Nintendo places stay on Wii ads

Publisher pulls marketing efforts in UK for popular console on fears of generating too much demand; replaces with DS adverts.

Nintendo has stopped advertising its in-demand Wii console in the UK, replacing planned ads with ones for the DS instead, according to Marketing Week.

In the run-up to Christmas, advertising is usually frenzied for video games and consoles, but Nintendo has decided that since the console is in short supply, there is no point in promoting it.

A Nintendo spokesman explained, "We have been running the campaign all year round, but we want to take a responsible stance this Christmas and not fuel demand."

Nintendo is currently producing 1.8 million Wiis a month, reports Marketing Week, although the company has still been unable to meet the demand for the console, which remains in short supply at many retailers.

At least one person is quite pleased about the Wii scarcity. Sony's Howard Stringer recently said in an interview that he believed it was "fortuitous" for the PlayStation 3 that Nintendo was running out of stock.

168 Comments

  • chillpill100

    Posted Dec 11, 2007 5:31 pm PT

    whatever you do, i support you nintendo

  • surppo

    Posted Dec 11, 2007 11:16 am PT

    sony and microsoft are trying to grow there brand. the wii is growing the whole industry by creating demand where there wasnt any.i dont consider it a contender in the console wars because even if it out sales the competition nobodies going out of business. like sony did the dreamcast last gen. wii is in its own category a mascot for the whole industry.

  • sumo1973

    Posted Dec 10, 2007 4:14 pm PT

    Nintendo really, really needs to sort this out. They had to halt Gamecube production last generation because supply was greater than need and now the opposite is true. Nintendo you have a winner with the Wii, you advertise it now (I didn't see many Gamecube adverts last time) and yet you can't get the damm thing out quick enough. People will buy the competition if Nintendo is not careful....

  • devilmaycry2020

    Posted Dec 10, 2007 2:35 pm PT

    haha.....funny

  • Bench_Scientist posted Dec 10, 2007 9:34 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    Bench_Scientist

    Posted Dec 10, 2007 9:34 am PT (hide)

    whatever nintendo...just keep hyping your gamecube v1.5

  • Djungelurban

    Posted Dec 10, 2007 6:28 am PT

    It's so funny. In Sweden you can find Wii's EVERYWHERE and it's been like that since launch pretty much. No short supply here no...

  • Rect_Pola

    Posted Dec 10, 2007 6:03 am PT

    When was the last time you've heard of a company pulling this?
    I get that they don't want to get people drooling over product they can't deliver, but it just sounds funny they're afraid of sales draining them.

    Next step: anti-advertising!

  • Excall

    Posted Dec 10, 2007 6:00 am PT

    roflmao

    Majin: No matter how nice the arguments look you're still a ps3 fanboy and nobody will take you seriously.

  • Bei_Kailin

    Posted Dec 10, 2007 3:36 am PT

    Majin-Vegeta:

    Your arguments make a lot of sense and are well thought out. It is apparent you feel strongly for this topic and have high hopes for the future of gaming.

    Unfortunately, you're so incredibly wrong that I think you'd be better off just playing video games instead of lecturing other people about them.

  • bunyipbrown

    Posted Dec 10, 2007 2:09 am PT

    wow you guys ever heard of a company not needing to advertise its product?

  • PolkaStripe

    Posted Dec 9, 2007 11:56 pm PT

    its acutally more fortuitous for the xbox 360 because if the wii is out of stock and someone wants to get a console then, they would go for 360 because its way cheaper than ps3 and they would only be getting it if wii is out of stock.

  • trackstar713

    Posted Dec 9, 2007 10:26 pm PT

    Smart move by Nintendo. The Wii is so popular they don't need to advertise becuz everyone already know what the Wii is, what it can do, and that they want one. Once the holidays are over I'm sure they'll be able to keep up with demand, but until a good portion of families have one, they will continue to be sold out. Glad I already got mine :-)

  • fredwv

    Posted Dec 9, 2007 9:29 pm PT

    there's only a shortage because of people buying them for the soul purpose of putting them on ebay *shrug*

  • Majin-Vegeta posted Dec 9, 2007 9:03 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    Majin-Vegeta

    Posted Dec 9, 2007 9:03 pm PT (hide)

    I don't understand what it is with some of the people here. They think that just because the Wii is selling so well, it must be taking Playstations spot as the #1 console.

