_learn_from_ninten.html
Rudin, Andrew. (2012). Elements of a successful disruptive strategy. Sales Vatnage. Web. http://www.salesvantage.com/article/1374/Elements-of-a-Successful-Disruptive-Strategy
n an attempt to compete Wii, Microsoft put together all the features from its Xbox 360 gaming platform and offered the result in the shape of a bundle of two games at the price of $279.99 in which the following were included: five family-friendly games, a wireless controller, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDM) connection enabling high-definition output (if desired) and 256 MB of memory, useful for storing games and entertainment content. These five games included: "PAC-MAN Championship Edition," "Uno," "Luxor 2," "Boom Rocket" and "Feeding Frenzy."
Microsoft's attempt was the only one that came close to being a good competing product for Wii. Nintendo, however, is struggling with production issues for Wii product as despite U.S. economy meltdown, the company can't keep us with the increasing demand - 45% from 2007 to 2008. Thus, consumers might have to switch to one of the more expensive, but with similar specifications products…...
mlaIt is 1.73 inches (44 mm) wide, 6.18 inches (157 mm) tall and 8.48 inches (215.4 mm) deep in its vertical orientation. This whole system weighs 2.7 lb (1.2 kg), being the lightest of the three major seventh generation consoles and it can be placed either horizontally or vertically, according to the user's preference. RLV is the prefix for the numbering scheme of the system and its parts, which stands for Revolution, the project's code name (Wikipedia (b), Accessed Feb 2009).
Compared to GCN, N64, North American SNES and NES, Wii (see top picture on the right side) is much thinner and easier to position around the house.
The name of the product is a very inspired one: "Wii sounds like 'we', which emphasizes that the console is for everyone. Wii can easily be remembered by people around the world, no matter what language they speak. No confusion. No need to abbreviate. Just Wii," says a quote on the Wii website (Gamasutra, April 2006). Nintendo spells "Wii" with two lower-case "i." The characters are meant to resemble two
This was quickly followed by the introduction of the Game Boy system, the first portable hand-held game system that offered interchangeable game 'paks' ("Nintendo"). The next two decades would be spent introducing newer, more powerful gaming systems, in an effort to stay one step ahead of the increasingly agile competition, and to meet the needs of an increasingly technology-hungry consumer.
Nintendo Today:
Today, Nintendo's primary business is the manufacture and distribution of interactive entertainment products.
Products include hardware and software for both its home entertainment and hand-held markets. Although its manufacturing facilities are located in Japan, the company has subsidiaries in: the U.S., Canada, the UK, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, and Australia ("Nintendo"). Nintendo's hardware products includes GameCube, GameBoy, and their newest gaming system brand Wii.
Nintendo also produces gaming software for their systems. Many are developed by third-party gaming software companies; however, the organization has several in-house brands. These include Mario and Pokemon.…...
mlaReferences
Annual Financial Report. 2007. Nintendo, Co. November 19, 2007 http://www.nintendo.com/corp/report/FY07FinancialResults.pdf .
Company History. 2007. Nintendo, Co. November 19, 2007 http://www.nintendo.com/corp/history.jsp .
Financial Results Briefing Q&a. Mar 2007. Nintendo, Co. November 19, 2007 http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/070427qa/ .
Nintendo, Co. Ltd." Marketline 17 Sept 2007. MarketLine. Datamonitor. University of Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ. November 19, 2007 http://dbic.datamonitor.com.
Nintendo Case Analysis
In November, 1998, Nintendo launched Game Boy Color, the latest in its line of handheld videogame consoles and the first handheld Nintendo consoles to feature full-color graphics. Videogame sales had been declining over the previous decade, following the initial boom of the 1980s, and Nintendo's Game Boy sales in particular had dropped from its initial debut in 1989. Although the Game Boy was a resounding success considering the volatility of the videogame market, in many ways the launch of Game Boy Color was a make or break moment for Nintendo, because although it had beat out Atari, Sega, and others, it's supremacy was rapidly being challenged by Sony, whose Playstation console, with its sleek design and more "mature" range of software choices, threatened to make Nintendo seem old-fashioned and irrelevant. The importance of the launch was heightened even more in Canada, because Canada simultaneously represented one of the…...
