Breaking: Nintendo sends direct message to Wii owners asking them to upgrade

[Dodece]

This thread was highly illuminating, but for all of the wrong reasons. Sometimes this community gets so caught up in its own little proxy wars. That incredibly salient points get overlooked entirely in the rush to deploy standard attack arguments, and to assume all too common defensive positions. The direct marketing itself isn't the issue, and fixating on it was missing the point entirely. It isn't that something is being said, but how that something is being said.

It isn't even a matter of it couldn't hurt, or it costs so little to do, or even how many people it will reach. The message that is being sent matters more then the message being sent in the first place. That message does indeed come across as desperate. Anyone saying otherwise has their blinders on so tight that they are cutting off the blood supply to their brain. That isn't any kind of a strong pitch. It is a insecure plea from a company that sounds confused about what is going on.

Insecure sounding pleas, make consumers insecure about the product. Nintendo may very well end up accomplishing the exact opposite of what they intended. It might actually scare away potential customers, and worse it advertises their own weakness. Which as we know brings the sniping predators out in force. Direct marketing could help Nintendo out, but this kind of marketing isn't what they need. They need a more self confident message extolling the virtues of their product.

Rather then coming off as being insecure about the fact that people might not know about their new product. Yes it is a form of cheap advertising, but that doesn't make it good advertising. I am going to be honest about something though I honestly don't know what Nintendo could say to drive up sales of the Wii U. It just isn't a well designed, conceived, or even supported machine. It isn't just that the advertising is bad. So much as there really isn't anything positive to say. Nothing the machine offers really resonates with potential consumers. Outside of the people who will spend whatever it takes to get their hands on the hundredth game with Mario in the title.

Yes it actually sounds desperate. You don't have to be a lover or hater to see that. Would you honestly be comfortable buying any product that presented itself like that. Especially a product that costs hundreds of dollars. If Microsoft or Sony sent out that kind of message I would say the same of them. Most impartial observers would as well.