Hi all, new user here. Big news I just got a WII! Damn this thing is fun. Anyway looking at sales numbers Nintendo is obviously dominating the console market. Now Nintendo had also ruled the 80's and early 90's with the NES. But Sega managed to take a huge chunk of the market in NA by attacking Nintendo image in ads painting it as the "sissy" brand:

These types of ads worked for Sony as well during the PS1 era. So why don't we see these attack ads against the Wii?

@Steroid

Sony had attack ads in the ps1 era?

Yeah I remember one with the bandicoot thing.

oh yea, idk

Yeah.. those "don't underestimate the power of the playstation" ads were cool...
Attacking ads just don't work anymore these days.. Marketing wise it seems to put an image on the advertiser as a bully.. which will stuck in people minds more then the attack on the competitior.. being seen as a bully is negative...

Those attacks ads are stupid.
(I ain't gonna lie, though.. I fell for those ads when i wuz kid.. and bought their product) hahah..

Karma is a motha.f*er.
Look at where Sega and Sony is now

I think Wii's appeal is that it's inclusive to all. An attack ad would need to be smart and some thought would need to be put into the process of both dissing the Wii while making it's own system just as inclusive. Regardless the strategy of letting Wii run aways with the entire casual market is not working.

Sega had some big balls back then. Companies don't attack each other like that anymore. Probably don't want to mention the competition in ads.

Of course not. Attack ads only work in a very limited context, and with Sony and Microsoft in the position they are in, they would most likely backfire. The kind of consumers that really want a Wii are the kind of consumers who wouldn't be playing any console otherwise. Attack ads would simply make those people more opposed to buying another console.

Nintendo is in the position to run attack ads, i think (for instance, stereotyping the PS360 userbase as hopeless nerds to try to herd consumers into their camp), but it would totally clash with their new "smiley" image, and would probably hurt them in the long run also