Nintendo ii
The most important factors in the external environment for the Nintendo ii are the demographic, economic, political/legal, sociocultural, technological and global environments. Each of these different environments is important to the Nintendo ii product and will be discussed in turn.
Video game consoles appeal to a wide demographic. Consumers in both the boys 2-18 bracket and the men 35+ bracket both favor the ii above all other consoles. The product also has strong appeal among females. There is no one typical console consumer, but they skew towards the male and the developed world. The largest cohorts in the United States are the baby boomers, who are not a prime target market for consoles, and the baby boom echo, who are. The core of the echo is 18-35, and they favor other consoles such as the PlayStation 3 (Nielsen, 2008).
The economic environment is characterized by long-term economic slowdown in core markets…...
mlaWorks Cited:
Nielsen. (2008). 4th Quarter 2008 console gender usage. Nielsen. Retrieved November 3, 2010 from http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/4th-qtr-2008-console-gender-usage-abridged.pdf
Alderman, L. (2010). Shift in Washington stirs economic jitters abroad. New York Times. Retrieved November 3, 2010 from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/04/business/global/04global.html?_r=1&ref=business
MAVAV. (2007). Jack Thompson vs. Wendy's. MAVAV. Retrieved November 3, 2010 from http://www.mavav.org/
BBC. (2003). Nintendo braves China market. BBC. Retrieved November 3, 2010 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3138948.stm
This is a different approach in comparison Nintendo, with Sony focusing on improving the overall amounts of realism on the PS3. As a result, the Playstation Eye is a possible substitute that could have an impact on the Wii. However, since it does not have similar motion features means that this is more of a distant threat that is being faced. (Eaton, 2009)
When you analyze the overall threat of substitutes that could be affecting the Nintendo Wii, it is clear that Microsoft's Natal is biggest. This is because the technology that it uses and the way it can interact with other features are superior to those on the Wii. Where, Natal can perform various functions that are not possible, causing some consumers to see this product as a better value. Once this occurs, it means that a shift could take place in the market. As a result, Nintendo needs…...
mlaBibliography
Porter Five Forces Analysis. (n.d.). Wikepedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porter_five_forces_analysis
Eaton, K. (2009). Sony, Microsoft Motion Controls. Fast Company. Retrieved from: http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/kit-eaton/technomix/sony-microsoft-motion-controls-will-beat-wii-its-own-game
Critical activities for the company in regards to its current status -- that is, ignoring the need for continued innovation and the eventual development of the next generation of game console, which is no doubt already in the works -- include maximizing production capacity and distribution capabilities. Generating operating capital does not seem to be an issue for the company, and sales and marketing efforts also appear to be successful. Though critical aspects of Nintendo's business, these do not require a great deal of change as they are already successful aspects of Nintendo's operations and overall strategy. The activties that are the most strategically important for the company in the long-term at this stage, in addition to the need to increase production capacity for the Wii, is to continue to be a leading innovator in the video game industry, with Nintendo distancing itself still further from its competitors and establishing…...
mlaIssues for Managerial Attention
As the above analysis clearly demonstrates, one of the primary issues of managerial concern for Nintendo in its current state (as described by the case study) iss the increase of Wii production levels to meet demand for the product. A change in pricing (I.e. making the unit more expensive) could also be warranted, which would make an adjustment to the demand curve on its own; the fact that consumers were willing to spend double or even triple the retail cost of a Wii in order to purchase one via Ebay and other online resale sites suggests that the profitability of these units could be higher than it currently is. A combination of increased supply through increased production capacities and a slightly decreased demand by raising the per-unit price would increase the company's profits and help the company to operate more efficiently according to the macroeconomic principles of supply and demand.
The other major issue that should be of concern to management at Nintendo is increasing the potential profitability and minimizing the risks to game developers. This issue is difficult to balance with the continued innovation that the company also needs, and that has been a definitive trait of the video game console manufacturer since 1979 when its first games rolled off the line. Finding a way for cross-platform game design to be facilitated without limiting the innovative aspects of the Wii would be of enormous benefit to the company and increase its appeal and potential profits exponentially through licensing fees and increased unit sales.
