Winner
GolinHarris and Nintendo of America: Wii Launch: How Wii Helped Nintendo Get Its Game Back
By 2006, Nintendo had dropped to third in the video-game industry behind Sony and Microsoft after dominating the landscape about 20 years before. To get back on top, its new offering, the Wii, would have to compete with the high-end graphics and other technological advances its rivals were offering in their gaming consoles. The Wii was also set to launch just two days prior to the Sony Playstation 3.
Nintendo's agency partner, GolinHarris, decided to make the Wii's motion-sensitive controller a differentiator. The controller makes it possible for anyone to play, so the Wii could target the core gaming audience, as well as "dabblers," "lapsed gamers," and "non-gamers." The team also decided to make a push to get girls, women, and seniors to buy the Wii, to help it surpass its competitors.
In addition, Nintendo was positioned as a market disrupter; a video-game company that actually emphasized fun over technology and power.
Pre-launch, Nintendo executives spoke with industry analysts at the Game Developers Conference, telling them that the industry needed new players to grow. A few months later at the E3 annual trade show, the media swarmed to Nintendo to find out how it would bring everyone into the video-game fold.
Consumers were targeted on MySpace, where the "How Wii Play" profile made more than 60,000 friends. They were also reached through an ambassador program that got the game in the hands of gamers, moms, and large inter-generational families who spread information about the system through blogs and word of mouth.
At a preview event in New York, media and analysts spent time with the Wii, establishing contacts at publications like Cosmopolitan and Working Mother.
On launch day, midnight events in New York and Los Angeles were held. Thousands of consumers showed up and media coverage was provided by the AP, MTV, Good Morning America, and others.
In the end, the Wii met or exceeded sales goals, despite early surveys that showed only 11% of consumers intended to buy it. Stores had difficulty keeping enough in stock, with the console outselling the Xbox 360 two to one and the Playstation 3 by three to one. The Wii earned 10 billion audience impressions over three months, including 14 Today appearances and a stint on South Park.
"Nintendo and Golin squarely put gaming back into the hands of the mass consumer with this campaign," noted one judge. "The results are outstanding."
Honorable Mention
Ketchum and Eastman Kodak Co.: ThINK...Before you Ink! Kodak Revolutionizes the Inkjet Industry
When Kodak entered the inkjet printer industry with the EasyShare All-in-One printer, it had been one dominated by a "razor-and-blades" business model where sales of low-cost printers were followed by sales of high-margin ink cartridges. Kodak's research showed that many people limited their printing activity due to the cost of ink. Furthermore, third-party research found that Kodak's printer gave consumers more pages for their money. Armed with this knowledge, Kodak worked with Ketchum on a launch campaign that would target business and tech-industry influencers and budget-conscious "enterprising parents," who would be interested in the company's cost-saving message. Prior to the launch (which took place during its earnings event), the company hosted a show featuring Kodak CEO Antonio Perez and other events, and sent more than 160 printers to international media. The launch also took to the Web with http://www.inkisit.com/, a microsite that generated a popular YouTube clip. The campaign ultimately reached the goals it sought: it received largely positive coverage with a share of voice that was comparable to its competition and "enterprising parents" say they now consider ink-cartridge price when buying a printer.
Finalists 2008
Cohn & Wolfe and Colgate-Palmolive Get Irish Campaign
Edelman and Microsoft Game Studios Halo 3 PR Program
GolinHarris and Nintendo of America Wii Launch: How Wii Helped Nintendo Get Its Game Back
HealthSTAR PR and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Sparking a Weight-Loss Revolution: the Launch of alli
Ketchum and Eastman Kodak Co. ThINK...Before you Ink! Kodak Revolutionizes the Inkjet Industry
Sponsor: CKPR is an independent brand-building agency that applies a 360-degree approach to helping clients change their category conversation. With 87 employees across offices in Chicago, New York, Milwaukee, and Phoenix, CKPR is an integrated part of Cramer-Krasselt and ranked by PRWeek among the largest firms in the US. The agency represents a broad portfolio of brands across nearly every major business category and demographic target group. Visit us online at http://www.ckpr.biz/.
