NicholasHBennettMKT542FinalProject

Nintendo–ThirdinSales,butFirstinHearts

AbstractNintendohasbeenafixtureofthevideogamecommunitysincethedebutofitsoriginalentertainmentsystem(NES)in1985.Forover30years,thecompanyhasseengreatsuccessthanksinparttotheircharactersevolvingintoiconicbrands,includingMario,Zelda,DonkeyKongandmore.However,inthelastdecadeplus,Nintendo’spopularityhasbeenchallengedbySonyandMicrosoft,whoseemtohavetailoredtheirlatesthomeconsoleofferingstomore“serious”gamerswithNintendofocusedonappealingtothecasualgamer.Itspreviousconsole,theWiiU,soldonly13.5millionunitsinitsfour-yearlifespan,thelowestsellinginthecompany’shistory(APPENDIXA).Whiletheirhomeconsoleofferingshavenotbeenabletomatchitssuccesswithinthehandheldconsolemarket(GameBoy,DS,3DS),itstillhasnotdeterredNintendo’sfanbase’santicipationforthereleaseofthecompany’snewestconsole,theNintendoSwitch.GiventheverylukewarmsuccesstheWiiUhad,IwantedtotakealookatoneofNintendo’sfancommunitiesandunderstandwhytheyremainsoadamantaboutthebrand.Ianalyzewhatmakesthemsuchaclosegroupofgamerswheretheydon’tseemtocareasmuchaboutthecompany’sstandingalongsideSonyandMicrosoft,solongasthecompanyremainsauthentictoitsgaminglegacy.BackgroundIbeginbylearningmoreaboutthenewSwitchconsoleandsomeoftheprominentfeaturesthatNintendoisactivelypromotingtothepublic.TheSwitchappearstotakethemostpopularfeaturesoftheWii,theWiiUandhandheldconsolemodelstocreateagamingexperiencelikenoother(APPENDIXB).Impressively,asNintendodescribesontheirwebsite,theaccompanyingportabletabletispowerfulenoughforplayerstotakeitanywheretheywantandcontinuetheirgameswithnointerruptions.Thistechnologyallowsgamestoexperienceahome-console,HDqualitygamefromahandheldenvironment,somethingthemarketplacehasbeenclamoringforinrecentyears.Onceonthego,theSwitch’scontrollercandetachfromthetablettoallowmultipleplayersfromwhereveruserswanttoplay.The“Joy-Con”controllerseachhavethesamebuttonsforequalplaybetweenbothplayers,utilizingthemotioncontrolsandHD-rumblethatthecompanysuccessfullyincorporatedfromtheoriginalWiiconsole.Eachcontrollercanalsobeusedbyoneplayerineachhandusingmotionorcombinedwithaperipheralintoamoretraditionalgamingcontroller.ItappearsthatNintendoistryingtoincorporatewhathasmadethemsuccessfulintheindustry,i.e.themotioncontrolsfromtheoriginalWii,portablegamingthroughtechnologythatallowsuserstoplayhome-consolequalitygameswithoutaTVandprovidingHDgamingtoafanbasethatdidexperiencethiswiththeWiiU.TheNintendoSwitchistheresultofthecompanylisteningtofansandincorporatingwhathasmadeitspecialinthislastdecade.

