Nintendo UK marketing director Shelly Pearce has told MCV that the company has teamed up with the UK’s biggest supermarket Tesco to raise brand awareness. Nintendo UK has booked its own in-store space at Tesco and they plan to send a five page leaflet to 300,000 Tesco customers that bought a Wii, but have yet to buy another console. The company says that it will even give away vouchers offering money-off games.
“We haven’t had the sales we wanted on Wii U hardware. We haven’t had the software for most of this year. But we have some quite ambitious numbers, particularly with some of our biggest franchises coming.”
“Our monthly tracking shows that Wii remains the No.1 console for brand awareness. This offers us a massive opportunity to convert Wii owners to Wii U.”
“Interest is starting to grow but we know we have a lot of work to do.”
“There was a big misconception at launch about what Wii U is. And one of the big messages is that this is a new console and a new controller. There are many people out there that don’t know what this is.”
Yay
They’ve got a small fault on this as they’ve not marketed anything for Wii U, so it’s no wonder they’ve not got the numbers they’ve wanted (Wii U owner myself).
I found out, as I read up lots off technology articles.
This!!
Why do you have to repeat what the marketing director said? He already admitted that Nintendo is a little bit to blame for this.
Wow! First I hear that Tesco had reduced the Nintendo shelf space. Now this. What a change.
This was reason they reduced floor space.
One of my earlier jobs (during college) in life was working in retail and they would never keep a large space and then make another large space. Floor space is just too valuable to a store.
I love how people will write this off as trying too hard, yet they’d criticize Nintendo for not doing anything about it either :P
Nintendo can not win in today’s gaming world,they could ldead both handheld anc home market and Sony,MS and PC fanboys will still come up with reasons why they suck,just look at the 3ds. First it was doomed then when it started selling they said they should just make handhelds.
Nintendo started to work seriously on marketing. I hope not too late in UK.
Hopefully this will help out but is it the best super market? Not sure but it is nice to show they are trying to prove there is a difference. What they should do is have it on their console box too and games as well as just booking space in a supermarket.
So new people who bought a wii get money off games to convert to a WiiU. So Nintendo are finally admitting that they are losing the fight . And are giving some incentives for people to buy into Nintendo – money off games . Ok so what do the local nintendo people get – the ones who bought into the company – with promises of games galore – something new . Nothing .. Don’t reply saying this is our own fault for buying straight away .. It’s nintendos they promised games that have been delayed – for example Wii fit – a new Zelda . If nintendo make it to the next generation – which I doubt they will – I won’t be buying into them straight away
Dam I forgot to sign in
“Nintendo are finally admitting that they are losing the fight.”
Uh, no, absolutely not. They’re marketing to raise brand awareness. How is that admitting a loss? (Spoiler: It’s not)
I agree with the early adopters getting royally fucked over.
I could have games on my 3DS 6 months and been perfectly happy waiting for a few deals and price drops.
I will buy Nintendo’s next handheld Day 1. Their next console, no fucking way unless they impress the hell outta me. And if the name “Wii” is in the title, Game-over.
Sigh, I knew the ambassador system would create entitled morons expecting something for free simply for buying a console at launch. There were a couple of consoles before that, surprise surprise, had no such boons at launch. I think Nintendo can afford a lack of patronage from jerks such as yourself.
The problem was, they said multiple games were coming out early/mid 2013, giving incentive, and then delayed them. They also said there would be no price drop. Looks like everyone with a Wii U got burned on that one.
Nintendo’s sold very few Wii Us, and they’re making their long term status as a company worse by giving consumers a reason NOT to buy their products at launch. I for one am NEVER buying a Nintendo console at launch again (unless there’s a giant factor that would motivate me to do so).
Handheld at launch? Possibly, so long as there’s a game I want. A new console would need one of Nintendo’s AAA franchises.
Cool. This is good to hear!
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That’s cool I suppose, I still think the holiday period will bring a lot more sales what with new games coming and hopefully more awareness!
It does annoy me that awareness is still low on what the Wii U is etc, maybe more advertising on tv too?
Yes, Nintendo should advertise more. I have seen only 1 commercial on TV about Wii U and that was at launch.. I live in Finland btw..
Have seen none in Norway.
CALL ME TROLL OR WHATEVER U WANT BUT AS A NINTENDO FAN THIS IS SO SAD TO SEE. NOW NINTENDO HAS TO BEG U TO GET A WII U, EVEN GIVING YOU THEM GAMES FOR FREE. :(
your a fan of nintendo yet you don’t understand their moves.
Wii U is very obscure for the public audience. Big N needs communicate their “new” machine before PS4 and X1 are lying in the shelves.
And they have to bring their message home in Europe and North Amerika first. In Japan they need to be vocal before the winter sales begin. But there are no new consoles this year.
Nintendo has a good line up in the next half year, but they need to broaden their install base to attract third party again.
if only it wasn’t called wiiu. majority of people would know what it is. whoever comes up with the names of nintendo’s systems is one clueless clown.
Agreed. I strongly believe it would be selling better if they didn’t drag “Wii” into the name.
Maybe, “NES HD” … anything..
They should have called it the “Yuu”…nuff said!
How is this any better than XBone?
I don’t understand how a name change can make a console any better.
It’s just the marketing strategy that hasn’t worked in their favor.