    Well, I have to say, that isn't really the case. Sure its selling well, SO FAR, fact of the matter is, we have to look at whom is it marketing to. The reason the Nintendo Wii is so popular is because its attracting a new crowd, not because all of a sudden people love Mario more than the titles that made Sony's PS1 and PS2 a success. Its because people new to gaming can pick up the system and play right off the bat. Its so simple, you use the controller as a bat, or a tennis racket and swing, who the hell doesn't know how to play baseball or tennis or bowling?

    Now compare those games to Final Fantasy, God of War, Okami, and you will realize a big difference. The games on the Wii such as Wii Sports, Mama Cooking, Wii Fit etc. are simple games meant to get non-gamers off their feet and to start giving Nintendo a chance. And so Nintendo did a perfect job attracting new gamers.

    So the people buying a Nintendo Wii are fans who love Zelda, Mario, Smash Bros. etc. and people who like some simple games like Wii Sports.

    Now if you look at all the 3rd party titles, most of the top high end titles are exclusive to Playstation 3 and Xbox360. If the Nintendo Wii was trying to steal Xbox's or Playstation's fan base, its definitely doing a horrible job, because even the 3rd party developers are still exclusive with their BIG TITLES. Now you may wonder which big titles, GTA4? COD4? Assassins Creed? Ace Combat 6? Virtua Fighter 5? Street Fighter 4? Resident Evil 5? Devil May Cry 4? need I go on?

    The kind of titles the casual gamers who have been buying Playstation 2 for are only available on the Playstation 3, some are available on Xbox360 as well. So Nintendo Wii isn't all of a sudden winning this war, the war has a long way to go. But I can tell you right now, Nintendo Wii is not going to win unless it can sell more than a 120 million units, and thats if Playstation 3's fan base doesn't grow more than 120 million.

    So, its all about the games, thats why people buy consoles. And clearly from the looks of it, Playstation 3 still has some of the biggest and the most striking titles such as MGS4, Final Fantasy 13, Star Ocean etc. while Nintendo still has its Mario's and Zelda's plus this new entry into simple gaming and Xbox360 is still with its shooters (at least most of them).

    So it is not AMAZING that Nintendo Wii is in demand, its because of these simple titles that new people are getting attracted to this system. Most people who see God of War or Devil May Cry 4 or those other big titles get confused and turned off immediately.

  • majere613

    Posted Dec 9, 2007 6:43 pm PT

    I'm not sure Nintendo are as happy with this situation as a lot of posters seem to think they should be. I'm old enough to remember (fondly) the Commodore Amiga, and one of the things that killed that company was being unable to meet demand for the machines, which meant people bought PCs instead. People not being able to get a Wii for Christmas is only good news for Microsoft and Sony, both of whom are pushing hard for the festive market as you'd expect.
    Nintendo have tried to make console gaming more mass-market than it's ever been before, and they have succeeded, there's no doubt of that. But regardless of their relatively small size compared to their competitors, they could, and should, have secured more investment in the manufacturing side of things, and I wouldn't be at all suprised if a few heads have already rolled backstage over it.

  • link631

    Posted Dec 9, 2007 6:33 pm PT

    thats right god bless America!!

  • Hellmonkey012

    Posted Dec 9, 2007 11:26 am PT

    GOD BLESS AMERICA. LAND THAT I LOVE.

    even though they are not trying to, they are increasing demand by doing this.

  • Kravyn81 posted Dec 9, 2007 10:19 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    Kravyn81

    Posted Dec 9, 2007 10:19 am PT (hide)

    I'm gonna laugh my ass off when this whole Wii fad backfires and ends up doing more damage to Nintendo then anything before it.

  • razu_gamer

    Posted Dec 9, 2007 6:14 am PT

    DS owns too.

  • thegalaxycoming

    Posted Dec 9, 2007 6:08 am PT

    It's pathetic that Howard Stringer thinks that way, when Wii is constantly going out of stock and PS3 is always sitting on the store shelves, unsold.
    There's a message right there, and it comes across loud and clear.
    But yeah, I don't think the Wii sales will be affected, since It's already going out of stock, and advertising for something the common consumer can't get a hold of is just plain stupid.

