Download Integrated Marketing Communications

11/20/2012
INTEGRATED MARKETING
COMMUNICATIONS
Presented to
Dorothy Keane
Presented by
Julieanne O Connor
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Contents
History.............................................................................................................................. 3
Brand Values ................................................................................................................... 4
Brand Personality ............................................................................................................ 6
Brand Strategy ................................................................................................................. 8
Integrated Marketing Communication ........................................................................... 9
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 12
Bibliography ........................................................................................................................ 13
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The Nintendo Company is renowned worldwide for their lead in the videogames industry to
date but this company started out long before videogames were ever even heard of.
Nintendo was founded in 1889 by a man called Fusajiro Yamauchi in Kyoto, Japan. Mr
Yamauchi first began producing Hanafuda cards, which were Japanese playing
cards. These cards were initially intended for export from Japan but became
very popular within Japan and throughout the world. In the early years
Nintendo tried to launch into a number of different areas including the launch
of a ‘love hotel’ and a taxi company service but both these projects failed. But
even to date Nintendo have a number of different interests outside the video game industry
including being a majority stakeholder of Seattle Mariners major league baseball team.
(Nintendo, 2012)
In 1933, the company became an unlimited partnership know as Yamauchi Nintendo & Co.
In 1950 Fusajiro passed on all operations and power to his son Hiroshi Yamauchi who took
office as President of the company and changed its name to Nintendo Playing Cards Co. Ltd.
Nintendo Playing Cards Co. Ltd was the first Japanese company to successfully manufacture
plastic playing cards to a mass market. Hiroshi made a deal with Walt Disney to produce
cards which featured some of his characters on them. This opened up a wider audience and
allowed Nintendo to now also target the children’s playing cards market. In 1963 Nintendo
Playing Cards Co. Ltd was listed on the second section of the Osaka Stock Exchange and on
the Kyoto Stock Exchange. Just under a year later Hiroshi decided to change the name
dropping the ‘Playing Cards’ they were now to be known as Nintendo Co. Ltd. This is when
Hiroshi decided to explore the gaming industry which would turn out to be the major
success of Nintendo. (Balanon, 2012)
Over the years Nintendo have made significant developments which have changed the lives
of gamers throughout the world. In 1977, Nintendo in collaboration with Mitsubishi Electric
developed the first home-use video game console, "TV Game 15" and "TV Game 6". Since
then Nintendo has been the leader in the development of the video game world. They have
brought a new life and meaning to gaming. Nintendo opened the gaming world to everyone
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rather than aiming just at the standard market. (A History of the Nintendo Company Ltd,
2012)
Brand Values
Brand value is in one aspect how the company is perceived from its consumers and the
general public, but brand value is also a representation of the company’s financial position
on a balance sheet. For this I shall discuss the perception of the company from the
consumers’ point of view.
Family Entertainment
Nintendo changed its focus to providing fun and entertainment for the family as a whole.
This was as a result of their plan to widen the audience for video games. Throughout the
development of Nintendo products they focused on how to involve the whole family in the
gaming experience. Nintendo proved this most successful in
the launch of the Nintendo Wii. The Wii is aimed as a fun
entertaining way for the family to interact. It allows for
hours of fun with the added bonus of exercising as you play
without even noticing. The marketing strategy of the Wii
was for everyone to see the benefits. Children would see the fun gaming side to it where as
parents could see how it allowed for hours of family fun and a way to get the family more
active.
Simplicity
Nintendo is synonymous with brightly coloured, fun children’s’ video games. It was always
seen to be aimed at the younger generation but now Nintendo attract all generations and
variety of people. Nintendo is seen to be too easy and occasionally referred to as been
‘dumbed down’. The company play on this perception of Nintendo games. They market it
as being a casual, enjoyable type of gaming experience for all to enjoy. The idea of the
Nintendo gaming range being too easy comes from the development of the hardware used.
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In earlier times the limitations of the hardware lead to games being difficult even though
they were less complex. For instance, in MegaMan, all that you could do was run, jump and
shoot. So in order to make the game more engaging and keep consumers interested they
would have to make the games challenging.
Nintendo’s brand value is worth approximately $2,437m. This is an enormous amount of
value for a company which its main production is video games. (Finance, 2012)
It is very important for Nintendo to maintain this level of value and
keep their high standard within the company in order to stay
competitive.
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Brand personality
Brand personality is the human characteristics or traits in which the consumer will associate
with a particular brand. Brand personality shows brand behaviour in two different ways,
both as the individual, such as employees, representing the brand and also through the
companies advertising, packaging, promotions, etc. Brand personality is basically the
personification of the brand. The brand personality of a company comes as a result of the
consumer’s experience with the brand, so we can tell from this that first impressions make a
great impact on the consumers experience therefore this is one of the most important traits
for branding. (Grocers, 2012)
Nintendo has created a strong brand image. The variety of characters helps to personify
Nintendo. When you ask people what would they associate with Nintendo the most
frequent answer is Mario and Luigi or Donkey Kong. Nintendo characters allows the
consumer to engage with the company as selecting characters in games helps to make the
experience more realistic and a personal experience.
Words which are regularly associated with Nintendo include:

Mario and Luigi

Entertainment

Family fun

Learning

Interactive

Japan

Game consoles

One Direction

Donkey Kong

Pokémon
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From these we can then personify Nintendo and create a more realistic image for
consumers.
If Nintendo was a person it would be:

Young

Male

Japanese

Fun

Active

Gamer
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Brand Strategy
Brand strategy is decision-making for effective handling of brands. Brand strategy is based
on the definition of the characteristics of the intended consumers. This is the long-term
marketing support for a brand which includes the understanding of consumer preferences,
and their expectations of the brand.
In 2005, Sony ruled the video game world, closely followed by Microsoft. The close
competition between both companies, Sony with the Playstation and Microsoft with the X
Box, left no room for Nintendo. As a result of this Nintendo decided to develop a Blue
Ocean Strategy as opposed to trying to compete within this close market. Blue Ocean
Strategy is a modern age business strategy which focuses mainly on ignoring all competition
on the market, and creating new customers therefore creating a new market with less
competition. Nintendo’s aim was instead of putting this new technology and power into the
hands of gamers, was to put it into the hands of non-gamers. They wanted a console that
would appeal to everyone, to mother and child, teens and parents. Out of this came the
introduction of the Nintendo Wii. (Brand study Nintendo, 2012)
Another of Nintendo’s Brand Strategy’s was the employing of a
talented product design team. Nintendo has one of the most
creative production groups that have a thirty year record of
creating new games. The new strategy was for this group to be
open-minded in their creation and fulfil all of its potential. They
succeeded in this with the creation of both the Wii and DS. Both
the Wii and DS appeal to a wide range of people. The appeal of these products was “casual
games”. The new category went from 1% to over 20% by 2005 (Enterbrain, 2005).
A final strategy of Nintendo was the hiring of a new CEO. The new CEO was a young,
energetic, entrepreneurial gamer. He gained acceptance and began to generate excitement
around the new strategy, and was able to line up the talent which was needed to implement
it. This has resulted of nearly five years of market and brand success for Nintendo. They
now face competitors creating a formidable response. (View Point, 2012)
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Integrated Marketing Communication
Integrated Marketing Communication is the approach to obtaining the objectives of a
marketing campaign through the use of different promotional methods that are
intentionally designed to support each other. It is also used when companies are trying to
attract new customers and retain them in the future. The stronger the brand value of a
company is the easier it will be for the company to retain customers.
Nintendo worked with advertising agency Leo Burnett for over seven years but in 2007 they
decided to break away from them. This resulted in a bidding war between advertising firms
to establish who would work with Nintendo. The marketing firm Karmarma outbid three
other firms with a bid of $13 million to become the current advertising agency for Nintendo.
Going out of their way to let people know they care about everyone, not just their target
market has allowed Nintendo to build up good relationships with all they encounter.
Nintendo use the following ways to advertise their brand:
Internet
Having a market that is influenced greatly by technology and innovation, Nintendo decided
to put a big percentage into internet marketing. Placing ads on popular websites such as
YouTube, Google and Facebook will help to reach the target market in a larger way. Also
giving the consumer an opportunity to purchase products online allows them to purchase at
their own leisure. Nintendo have set up contracts with some of the top gaming websites
which include gamestop.com, ign.com and cheatcodecentral.com. Exposure through these
leading websites will give Nintendo instant exposure and the ability to reach the target
audience quicker.
Interactive/Direct Mail
Direct and Interactive media is another way Nintendo can target a segment and keep them
interested. Demo booths set up in stores such as Gamestop will give Nintendo give the
market the ability to try out games before they buy them. This gives them familiarity with
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products and decreases the chance of a customer returning a game that they do not like.
Interactive kiosk in shopping shopping centres will also allow customers to get an idea of
what the product is about. Billboards promoting our Nintendo will generate a buzz and
interest that will have consumers talking and interested to see what the company has to
offer.
Television
Like any company, television is an important method to use for integrated marketing
program. A strong advertising message will be a strong component to building solid ground
within the market. Placement of commercials on stations such as Cartoon network, MTV
and ESPN will target a good part of Nintendo’s target market. In saying this Nintendo will
also broadcast advertisements on channels that will target all types of consumers. The great
thing about what Nintendo are doing is that they feel gaming is for everyone to enjoy. To
get that information out to everyone Nintendo need to have an integrated marketing
communications approach that exceeds those that they have put out in the past.
Magazine
Magazine is a media link that is not used enough by companies. Nintendo want to hit the
magazine market in a way that will brings’ positive feedback and customers desiring
Nintendo products. Bleed pages is a strategy that Nintendo want to incorporate to grab the
reader’s attention. Nintendo have set up different structural measures with two of the most
popular gaming magazines: Game-pro and Game-informer. When reaching out to the older
market or less known markets, Nintendo’s strategy will concentrate more on the ability to
enjoy games at a certain age than the actual game they are playing.
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Promotions
Nintendo’s promotion objective has less money
thrown into it, but seems to bring about the
most interest. Coupons in magazines and kiosks
placed in shopping centres will have
opportunities to get discounted items and
other bonus options. Combining the products
in with different discounts of purchases keeps
customers happy that they get a help with pricing, but also keeps them purchasing within
the company. Such promotions as purchasing a Nintendo game, you could get up to ten
percent off your next video game.
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Conclusion
Nintendo as we can see are quiet successful with their branding. They are very good at
creating a unique image for the Nintendo brand. From their brand values it is clear that to
Nintendo want to create the ultimate brand for all to enjoy. Nintendo want products that
are for everyone not just your typical gamer. Over time Nintendo have built up strong
brand values and recognition. They treasure the fact that brand values are highly important
to consumers and try to build on these all the time.
Nintendo now tend to focus on the family aspect if gaming. From the release of the
Nintendo Wii they have managed to bring this aspect of gaming to the attention of all
consumers. This has created a whole new brand personality for the company in comparison
to many years ago. Nintendo is now perceived as a fun, active, family gaming experience.
Nintendo have also changed their branding strategy. Nintendo now operate a Blue Ocean
Strategy. This is a strategy which focuses on building up a consumer base and trying to
obtain this. Nintendo do not perceive the market as a competitor. They prefer to create
their own market and allow competitors to compete with them.
Nintendo use many different ways of advertising and gaining consumer interest. Their main
form of advertising is the use of the internet. This is one of Nintendo’s most valued forms of
advertising.
Overall Nintendo have many strong values and continue to grow within the market.
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Bibliography
A History of the Nintendo Company Ltd. (2012). Retrieved October 2008, from Yahoo voices:
http://voices.yahoo.com/a-history-nintendo-company-ltd-2042898.html?cat=3
Balanon, E. (2012). History of Nintendo. Retrieved November 2012, from FacerEnzine:
http://www.sundialmedia.com/sait/articles/foundations/eric_f.htm
Brand study Nintendo. (2012). Retrieved November 2012, from sixsix8productions:
http://www.sixsix8.com/2009/12/brand-study-nintendo-part-3/
Finance, B. (2012). Brand Direcrtory. Retrieved November 2012, from Brand Finance:
http://brandirectory.com/profile/nintendo
Grocers, U. (2012). Ugrocers. Retrieved november 2012, from Ugrocers:
http://www.ugrocersbrand.com/gui/content.asp?w=pages&r=87&pid=206
Nintendo. (2012). Nintendo History. Retrieved November 2, 2012, from Nintendo Co. Ltd:
http://www.nintendo.com/corp/history.jsp
View Point. (2012). Retrieved November 2012, from View Point:
http://www.marketingpower.com/ResourceLibrary/Publications/MarketingNews/2010/10_30_10/A
aker%20on%20branding.pdf
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