My 22-year-old brother who got me into gaming and Nintendo, who owns a N64, GameCube, and got us the Wii, thought the Wii U was the GamePad, and was astonished when I told him it was the black box. He then grew disappointed and very upset that this was the “next gen” console Nintendo had to offer.
While I don’t agree with him entirely on the last point, the fact that it’s called “Wii U” IS MOST of the problem. Especially since Nintendo’s few ads show Wiimotes being used alongside it. That just confuses consumers. They should ONLY show the Pro and GamePad controllers.
agree completely everyone i know thinks the Wii u is the gamepad, not another system itself.
Final week for Shantae, PLEASE help fulfill ALL of it’s stretch goals via pledging or flooding it’s PayPal
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1236620800/shantae-half-genie-hero
U GOTTA BE KIDDDING ME. STOP PROMOTING CHEAP SHOLVEWARE. NOBODY CARES ABOUT THAT SHANTAE THING
Cheap shovelware… You know Shantae has been around since the Game Boy Color days right?
IT DOESNT MATTER STILL SHOLVEWARE
Moron has a point about age having no bearing on whether a game is shovelware or not, though.
Shantae is gonna be in Smashbros
HOW DA YA LIKE THAT BITCH?
Say that to the 11,323 backers…
“… convert Wii owners to Wii U…” ? Really Nintendo ? Is that really what you want ? Just let down this reputation of “finished casual company” and call your fucking core of gamers back with some Metroid, Starfox or anything.
“Casual” people already bought their Wii and DS, they won’t buy other consoles because they are “HD”…
If this gen is a new casual gen, I’ll do what tons of people already did : I let down Nintendo and go for Sony.
The so-called ‘casual’ market is worth a pretty penny. Sony and Microsoft haven’t been able to crack the nut in the same way as Nintendo have. Expanding your market isn’t a bad thing, after all.
While I agree that more ‘core’ games would be better for us as pure gamers, that’s what Third-Parties are for. Also, patience is a virtue worth considering, as ‘core’-orientated exclusives like X, Mario Kart 8, Smash Bros and Bayonetta 2 are coming. Some of the big third-party multiplats are coming out too (Watch_Dogs, CoD, AC4) alongside solid Nintendo games (Tropical Freeze, 3D World, Pikmin 3) and exclusives (Sonic Lost World, Wonderful 101).
There’s no reason to get pissy just because you don’t agree with their marketing campaign. TESCO is a supermarket, NOT a dedicated game chain (unlike GAME). Stop freaking out like a five year old and man the fuck up.
“We haven’t had the sales we wanted on Wii U hardware. We haven’t had the software for most of this year. But we have some quite ambitious numbers, particularly with some of our biggest franchises coming.”
The Wii U isn’t a brand new system. It’s built on 7 year old hardware. This underpowered excuse of a console is a failure. Perhaps if they would have started making games for their “brand new system” years ago.
Those casuals that bought a Wii don’t buy games and have moved on to their tablets and smartphones. The grannies forgot about their Wii’s years ago. Babies only get games when their parents buy them one. That is the reason you don’t have “the sales we wanted on Wii U hardware”. The market they are after doesn’t buy games.
Hopefully they booked their own space in Tesco next to the toilet paper and the diapers. That will bring some awareness about this crap excuse of a console.
If you say that, then you’re admitting that X1 and PS4 are the same as they’re built on on old x86 architecture.
Didn’t think that through well did you.
Tell me, Katamari, Why are you on a Nintendo site if you don’t even like Nintendo?
Excellent!
The orders have been given…
To a supermarket who only stocks 5 of their best games on the shelfs
5 Wii Us is better than 0…
Good news!
Bout time.
This reminds me of what Nintendo did with the NES in the 80s in toy stores. They would have a World of Nintendo section.
Wii U is usable product, it could sell well but it just does not. Why? You can blame economic crisis, underpowered hardware, PS4 behind the corner etc. but main reason in my opinion is very bad marketing and lack of advertising. Someone from Nintendo come please to any european gameshop or TESCO game department and look around, you will see a lot of unsold Zombies… and that’s it. There are supposedly 52 Wii U games somewhere, but somehow they just didn’t make it to shops… There should be running Wii U in every corner so people could see and try themselves Pikmin 3 or Lego city… There are so many things that could be done to save Wii U… Stop selling old Wii-s, place all old Wii games to e-shop for free download… Get Wii U games to shops!!! Produce new games instead of old remakes… Listen to your customers!!!
“place all old Wii games to e-shop for free download”
I think you might be being a tad optimistic there.
Nintesco for the win.
Dude I’d shop there!
desperate times calls for desperate measures !
I fail to see how a pre plabned disruption of ps4 was desperate messures DICK HEAD AS A NINTENDO STOCK INVESTOR I POINT AND I GIGGLE
This was the plan all along a 3ds like first year and then DROP BOMBS ON PS4 RELEASE WITH PRICE DROPS NEW GAMES AND A MASSIVE OS UPDATE AND MIIVERSE ON PHONES ETC
Thats why I dropped 10k on nintendo shares 2 mounths ago
idiot its not despetation ITS DISRUPTION CLOWN SHOE THINKS HE KNOWS BIZNIZ MATTERS
Lol
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ONLY THE OTHER DAY YOU REPORTED THE COMPLETE OPERSITE MY NINTENDO NEWS
Fuck u and die RETRACT THE OTHER ARTICLE YOU LAME ASS BASTARDS