Nintendofansareknowntobesomeofthemostpassionatewithinthevideogameindustry.Competingfanbaseshavereferredtothemas“sheep”becauseoftheircult-likebelieveanduseofNintendoproducts.Thecompanyhasunderstoodtheimportanceoftheirfansfromitsbeginning,reachingouttothemthroughtheNintendoPowermagazine,anin-housepublicationthatwassenttoNintendoFunClubmembers.Themagazine’scontentevolvedovertimetoincludefeaturesongamestrategy,reviews/previews,tips,cheats,assessingrumorsandotherfanservicestopromotetheirappreciationofusers.AtthebeginningoftheInternetage,thecompanythenintroducedtheNSiderForumswebsiteasanonlinebranchtoNintendoPowersubscribers.Thisisanexampleofacompanycreatinganopenforum,withplentifulsectionsdevotedtospecificgamesandbrands,andthenpassingcontroltotheirpassionatefans.However,theforumwasdiscontinuedin2007,replacedbyasoleITforumsite.Withthecancellation,Nintendodecidedtoencouragefanstocreatetheirownforumsandpages,toensureitsmanyfanswouldstillhaveaplacetogoandinteractwithfellowNintendogamers.FindingaForumAccordingtoNintendo’sWikiawebsite,thereare34active,listedNintendowebsites/forumsforfanstointeract(APPENDIXC).AsIbegantofolloweachofthesesitesandreadingtheforumtopicsbeingdiscussed,itbecameapparentthatNintendoLifewastheperfectexampleofthrivingbrandcommunity.NotonlyisthewebsitefilledwithathrivingForumsection,butiscomplimentedwithfeaturearticles,newsstories,gamereviews/videos,alongwith“TalkingPoint”opinionpiecesthataredesignedtostartaconversationinthecommentssection.Inaddition,theforumfeaturesanareaforNintendouserswhowereexperiencingproblemswithproducts,includingtheSwitchatlaunch,andpostedtheirissueslookingforadvicefromotherusers.NintendoLife’sonlinecommunityisexactlywhatthebrandintendeditsfanstocreatewhenitmovedawayfromtheNSiderforums.Letustakealookatwhy…Analysis–IsitaBrandCommunity?First,IlookedtoconfirmwhetherNintendoLifecouldbeconsideredabrandcommunity.ThewebsiteappearstobespecializedsolelyfortheNintendobrand,witheverypieceofmediatiedtoacompanyoffering.Hierarchiesofforumusersarenotedthroughusers’profilepages,whichfeaturethenumberofNintendogamesowned,individualreviewsofthegames,theamountofforumdiscussionsandcommentstheyhavepostedon,andsocialmediacontactinformationandmore.Aswithmanybrandcommunities,NintendoLifefunctionsthroughtheInternet-onlyandseemstohavenomajorinterestforin-personmeetings.However,thewebsitedoesnotviewitselfonlyasacentral“meetingplace”forNintendofanstosharetheirthoughtsonthebrand.Thereisadeepersenseofcamaraderieamongthesite’susers,whoappeartounderstandthattheyareviewedastheminorityofvideogamers.Theusersappearencouragedtosharetheirthoughtsandfeelingsaboutthecompany,inasettingthatfocusesonanoptimistictone.ManyusersareproudtohavechosenNintendoastheirgamingbrandofchoice,whilealsounderstandingthecompany’scurrentpositionbehindSonyandMicrosoft.

