Nintendo Marketing Mix
QUESTIONS & IDEAL ANSWERS:
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1. Conduct a 4C's Stakeholders Analysis of the Nintendo Wii Market in 2006. Please note that an analysis is more than just a list. You need to describe each stakeholder and how they affect the strategy.
• Consumers (note: there's more than one target segment): The case notes that Nintendo targeted non-gamers in addition to gamers. This included consumers of any age and gender. Conversely, competitors like Sony focused on teens and males. The case also mentions moms/housewives and families as targets of Nintendo marketing. The ideal answer analyzed gamers and a few non-gamer segments, such as moms. Analysis should have included qualitative description -- why is this segment interested in the Wii? -- and quantitative data, such as the segment's size and value. Finding quantitative data required research beyond the case, perhaps to the U.S. Census website. Such data is not easy to find, but this extra effort is what distinguishes an "A" paper. Extra credit was given to creative segmentation, such as targeting businesses and office workers, who might play the Wii on breaks, or doctors who would recommend Wii to their patients.
• Company (keep this brief: focus on 2006 -- no Nintendo history required): A company analysis is not a history report. It should describe the company's brand, resources, internal stakeholders, strengths and weaknesses. An ideal answer noted that Nintendo has a long reputation in gaming, but with the Wii it built a family-friendly brand "that puts smiles on surrounding people's faces." In contrast, the competition had numerous violent games. In addition, unlike Sony and Microsoft, Nintendo is not a diversified company. Its total income is much lower than either of its primary competitors (the case Appendix contains these figures), which meant fewer resources and much more at stake. Either the Xbox or the PS3 could fail, and the parent companies would survive; Nintendo could not afford to have the Wii
.
1. Conduct a 4C's Stakeholders Analysis of the Nintendo Wii Market in 2006. Please note that an analysis is more than just a list. You need to describe each stakeholder and how they affect the strategy.
• Consumers (note: there's more than one target segment): The case notes that Nintendo targeted non-gamers in addition to gamers. This included consumers of any age and gender. Conversely, competitors like Sony focused on teens and males. The case also mentions moms/housewives and families as targets of Nintendo marketing. The ideal answer analyzed gamers and a few non-gamer segments, such as moms. Analysis should have included qualitative description -- why is this segment interested in the Wii? -- and quantitative data, such as the segment's size and value. Finding quantitative data required research beyond the case, perhaps to the U.S. Census website. Such data is not easy to find, but this extra effort is what distinguishes an "A" paper. Extra credit was given to creative segmentation, such as targeting businesses and office workers, who might play the Wii on breaks, or doctors who would recommend Wii to their patients.
• Company (keep this brief: focus on 2006 -- no Nintendo history required): A company analysis is not a history report. It should describe the company's brand, resources, internal stakeholders, strengths and weaknesses. An ideal answer noted that Nintendo has a long reputation in gaming, but with the Wii it built a family-friendly brand "that puts smiles on surrounding people's faces." In contrast, the competition had numerous violent games. In addition, unlike Sony and Microsoft, Nintendo is not a diversified company. Its total income is much lower than either of its primary competitors (the case Appendix contains these figures), which meant fewer resources and much more at stake. Either the Xbox or the PS3 could fail, and the parent companies would survive; Nintendo could not afford to have the Wii