Wii U. Case Study
The Wii U. is a perfect example of Nintendo making the same general mistakes and encountering the same successes as they have in the past. While Nintendo has always been in the mix when it comes to the game station rivalries, they are rarely the ones that are leading the pack. Indeed, the Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation are probably the winners in terms of all-time gaming systems after Nintendo did quite well with the original 8-bit NES and the 16-bit SNES. This case study will look at what Nintendo is doing wrong and what they could be doing right instead.
Nintendo was very much on the forefront of gaming in their early days. Even today, they do make a lot of money with relatively few people as compared to the total revenue. However, there are two answers and replies to those facts. First of all, Nintendo has…...
mlaReferences
Microsoft. (2015). Windows 10 - Microsoft Windows. windows.microsoft.com. Retrieved 30 April 2015, from http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/about
N4G. (2015). PS4 vs. Xbox One: Sony's in Trouble, Not Microsoft | N4G. N4g.com. Retrieved 30 April 2015, from http://n4g.com/news/1617159/ps4-vs.-xbox-one-sonys-in-trouble-not-microsoft
US Gamer. (2015). Should I Buy a Wii U? USgamer.net. Retrieved 30 April 2015, from http://www.usgamer.net/articles/should-i-buy-a-wii-u
Xbox. (2015). Blu-ray App on Xbox One | Watch Blu-ray discs on Xbox One. Support.xbox.com. Retrieved 30 April 2015, from http://support.xbox.com/en-U.S./xbox-one/apps/bluray-info
Nintendo's senior management believes in creating highly collaborative teams where everyone has an equal voice in the product development and completed products, whether they be games or consoles. The Japanese management philosophy is to seek consensus and share knowledge extensively to ensure a greater level of success than would otherwise be the case (Ewalt, 2006). The game Super Smash Brothers Mario, the most successful product introduction Nintendo had in the last year according to their financial statements (Nintendo Investor elations, 2010) was produced using the virtual team model that seeks to create high levels of collaboration. Figure 1 is a screen copy of the game.
Figure 1: Images from Super Smash Brothers Brawl (Wii Platform)
The current positions that Nintendo have open are in product management, technical training, programming, and development. The programming and development positions require expertise in AJAX, JAVA and PC application development. In addition, expertise with online analytical…...
mlaReferences
Aaker, David A. 2009. "Design-Driven Innovation: Changing the Rules of Competition by Radically Innovating What Things Mean." Harvard Business School Press Books.
Ewalt (2006) - Nintendo's Wii Is A Revolution. David M. Ewalt. Forbes Online. Published 11/13/06. URL: http://www.forbes.com/technology/2006/11/13/wii-review-ps3-tech-media-cx_de_1113wii.html
Nintendo Investor Relations (2010) Nintendo Investor Relations site including Securities and Exchange Commission Filings and presentations to investment analysis: http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/index.html
Marketing Nintendo Wii
I believe it prudent to reiterate the importance of a global economy and the implications this has on American marketing tactics. It also showcases indirectly, how America is no longer the world leader in regards to economic activity but now must share that title with emerging nations including China and Japan. In fact, with the next 20 years, American could potentially be the third largest economy behind both India and China (1). This indicates the inevitable balance of power that is bound to shape the methods in which business and in particular, marketing is conducted. In addition, the world we currently live in is becoming more interrelated. What affects one nation now has global consequences and implications elsewhere. We need not look any further than our current economic conditions to see the results. As time goes on, a coordinated effort in regards to standards and quality of marketing…...
mlaReferences
1) "Employment Situation Summary." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Web. 14 July 2011. .
2) "Matrix Organization Structure." Business Plans. Web. 14 July 2011. .
3) "Attracting and Retaining Human Capital." / www.retensa.com/press/retentioneers/Attracting-and-Retaining-Human-Capital. Web. 8 July 2011.
The most relevant competitors at this stage are represented by the Microsoft Corporation, the SEGA Corporation and the Sony Corporation (Hoovers, 2010).
In terms of the second persona, the competition is less concentrated as the hi-tech consumers will often renounce brand loyalty and will look for products which serve their needs, even if these products are sold by small size companies. This status quo is due to two primary elements:
On the one hand, the technical consumers have higher expectations. They do not care for fashionability, but they expect high quality or even flexibility so that they can program over the initial application and personalize the game.
On the other hand, the status quo was propagated by the abundance of firms and even individuals who create applications and sell them within the virtual community. The advent of the internet then enhances competition within the industry by bringing games and gamers closer together.
Given…...
mlaReferences:
Farhoomand, a., 2009, Nintendo's disruptive strategy: implications for the video game industry, the Asia Case Research Center
Kotler, P., Keller, K.L., 2009, Marketing management, 13th edition, Pearson Education
2010, Nintendo Co. Ltd., Datamonitor, last accessed on November 26, 2010http://www.datamonitor.com/store/Product/nintendo_co_ltd?productid=AC85BB43-AE55-413B-A0AD-445DFE712CE3
2010, Nintendo Co. Ltd., Hoovers, last accessed on November 26, 2010http://www.hoovers.com/company/Nintendo_Co_Ltd/crxkki-1.html
Parents who see their child's life consumed by video games, and the Nintendo DS included, have serious and valid concerns when it comes to their child's well being. A balanced lifestyle is the healthiest lifestyle, and spending so much of one's day performing a single activity is numbing for the brain and the body. The American Enterprise, in an opinion piece on the effects of video games states, "Young Americans have an addiction problem, and it isn't drugs: It's video games. These inane mind-vacuums are the opiate of today's youth!" (American Enterprise, 12) This father's plea is a rather effective call to parents of children with such an addiction to video games to intervene in their child's situation. This situation is not universal, however, and with a little parenting, a child's habits can be managed so that they retain an interest in the outdoors and teamwork rather than sinking into…...
mlaWorks Cited
Letter to the Editors, ed. "A Further Plea for Caution Against Medical Professionals Overstating Video Game Violence Effects." Mayo Clinic Proceedings (2011): 820-23. Print.
Moore, Stephen. "Numbed by Nintendo." The American Enterprise (2005): 12. Print.
"Watch Out For The Health Hazards Of Video Games." Nintendo 3DS Portable Gaming Console. Consumer Reports, 29 Mar. 2011. Web. .
Then students use AlphaSmart software to paste the picture and explain in a paragraph why, how and where in the plot they feel that picture relates to the story. This tests three things: (a) student concentration; (b) student level of understanding of the general plot; and - student imagination. This is an important implementation because it opens the students' horizons and allows them to see the general links and relations that their own lives might have with the stories that they read. The implementation of taking the pictures is one way that this has been successfully achieved. This use of a camera is a very flexible application and is being used in different ways for different special-needs students.
May (2003) found that cameras are being used to also expand the span of words or vocabulary amongst the special-needs students. The teacher hands out a set of words to the students…...
mlaReferences
Beukelman, D.R., Beukleman, H.M., Ranklin, J.L., Wood, L.A. (2003). Early Computer Literacy: First Grades Use the "Talking" Computer. Reading Improvement. 40: 3. Retrieved August 16, 2007 from www.questia.com
Castek, J., Coiro, J., Henry, L.A., Leu, D.J., Mcmullan, M. (2004). The Lessons That Children Teach Us: Integrating Children's Literature and the New Literacies of the Internet. The Reading Teacher. 57: 5. Retrieved August 16, 2007 from www.questia.com
Doering, a., Hughes, J., & Huffman. D. (2003). Preservice teachers: Are we thinking with technology? Journal of Research on Technology in Education. 35(3), 342-362. In Speaker, K. (2004). Student Perspectives: Expectations of Multimedia Technology in a College Literature Class. Reading Improvement. 41: 4. Retrieved August 16, 2007 from www.questia.com
Dowrick, P.W. Kim-Rupnow, W.S, and Power, T.J. (2006). Video Feedforward for Reading. Journal of Special Education. 39: 4. Retrieved August 16, 2007 from www.questia.com
Key Success Factors
he most critical factors for Nintendo are being able to manage the unique value proposition of their products through the Internet marketing campaign and continued marketing strategies to continually grow new sales. he ability to create a highly salable gaming platform and then use it as the catalyst for increasing online sales is evident in their financial forecasts and the findings of empirical research in this area (Binken, Stremersch, 2009). o excel in their specific markets Nintendo must continue to lead the industry with their new product introduction process and set a pace of innovation competitors cannot match. his extends into their game product lines as well, as they are designed specifically for downloading over the Internet. he entire product strategy concentrates on capitalizing on the Internet as a communication, collaboration and product delivery channel.
