Nintendo Switch and Their New Target Market
Nintendo has been a house-hold name for a very long time. According to an article from Business Insider, “Nintendo has been the number-one household name in video games since releasing the Famicom in Japan back in 1983. The console’s interchangeable floppy disks and inspiring games helped the company push back against the arcades that dominated the video game industry at the time” (Dunn & Webb, 2019).
Nintendo rose to fame with not only their game consoles, but especially with games like “Super Mario Bros.” and “The Legend of Zelda”. These games quickly became fan favorites and the consoles only continued to improve.
Fast forward to 2017 when the Nintendo Switch was released worldwide to most regions, and Nintendo quickly realized what a success the Switch would become. This new version of a game console quickly changed the world of gaming!
According the Erik Kain from Forbes, “the Nintendo Switch is a hybrid console–you can dock it to your TV and play on the big screen, or you can play it in handheld mode. You can even detach the Joy-Con controllers and set the screen on a table or desk and play it that way” (Kain, 2019).
The versatility of the Switch makes it so attractive and so unique, and the amazing two-in-one system combines the best qualities of all of Nintendo’s past consoles.
Target Audience
Nintendo has done a fairly good job at marketing their products in the past. With the exception of the Wii U, Nintendo has always been on top of their game when it came to marketing and selling their products. Since the Nintendo Switch was the first of its kind, the target audience was unique compared to other products. From my research and my own assumptions, I would conclude that the Nintendo Switch target audience is aimed at 18–29 year old male and females. This target audience is made up of those people who grew up with the earlier versions of the Nintendo gaming consoles, but are now old enough to purchase a gaming console and invest in new games for themselves.
According to an article from Gamasutra, “ages for initial Switch owners leaned towards those in their mid-twenties to mid-thirties before demographics began to skew both younger and older, implying that families and younger people were not as quick to adopt the console right away” (Kidwell, 2019).
These numbers have given me insight on how I would market to Nintendo’s target audience for the Switch. The target market is primarily male and female’s ages 18–29, but you can see that there is still a large amount of people interested in this product that fit an older demographic as well.
Since this target audience is extremely present on social media, I would continue to use social media platforms, such as Instagram and YouTube to engage and market to this target audience.
The Unique Selling Point of Nintendo Switch
There can be a number of unique selling points that make the Nintendo Switch stand out from the competition. One unique selling point is the portability and versatility of the console. During Nintendo’s early marketing for the Switch, this was something that was really played up because of how useful the three different modes (TV, handheld and tabletop mode) could be for users.
Another unique selling point is how amazing the games Nintendo created were for the Switch. According to Forbes, “the Nintendo Switch is the only place to play all of Nintendo’s best games. From The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to Super Smash Bros Ultimate, the Nintendo Switch is brimming with exclusive content you can’t play anywhere else” (Kain, 2019). The “exclusive content”, is what makes the Nintendo Switch so captivating. Since this is the only console some of these games can be played on, it makes the device that much more exclusive and appealing.
Why is it so Important To Have A Unique Selling Point?
Before purchasing a product, many consumers ask themselves questions like: “Why should I buy this product?, Why is this product so unique?, What makes it different or better than other products?”
This is why it is extremely important for businesses to have unique selling points. The unique selling points need to help differentiate the product from the competition. If consumers can answer these questions with a product such as the Nintendo Switch, then the business knows that the unique selling points will continue to gain consumers.
Especially in today’s world it is hard to come across a completely unique idea, but when companies have one they need to make sure their unique selling points are conveyed in every single aspect of marketing.
References:
