Nintendo, the oldest company in the gaming console market, has currently lost its leading position in the industry, and the reason could be its marketing strategy. This research was conducted in order to study the perceptions of customers about marketing efforts of Nintendo and its main competitors, Sony and Microsoft. If Nintendo’s marketing efforts are deemed inferior by customers, the thesis would also attempt to figure out new paths that the company can take in order to improve the customers’ opinions and the effectiveness of their marketing activities.
The research was completed based on two sources, reviewing academic papers written on past marketing strategies of the three companies and conducting a survey targeting console gamers in particular in order to find out how they judge Nintendo’s and its rivals’ marketing activities. The literature review presented a brief summary of the factors that contributed to Nintendo’s, as well as Sony PlayStation’s and Microsoft Xbox’s, previous successes. Meanwhile, the survey discovered that customers of Nintendo rated their marketing activities as less accurate and influential than those of Sony PlayStation’s; however, the difference was small and can easily be overcome. A more concerning issue was the fact that customers in general exhibit marketing-resistant behaviors, and many have been attracted to other gaming platforms.
Consequently, it is suggested that Nintendo modify its current marketing strategies to combat the customers’ anti-marketing attitude, as well as improve the efficiency of its marketing activities. Specifically, social proof marketing and identity-based marketing, as well as a joint marketing campaign with Sony, Nintendo’s archrival, are the solutions that were recommended