Marketing Objectives
he marketing objectives for the Wii launch centered on being able to create…...
mlaThe marketing objectives for the Wii launch centered on being able to create a gaming platform that would allow for an entirely different type of game strategy to be put into place (Turner, 2007). This strategy centered on multi-generational consumers, and concentrated on creating activity, both physical and intellectual, to create an engaging experience but also lead to the development of an entirely new market segment. Nintendo relied on the concepts in Blue Ocean Strategy (Kim, Mauborgne, 2004) to plan and execute their product development, Internet marketing campaign and service strategies. The specific objectives from a marketing standpoint were as follows. First, to launch the Wii through multiple communications and sales channels, ranging from the Internet with the use of YouTube videos, heavy reliance on bloggers and key influences as evidences by their Web 2.0 strategy, in addition to a series of television commercials that approached the American and European customers as needed voices and inputs to make the product successful. The two Japanese travelers with the Wii were seeking feedback -- in effect they were offering the consumers who played with it ownership of the Wii's identity. The use of traditional print and banner ads online were supplanted with intensive print advertising in gaming magazines, again targeting key influencers. The television commercials were used to generate global awareness while specific communications strategies across a variety of print and online mediums were used for attracting key influencers' interest and keeping it up to the launch.
Company's corporate image and brand management
The Wii was the first product ever for Nintendo where they allowed for it to have its own identity outside of the branding conventions and structures they had created in the past (Kemp, 2006)
This represents a risky move in this oligopolistic industry. The price of the PS3 was set at $499 for the 20 GB model and $599 for the 60 GB model. The Xbox360 is $200 less and the ii was priced at $250 (Ono, 2006). Sony's goal with the pricing strategy was twofold -- to connote the premium nature of the product and to cover the costs. The cost structure of the ii is less well-known, but Nintendo's business is game consoles. They are dependent on gaining market share, and their involvement in the ii games indicates that console diffusion may be a loss leader to spur games sales. ith the Xbox360, it is widely known that Microsoft is selling the product below cost. They were a late entrant into the console business and as a result have kept prices low in order to gain market share.
ith respect to product,…...
mlaWorks Cited:
Sony UK Website: About Sony. Retrieved April 25, 2009 from http://www.sony.co.uk/article/id/1060176719725
No author. (2008). 2008: Essential Facts about the Computer and Video Game Industry. Entertainment Software Association. Retrieved April 25, 2009 from http://www.theesa.com/facts/pdfs/ESA_EF_2008.pdf
Eran, Daniel. (2006). The Next Generation Game Consoles. Roughly Drafted. Retrieved April 25, 2009 from http://www.roughlydrafted.com/RD/Q4.06/5B47C6B2-0191-4825-80C9-F6EBCA0E3B23.html
Shaw, Anne. (2008). The Gaming Console War is Still Undecided, Wii to Take Lead. eFluxMedia. Retrieved April 25, 2009 from http://www.efluxmedia.com/news_The_Gaming_Console_War_is_Still_Undecided_Wii_to_Take_Lead_14062.html
1. The strategic release of innovative and engaging video games across multiple platforms has played a crucial role in making Pokémon the highest revenue-generating multimedia franchise globally.
2. The extensive global reach of Pokémon through a combination of merchandise, trading card games, animated TV series, movies, and collaborations with various industries has contributed significantly to its impressive revenue generation.
3. The development of a strong and loyal fan base over the past two decades has been instrumental in sustaining Pokémon as a top revenue-generating franchise, with fans consistently investing in various related products and experiences.
4. The strategic marketing and brand partnerships of....
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now