Nintendo Switch: Nick Chavez on the Super Bowl commercial, marketing campaign

Yesterday, Nintendo announced that they would run a commercial for the Nintendo Direct during the Super Bowl, this Sunday. If you wondered why Nintendo chose to do something so ambitious (advertising during Super Bowl is extremely expensive), Nick Chavez from Nintendo of America explained why in an interview to TIME.

Basically, it’s precisely because the Super Bowl is the biggest stage (in the US) for showcasing the Nintendo Switch that Nintendo chose it.

Here’s what he had to say about that:

There’s no bigger stage in the U.S. on which to showcase the platform. I think it speaks to our confidence in the system.

And the reason they chose The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for the commercial isn’t just because it’s Nintendo’s biggest Nintendo Switch game so far (and the most popular), it’s also because the Super Bowl will allow them to reach a very specific audience:

Think about your 40- to 45-year-old parent who has really fond memories of playing Zelda growing up, sitting there watching Super Bowl with their 10- or 12-year-old child who maybe hasn’t experienced Zelda yet.

Also, if you’ve been wondering why the player in the commercial doesn’t leave his home once, it’s actually because of feedback following the reveal trailer, back in October:

We heard from U.S. gamers that they were tremendously excited about the proposition [of Switch], and that they couldn’t wait to experience the power of a home console portably within their own homes. Not only inside the home and outside, but just moving from room to room.

And naturally, this Super Bowl commercial is only the beginning of the promotional campaign for the Nintendo Switch. But that campaign will not be as short as you might think. In fact, Nick Chavez speaks of a 15 month campaign (with more coming in 2018, obviously). Nintendo is planning to advertise every single aspect of the Nintendo Switch, to as many demographics as possible:

This is really a 15 month campaign for us, to say nothing of our plans for 2018. You’re going to see a number of other touch points, including additional 30 or 60 second executions in the coming weeks that emphasize the full proposition, meaning those multiple demographics, including kids, teenagers, young adults, parents, active gamers, casual gamers and so forth.

The Nintendo Switch will be released on March 3rd, worldwide.

Source: TIME