I know it isn't free, but when people don't know you even exist you truly need to do something about it. And great games help to some extent, but they do little alone.

The 3DS and Pokémon is keeping Nintendo alive can't say the same for the Wii U

I love how people defend Nintendo by claiming it's making a profit on every Wii U sold. It's called market share loss. It's not a good thing regardless how many millions you make.

You think it's okay for Nintendo to keep selling under 20 million units every gen from hereafter as long as they make a profit?

Because that's pretty damn easy to do. Just keep releasing cheap and under-powered hardware and project between 10-20 million sold. Not a sustainable business model since it's all about growth.

There are other cheaper ways to get noticed outside of advertising: the use of social media, making a quality product that gains recommendations, and getting put on the front page of the e-shop are some ways that are low cost.

One of my classmates in University purchased a Wii U for the new Smash and I was quick to recommend Bayonetta 2 to him. He happened to like Devil May Cry and I told him Bayonetta 2 is by the same people who made the DMC franchise. He was stoked and was planning on getting Bayo 1 on the 360 before getting Bayo 2 at which point I once again stepped in. I told him Bayo 2 comes with Bayo 1 for free. He couldn't thank me enough.

Advertising is certainly a way to get noticed but it is not the only way.

I agree with you totally and when the 3DS was selling so poorly, yet each system was supposedly making a profit the company's president went into such a state of panic...I never hear people talk about how much better it would be for Nintendo to match PlayStation vitas sales as long as profits are being made. 

Nintendo needs to develop cool games for older players again, like Rareware did in the N64 days. The Wii-U also needs a complete redesign with a smaller, optional tablet controller followed by a price drop.

Hmmm... If I had to choose between market share or profit, I'd choose profit every time. I'm trying to think of a scenario where the alternative would be a better option.

I'm no expert so I don't know. I just always thought it best to seek to be profitable first and foremost before chasing a larger market share.

It's the most powerful way though. Nintendo already uses the social media to get noticed, they also have their Nintendo Directs and obviously there are people who recomend their products to others. But just look at the sales. You thing all of that is enough? It's not. With the methods you expose you can only grew up to certain point. And that point has been reached or it's close to be reached. They need something more agressive to get noticed, and advertising is the most efficient way to do it.

Unfortunately Nintendo's president begs to differ with you.  Just study Nintendos own history and you'll you.  When the profit margin was so high for the 3DS and sales were very low Mr. iwata went into a panic mode...thus the immediate price drop of the 3DS price by 30% and the introduction of the ambassador program..

They could offer a "WiiU Core", if they wanted... an entry model with a WiiU Pro Controller instead of the tablet controller, which would play every WiiU game that supports the WiiU Pro Controller. Of course this "WiiU Core"-model would be upgradable with the tablet controller sold as accessory for the games that absolutely need the tablet controller to work. Like Wii Fit accessories, Kinect, PS Camera, EyeToy, bluetooth keyboards and mice...

Of course Nintendo would have to tweak the firmware and some of the WiiU-programs for that, but it wouldn't be an impossible mission.