Thevarietyofforumtopicsisveryimpressive(APPENDIXD),includingusersdiscussingwaystobuildNintendobackupintheoverallmarketplaceandhowthecompanycouldgainsomemarketshareagainstthetoptwobrandsrespectively.IndividualcommentersusetheforumasawaytoinquireaboutproblemstheyarehavingwiththeirNintendosystemwithouthavingtogotoarepairstore,evensomesospecificthatuserswillnamethetypeoftelevisionmodeltheuserishavinganissuewith,i.e.“WeirdIssueWithSamsungKS8000TV”.ForumvisitorsalsouseNintendoLifeforadvice,suchaswhetheraparticulargameisworthpurchasingorevenwhether“theWiiU[is]stillworthitin2017”.Afterreviewingnumerousposts,whatsurfacesisafeelingthatthesefanshavesuchastrongbondthattheywanttohelpotherNintendousers,almostcompelledthroughaneedto“sticktogether”astheybelievethebrandcanrisetothetopoftheindustryonceagain.Butcamaraderiealonedoesnotmakeabrandcommunity.AccordingtotheprinciplesoutlinedbyauthorsO’GuinnandMuniz,therearethreeprimarymarkersofabrandcommunity-ConsciousnessofKind;RitualsandTraditions;MoralObligation.Themoralobligationportionisdiscussedintheparagraphabove,asthisisoneoftheprimaryreasonswhyNintendoLifestoodoutfromtherestofthebrand’sforumsacrosstheweb.Usersofthiswebsitehaveabetterunderstandingthatinorderforuserstocontinueinteractingwiththesite,theyneedtoactas“brandambassadors”andassistnewNintendoconsumers,i.e.purchasersoftheSwitch,inusingtheproductandwelcomingthemtotheNintendocommunity.ConsciousnessofkindisalittlemoredifficulttodescribewithinNintendoLifeusers,butyoudonothavetolookfartogetasenseoftheconnectiontheseNintendofanshavewiththebrand.JustthroughtakingalookatthetopcommenteddiscussionsontheNintendoLifeforumandyouseewhattheyhaveincommon…Thetopbrand/gamenamesundertheNintendoUmbrella.SmashBros,LegendofZelda,Mario,MarioKart,Starfox,DonkeyKong,Pikmin,FireEmblem(APPENDIXE).ThesearejustsomeofthefranchisesthatbroughtNintendotothetopoftheindustry,withsomehavingmadeanimpactinAmericancultureasawhole.Manygamers’tasteschangeovertime,goingfrombrandtobrand,hometoportablesystems,etc.lookingtoappeasetheirever-evolvinggamingdesires.However,thesearethedevotedfansthathavebeenwiththecompanyfromtheearlydaysoftheNESand64consoles.ThesefansarenotconcernedwithNintendo’scompetitors,evenshruggingofftheideaoftheso-called“ConsoleWar”.Manythreadscenteredonthistopicdonotreceivemanycommentsasusersquicklyposthowstupidthediscussionisandthatitdoesnotmattertothem.ForumusersdonotseemasconcernedwithNintendosellingthemostconsoles,butdevelopinganexperienceconsistentwithofferingsfromthe80s-90sthatmadethecompanyiconic.Tothem,the“war”isagainstthosewhodonotunderstandthatNintendoisnottryingtodirectlycompetewithSonyandMicrosoft.Thelastofthethreemarkers,RitualsandTraditions,isveryimportantwhenwediscussNintendo’smarkonAmericanculture.ItsNESconsolerevitalizedtheindustryafterthe“NorthAmericanvideogamecrashof1983”.Itreleasedthefirsteverportableconsolein1989withtheGameBoy.TheNintendo64brought3Dgameplaytolevelsnoplayerhadconsideredwerepossiblefortheperiod.TheWiiwasthefirstofitskindtoutilizemotion-sensitivegameplayasthestandardforagamingconsole.Inshort,somethingeachofthe

NintendoLifeusershasincommonisthattheyshareanexperiencewithoneoftheseinnovationsthatbroughtthemintotheNintendofold.Thewebsiteoffersusersawaytoreminisceabouttheirhistorieswiththebrandthroughits“Retro”discussionboard,whichincludesawidevarietyoftopicsfrom“YourFavorite[Games]thatNoOneElsePlayed”tousersaskingforproblem-solvingadvicewhenusingtheiroldconsoles,“N64suddenlyshutsoffandrestarts…”Notonlyareusersopenlysharingsomeoftheirfavoritegamingmemoriesfromthisera,butarestillknowledgeableenoughtohelpthosethathavenotupdatedtheirgaminghabitsorwerenotsatisfiedwithjustreminiscinginchatrooms.Long-standingLoyaltyThispoint,alongwiththeothersabove,confirmthatNintendofansareextremelylong-term,inthattheyhavebeenusersofthebrandformultipleconsolelife-cycles.NintendomanagersseemedtounderstandthatasfarbackastheWii’slifecycle.Beginningin2007,thecompanyannouncedtheVirtualConsole(VC)feature,wheregamesfrompreviousNintendoconsoleswouldbemadeavailabletoWiiownersafterhavingbeenconvertedtobeplayablethroughWii’shardware.Thefeaturehasbeenviewedasagreatsuccessforthecompany,allowingthecompanytoearnmorerevenueonagamenolongerbeingproduced,butalsoasawayforNintendofanstoteachanewgenerationofplayersaboutthegamesthatmadethemfallinlovewiththebrandinthefirstplace.TheVirtualConsolecontinuestoformitsownlegacy,havingbeenexpandedthroughtheWiiUandbeingdevelopedfortheSwitchlaterthisyear,butalsothroughNintendo’sportablegaminghistorywithaVCforitsNintendo3DS.SuchatacticbringstomindtheBarillacasestudyandwhathappenswhenacompanyopensaplatformtoallowitsconsumerstosubmittheirideastothemanagementteam.ThefirstideasimplementedfromBarilla’s“InTheMillIWishFor”initiativewerebringingbackpreviousproductofferingsbecausemanyfansofthebrandassociatetheseformerproductswiththeirchildhood.FansofNintendohavesimilarsentimenttowardstheirfavoritegamesastheyweregrowingupandthecompanyseemedtorecognizethisbyintroducingtheVCfeature.Companymanagersdidagreatjobofunderstandingtheirfans’desiretocontinueplayinggamesfrompreviousconsoles,sincethiswasnotpossiblebecauseNintendohadusedgamecartridgesoverdiscsuntilits2001-02Gamecubeconsole.Asaresult,fansviewedsuchafeatureasNintendoremainingtrueandauthentictotheircompanystatement,bynotonlyprovidingthehighestqualitygamingproducts,“buttotreateverycustomerwithattention,considerationandrespect”.Thisisagreatexampleofacompanybeingopentotheideasfromtheirconsumers,whilenotcompromisingonthepotentialforinnovationwithintheindustry.AnotherobservationwasthatthissenseofcommunitybetweentheNintendoLifeusersistheiralternativetothecompetingonlinecommunitiesofPlayStationPlusandXBOXLive.Bothservicesweredevelopedtoallowuserstoplaywiththeirfriendswithinthesamegame,alongwiththeoptiontoplaywithand/oragainsteachother.ThislevelofconnectivityandabilitytochooseplayersyouwantedtoplaywithwasaserviceNintendowasmissingthroughitsWiiandWiiU’slifecycles.ThisisalsoaprimaryreasonforthecompanyfallingbehindSonyandXBOX.Nintendowasthefirstvideogamecompanytointroducesuchconnectivitybetweenmultipleusers,throughtheirGameBoysystems.

