ONM Remembered – #128
“They’ll be armed with the dark side of the Force. Fortunately, you’ve got a rotating thumb.”
from N64 Magazine issue 9 (December 1997)
Justin Keeling presents a big ol’ browse of advertising campaigns for Nintendo products from all over the globe, and the various ways they tackle it. It’s an intriguing read, and it’s especially interesting to get full insets for how each region approaches advertising the N64 and its games. Phil Gerrard of Leo Burnett advertising is interviewed, and talks about how to handle marketing and demographics in the middle of a Ninty-Sega-Sony console war, the difference between US and UK advertising, and the very different reputation Nintendo have in both countries. And, of course, seeing snapshots of TV commercials from abroad is pretty neat, too.
The main text itself does get a bit tiresome, if just because the entire thing is an interview with an advertising executive, which requires a pair of bullshit-cutting goggles to really get the most out of.
I will say this – it’s incredibly disappointing to have ogled so much over that 3D Wario in the US Mario Kart 64 advert… and now finally seeing it. Wow, is it unremarkable.
