Despite October Dip, Nintendo Expects Strong Holiday

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Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime says Wii sales are in line with expectations and the system is expected to have a strong November and December, reports NY Times. Fils-Aime made the comments in light of figures that show October Wii sales dropped 36 percent compared to last year.  Despite the dip, Wii was the best-selling console in the US for the month with nearly 507,000 units sold, compared to about 321,000 units of PS3 and 250,00 units of Xbox 360.

Fils-Aime added that consoles are strongest in their third year in the market, and that Nintendo’s goal now is to create value for late adopters of the Wii. He also pointed to the upcoming Super Mario Brothers as a holiday contender against high-profile titles for PS3 and Xbox 360. Read more at NY Times.

‘Dragon Age: Origins’ DLC Sales Surpass $1 Million

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EA says sales of downloadable content for the recently released Dragon Age: Origins have surpassed $1 million. As reported in Gamespot, EA CFO Eric Brown revealed the figure while talking to investors at a BMO Capital Markets Digital Entertainment Conference. EA’s release of add-ons timed with the game s launch help drive sales. DLC such as the $15 Stone Prisoner and $7 Warden’s Keep that expanded on both playable characters and areas to explore in the role-playing game proved popular with players.

NFL Sacks Captain Morgan Guerrilla Campaign

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The National Football League has asked Captain Morgan to bench its guerrilla campaign to get players to strike its trademark leg-up pose during games, reports Yahoo Sports. Captain Morgan was quietly implementing the campaign through its brand agencies, enlisting NFL players who would agree to strike the pose on the field during play. For each instance, Captain Morgan would donate sums to the NFL charity Gridiron Greats starting at $10,000 for regular season games and up to $100,000 for the Super Bowl. The league has notified Captain Morgan and the charity that the NFL follows policies similar to other sports that forbid sponsoring commercial products during play.

The NFL caught on to the campaign during this week s primetime Monday Night Football game on ESPN, when Brent Celek of the Philadelphia Eagles struck a leg-up in the end zone after a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys. Celek was given a standard NFL penalty for demonstration. Read more at Yahoo Sports.

Fifteen Reasons To Buy PS3

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Sony has an interactive video microsite for Europe territories designed to convince people that games aren’t the only reason to pick up a PS3. The site features a live actress who cycles on demand through various spiels, ranging from a high-end pitch to videophiles about Blu-ray capability to more rudimentary functions such as the ability to play music files. The intro is disturbingly dismissive of the system s core function, playing games. In fact the actress seems disappointed when she’s asked to talk about it. Also surprising is how the site hypes the visual fidelity of Blu-ray and PS3 games, then uses a completely washed-out effect to show footage.

There are a total of 15 reasons, games included, and clicking on the information icon in the lower right corner of the site brings up a quick reference sheet for all of them. Users are encouraged to share what they experience on the site through direct connection with social media nets including Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Digg.

 

Check it out at the15reasons.

Brainstorming Jargon Unleashed

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Freelance illustrator Joseph Pelling has put together this animated video short poking fun at brainstorming, marketing jargon, and the sometimes inflated egos of ad-marketing creative types. What happens when the actual subject of a brainstorming session becomes the jargon. Here’s a completely off-the-wall satirical look.

 

Watch it at AdFreak.

A Second Take On Buying Take-Two

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DFC Intelligence looks at Take-Two as an acquisition target. Take-Two is no stranger to buyout bids. The company beat back a hostile takeover bid by EA in 2008, and saw its financials get rocked as a result. DFC says as the company is starting to see its market valuation climb back.

The firms says historically Take-Two’s problem has been propping up its tent on a single tent-pole, its flagship franchise Grand Theft Auto.  Yet the company is bolstered by recent successes, both from gamers quick to scoop up episodic content for GTA and the launch of a well-received new IP with Borderlands. With the clamor for GTA episodes sold as downloadable content, DFC sees big potential for an online iteration of the IP, one that could rack up numbers similar to Activision-Blizzard’s $1 billion-a-year revenue generator World of Warcraft.   Add to that Take-Two’s still profitable retail distribution business, Jack of All Games, and the right partner could unlock the company’s real value.

 

Read more from DFC Intelligence.

Non-Digital Experiential Branding Trendsetters

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Writing for Ad Age, Garrick Schmitt says the more people push back on traditional advertising, the more important it becomes for companies to create compelling experiences that help consumers connect with their brands. Schmitt points to a recent report by his company, Razorfish. In a survey they conducted with US consumers, two-thirds said a digital experience changed their perception of a brand.  Within that group, 97 percent admitted the experience affected their purchase decision.

Schmitt says while online leaders such as Google and Amazon have led the way in creating digital brand experiences, popular offline brands are catching on. He highlights six campaigns incorporating everything from digital efforts such as smart phone apps and microsites to offline lifestyle branding to create compelling experiences. The campaigns highlighted are for Red Bull, Nike, Guinness, Virgin America, Spanish fashion brand Camper, and Japan retailer UNIQLO.

 

Read more at Ad Age.

‘Modern Warfare 2’ Sells 4.7 Million Units In US And UK

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Activision says Modern Warfare 2 sold 4.7 million units for $310 million in revenues at launch in the US and UK. As reported in Industry Gamers, the tally gives the title the distinction of being the biggest game launch of all time, toppling Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto IV. Day one sales were helped along by midnight launches at more than 10,000 retail locations across the US. Read more at Industry Gamers.

‘Modern Warfare 2’ Was Primed To Break Records

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Activision set the stage for Modern Warfare 2 to become the biggest entertainment launch of all time during its ad agency review, says Ad Age. The publisher worked the objective into its call for proposals when it began reaching out to agencies this summer. Ad Age says the title may have toppled Rockstar’s GTA IV as the biggest game launch, citing VGChartz estimate of 7 million units worldwide on day one. If that figure is accurate, then revenues of around $420 million for the game would also top box office receipts for the biggest movie openings by “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” which opened with $302 million worldwide, and The Dark Knight’s” $158 million opening weekend in the US. (The official count released by Activision and reported by Industry Gamers puts day one sales at 4.7 million units and $310 million in revenues in the US and UK. The tally still tops the Harry Potter and Batman film launches cited by Ad Age.)

Ad Age points to Nielsen data that shows Activision ran an effective ad campaign. Purchase interest for Modern Warfare 2 was 21 percent versus 8 percent for an average game, with 46 percent of gamers surveyed saying they saw an ad for it on TV. Unaided awareness of the game s launch date was 12 percent, six times higher than that of an average game. Read more at Ad Age.

Disney Adds Videogames To Space Mountain Ride

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Disney Imagineering is revamping Space Mountain at Walt Disney World, adding an interactive experience that includes games such as shooting asteroids. DisneyParks Blog says people can play the games as they prepare to blast off, with photos showing the experience as part of the long queue for the ride.Games last about 90 seconds and up to 86 players can play at the same time.

Read more and check out the photos at DisneyParks Blog.