  • RPFcorvette

    Posted Dec 9, 2007 4:16 am PT

    Lol Howard Stringer thinks the Wii shortage will make the PS3 sell more, but the fact is that they just sit on the shelves.

  • Chief_Kuuni

    Posted Dec 9, 2007 3:12 am PT

    weird, why would they want to not sell as much wii's?

  • gonzalezj1

    Posted Dec 9, 2007 1:12 am PT

    OK guys, lets get a few things straight.

    This Wii shortage is not some master plan concocted by Nintendo. Nintendo is not Sony and it is not Microsoft - it is a relatively small company. If the demand for the Wii gets to a certain point, they don't necessarily have the resources to "just make more". Options like ramping down production on other products or moving production to more factories or even opening new factories may be viable for companies like MS and Sony, but not Nintendo.

    Second, how could you say that pulling the ads for the Wii is a stupid business move? Why would Nintendo want to make more people mad than necessary? Here's an example: say a million people saw a Wii advert and decided they wanted a Wii for Christmas or whatever. But wait, there's only 500,000 Wiis available! That means that there are 500,000 people who are now mad at Nintendo and may not buy their products in the future. Why not wait until supply is up and then court what would be today's ticked-off consumer tomorrow as a happy Nintendo loyal.

  • sergioalb64

    Posted Dec 8, 2007 9:36 pm PT

    And then there's gonna be huge demand for DS systems, and Nintendo will replace THOSE ads with Virtual Boy ads, and eBay auctions will explode.

  • Lafuigi

    Posted Dec 8, 2007 3:26 pm PT

    I think its amazing that the Wii is so much in demand that they have to scrap the idea of ads!

  • TheoleDominion1

    Posted Dec 8, 2007 3:23 pm PT

    Wow Nintendo, to go from 3rd(last-gen) to first(current-gen) is amazing. Can't keep up with the demands, not a bad problem to have for a company.

  • Narroo

    Posted Dec 8, 2007 3:14 pm PT

    This is a first in market history.

  • anjul

    Posted Dec 8, 2007 1:57 pm PT

    This makes sense. There isn't any point in advertising it if they don't have enough of it to sell. Because of the already existing hype, i'm sure whatever they're currently able to produce will be sold out fast. I mean, I personally doubt they would do this unless they were SURE that the ad hype would not be necessary in promoting their product.

  • Lucidmike78

    Posted Dec 8, 2007 1:55 pm PT

    Get over it. Nintendo is not a fad. If all gamers were to die today, they have unique games that people who don't normally play games would play. For that reason, it is always going to be there, there will always be games coming out for it, and there will always be demand for a long time. I think its ridiculous that Nintendo hasn't upped their production, but considering how many they're selling, and how much interest there still is, I'll give them the benefit of doubt that they know what they are doing.

  • matrixman2k

    Posted Dec 8, 2007 1:05 pm PT

    Trouble is when the thing is hot, thats when people are interested in it. Once the party has ended there's no point in trying to supply them - meaning they should have done something about the shortage while people still want one. Might come back and haunt them later on, just look at sony.

  • pro_gamer12345

    Posted Dec 8, 2007 10:22 am PT

    wow... they actually had to pull down ads?
    impressive..

  • Grinder86

    Posted Dec 8, 2007 10:12 am PT

    Nintendo ROCKS!

  • trunksjimmy71 posted Dec 8, 2007 10:00 am PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    trunksjimmy71

    Posted Dec 8, 2007 10:00 am PT (hide)

    What happens if Nintendo's strategy is just like Cartman's from South Park. You know that one episode where he buys the amusement park and then doesn't let anyone in, and after a while he has to let people in so he can get a little money to keep the park going and then after a while there are a lot of people going. In Nintendo's case it is that they are making a shortage and just selling a little bit of Wiis to people so that they can get a little bit of money and then after a while they are going to have a lot of Wiis and then they are going to have a bunch of sales. But who knows...

  • Theseeus

    Posted Dec 8, 2007 9:33 am PT

    Man, Nintendo just seems to make better and better decisions.

