Nintendo Switch: Are You A Target?

Do you like video games? If so, how many handheld gaming devices do you have or once had? I can tell you I grew up with the GameBoy Color, GameBoy Advance, GameBoy SP, and the Nintendo DS. If you want to see the history of these handheld systems just click here. I even grew up on the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita. To take into consideration, I am 25 years old and continue to love playing games.

The one issue all these devices have in common is that you can not connect them to your TV. It was either you had a handheld gaming system or one that connected to your TV like the XBOX, PlayStation, and previous Nintendo gaming systems like the Wii or GameCube. It was one or the other.

Now come closer.

Nintendo was able to bring the two into one. They called it the Nintendo Switch.

Price & Offerings

The original Nintendo Switch now sells for $299.99. They just released a new model called Nintendo Switch OLED at a price of $349.99. The difference being better screen quality hence the OLED descirption. If you just want the handheld version, they have the Nintendo Switch Lite at $199.99 which comes in different colors.

The Nintendo Switch connects into your TV as any other console would. You can play many games that you can buy or even purchase their online membership where you could play all the Nintendo 64 games. Now, what happens when you need to leave your house to catch a flight? No worries! Just take the Switch out of the charging dock where you can continue your game off-screen. What if you are playing with 2 players on the TV and both people need to leave? That is ok too! The two joy cons detach from the Switch and now you can play PvP off-screen.

This is all great information but who is this exactly for?

Target Audience

Accourding to Nintendo in 2017, “43% of all Switch buyers are 25–34 years old; 20% of all buyers are 16–24 years old, and 17% are 25–44 years old. Meanwhile, 88% of Switch owners are males’’.

Fast forward a few years, 45 year old individuals drove much of the sales in 2020 while the Switch Lite attracted a higher percentage of female buyers for 2019.

While men have been the primary buyers and target, It is truly amazing to see that women are getting involved with the Nintendo Switch. By expanding their audience, there is more opportunity to reach a new demographic and to nurture and strengthen the female audience.

How To Target The Audience

The way I would go about marketing using social media to the Nintendo Switch audience is using nostalgia. The idea of connecting into someone’s emotions where they feel passionate about a product. Buying that product would bring back that sense of calmness and satisfaction.

Take Pokémon as a perfect example. Pokémon Yellow came out for the GameBoy Color in 1998. This would put the target audience mentioned from 2017 between the ages of 6 and 15 years old. As these individuals grew up, they learned to play other games on the GameBoy handheld devices. In 2018, Nintendo Switch came out with Pokémon Let’s Go Pikachu. The first Pokémon game to come out on the new console. I wouldn’t advertise this as a new game for a younger crowd. I would use social media to find that Pokémon trainer and have them continue where they left. To be the very best that no one was.

Social Platforms

Now in order to hit that nostalgia feeling, I would want original gamers who played the games to send pictures of their handheld devices or of them playing the older games. This could be used to create user generated content. I would show the before photo of them playing a game and then a side-by photo showing them on the new console playing the same game. That same individual playing on the Nintendo Switch continued his game and he/she started as a kid. I would use this content for Instagram posts. Showcasing that no matter what age you are, you never grow up. You will always have your inner kid in you.

I would even use Instagram TV To have individuals share their experience with the Pokémon games. What were their favorite parts about each individual game and maybe who their favorite Pokémon was. Watching this can tap into that emotional factor and really make someone once again think about them being a kid and playing these games. During these videos, these individuals can also give their opinions on the sneak peek of the new games and show the old and the new have the same experience.

For Twitter, I would do Q&A tweets where I can engage with the target audience. My hope is that I could answer their questions on the product and give them the information that they are looking for. With 88% of the Nintendo Switch population being male, using Twitter would be beneficial since 63.7% users on Twitter are male. Twitter is used to seek out information and that is what I would do exactly with implementing this marketing strategy. Give the customer the information that they are seeking.

Unique Selling Point

So say that I am in the market to buy a new gaming system. I want one that connects to the TV but also gives me the ability to play offline as a handheld device. Luckily Nintendo is the only one with this option. The Xbox series and PlayStation do not have a gaming system where you can convert the console into a handheld device. That leaves Nintendo as the only system left to fulfill someone’s needs.

The same way you can’t teach an old dog new tricks can be used with the Nintendo Switch. No matter the age you are, you can play some of the original games Nintendo came out with on the Switch. So if you are 25 to 35-year-old and have nostalgia for old games, you can play. If you’re someone who is 16 to 24 who loves learning new games as they come out, you can play. The Nintendo Switch is a gaming system that brings everyone together no matter the age and gender. It is truly a universal system.

Is it Important to Know Your Audience?

Getting your audience right can be a game changer for a brand in succeeding or failing. Let’s use myself as an example. When the Nintendo Switch came out, I did really see a need for it. There are only a few games that I played as a kid. When Nintendo announced the first Pokémon Switch game, my mindset changed. By making the new game similar to Pokémon Yellow, they were targeting a previous user. Someone who had the passion for the Pokémon brand and was a continuous Nintendo user. Nintendo has even announced a remake of Pokémon Diamond & Pearl which was originally released on the Nintendo DS. A game that I played as a kid in high school and was by far my favorite game.

What if Nintendo didn’t know this? That there was this big foundation in the Pokémon family that needed to be revived but no one realzied at the time. They could have missed out on a potential older audience that is 25 to 35 years old and 45 years old and up. It would only be done targeting two kids.

At the end of the day, knowing your audience increases your planning precision. Nintendo picked the audience of 25 to 35 years old. That was who was buying the console. They continued to narrow that audience down and one example is individuals who love to play the Pokémon brand especially those who like to play the older series. It is evident Nintendo listens to their audience crowd due to the fact that they are remaking the Pokémon Diamond & Pearl game.

Conclusion

If you were someone who likes gaming or has a passion for Pokémon, the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch Lite might be the system for you. The ability to play games from over 10 to 15 years ago brings me joy and satisfaction. It’s almost like I’m not 25 years old anymore. As if I am still in the backseat of my moms car, buckled in, playing my GameBoy trying to beat the next gym leader.

Do you still have that inner kid and you?

Do some research and you may shock yourself that deep down that fun energetic child is still there. All it takes is to click that power button and wait to load.