However,thecompanydidnotadaptthisinthesamewaythatSonyandMicrosoftdid,continuingtorelyononlylocalconnectivityandaddingthenumberofcontrollersthatcanbeconnectedtoasingleconsole.Thiswillchangeinthefallof2017,whentheNintendoSwitchintroducesanonlineservicesimilartoXBOXLiveandPlayStationPlus,featuringtheabilityto“invitefriendstoplayonline,setplayappointments,andchatwithfriendsduringonlinematches”throughasmartphoneapp.However,IobservethatNintendoLife’sforumswereawayforNintendofanstoconnect,chatandcompetewithoneanother.Forumtopicsfoundincludetheexchangeoffavoritecharacters,comparingrecordssettotopotherusersandevenshortvideosofgameplaysouserscanseewhohasthebesttechniquesforcompletingagame.SuchfeaturesareastapletoSonyandMicrosoft’sonlineservices,sotheseforumsareanexampleoffanscreatingaplacetoutilizethesefeaturesontheirownwithouthavingtoupdatetheirgamingloyalty.ClosingDiscussionThegamingindustryisbeginningatimeoftransitionandinnovation,withmotioncontrolsbecomingacommonoccurrence;realismandstoriesarelaudedwithpraiseovergameplay;andvirtualrealityaddinganinnovativewrinkleforgamedevelopers.Nintendo’sanswertothisinnovationwastoproduceaconsolethatincorporatedmanyofthefeaturesthatmadeitsuccessfulinpreviousofferings,whilealsonotforgettingitsbelovedfanbase,likeNintendoLifeusers.ThatisclearfromthereviewsofTheLegendofZelda:BreathofWind,theNintendo-developedgamesoldalongsidethelaunchoftheNintendoSwitch,whichhasreceivedmasterfulscoresfromallkindsofnewssources(APPENDIXF).Nintendo’spracticesconfirmthatevenwithouthostinganonlinecommunityasplentifulastheirSonyandMicrosoftcompetitors,itrealizedthattheirtruefanswouldcometogetherthroughcreatingwebsitesandforumslikeNintendoLife.ObservingthisforumgavemeasenseofhowcommittedNintendofansaretothebrandandtoeachother,bringingtheirownformauthenticitythatmany“hardcoregamers”donotexperiencewhentheygofromconsoletoconsole,lookingforgamingexperiences.Whilethebrandmaybeinthirdplacewithinthe“consolewar”landscape,itdoesnotappeartodeterthosefansfromsupportingNintendo.ThereleaseoftheSwitchconsoleappearsnodifferent.

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APPENDIXA

APPENDIXB

APPENDIXC

APPENDIXD

APPENDIXE

APPENDIXF