  • LordBelgarion

    Posted Dec 8, 2007 9:00 am PT

    Dang man! Go Nintendo!

  • fraz1776

    Posted Dec 8, 2007 8:42 am PT

    I never thought I'd see the day when Ninty had to pull down advertising!!

    TV ads for the Gamecube and N64 were like Rocking Horse poop in the UK!!

  • ftjx

    Posted Dec 8, 2007 8:30 am PT

    oh my god! THEY ACTUALLY HAVE TO PULL DOWN ADS!!!!!!!!!!

  • swamplord666

    Posted Dec 8, 2007 3:46 am PT

    I would love to have a buisness that sells so well that I shouldn't advertize it cuz i have not enough stock... Living the dream Miyamoto!

  • razu_gamer

    Posted Dec 8, 2007 3:10 am PT

    I saw an ad for Hotel Dusk room 215.

  • Romperstomper74

    Posted Dec 8, 2007 12:55 am PT

    This is a load of crap because not only have Nintendo run out of stock for the WII but they have also run out of stock for the DS lite as well. The problem being with Nintendo making so many promises to all the big stores out here and mail order catalogues and not to mention the online shopping industry they do not have neough to supply both systems not just the Wii.

    I had problems getting the Nintendo ds for my 6 year old daughter for christmas. I ordered it on the 11th of september thinking I would beat the christmas rush! But boy was I wrong, I was repetedly told to wait until October, then November then I was told I would deffinately get it in the 1st week of december needless to say I didnt get it I had to cancel the order and search elsewhere for it. Argos only had the white DS all the rest were sold out, and even GAME who has a sponsour place on this site has only got the PINK ones.

    And as for Sony being happy I dont know why because their consoles are more expensive then the Nintendo ones, so is it any surprise to them that people are going more for the Xbox and Nintendos ? No I didnt think so

  • V-Nine

    Posted Dec 7, 2007 11:05 pm PT

    Makes me wonder if they are purposely making a shortage so they can introduce a different SKUed Wii. Like the supposed DVD playback that cant be sowftware enabled only by some new piece of hardware be it add on or modified Wii internals.

  • xkojimax

    Posted Dec 7, 2007 10:20 pm PT

    ROFL

    That last paragraph, haha, makes it seem like the only way people will be buy ps3's is if Wii's are out, hahahah

  • pingu2k6

    Posted Dec 7, 2007 8:07 pm PT

    With regards to 3rd party games mentioned by others earlier, I'm hoping that it works as follows: The 'Cube got little 3rd party support since it wasn't selling. Hopefully developers will start to realise in '08 that the Wii is actually doing well and will stop giving us lazy PS2 ports and more innovative games. Here's to the dream...

  • Vash67

    Posted Dec 7, 2007 7:34 pm PT

    Good old Nintendo and their smart-as-a-rock business moves. Why would they want to create more demand for their console?

  • Sw0rDMaN posted Dec 7, 2007 7:26 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. login to show)

    Sw0rDMaN

    Posted Dec 7, 2007 7:26 pm PT (hide)

    I work in a Videogame store and people ask me 1000 times a day if i have the Wii in stock. And i always answer no! Damn you Nintendo my life is a nightmare because of you. I cant take these questions anymore!

    Do something crap.. Build new factories. The console has been out for one year and they still cant beat the demand.

    I hate nintendo and i will never buy a Wii for all the suffering it is causing me!

  • prioritymail

    Posted Dec 7, 2007 6:08 pm PT

    Thank you nintendo, the shopping shelves will now be a better place thanks to you not putting on commercials?

  • boobush

    Posted Dec 7, 2007 5:50 pm PT

    Nintendo made a good strategy by having shortages for one year, but after one year people's not gonna wait anymore for Wii and are gonna start to buy 360's and PS3s.I mean, they have the green to make more consoles. Anyway, the Wii never needed propaganda.

  • halokila

    Posted Dec 7, 2007 5:30 pm PT

    in case sony didnt know, thats a good thing. they just wish that was happening to them.

  • azone12

    Posted Dec 7, 2007 4:59 pm PT

    1.8 million damn thats a lot

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