Where will you be on November 19 at 12:01 AM? If your answer is “In bed,” chances are that you are not among the hard core Wii fans that are willing to line up at select stores across the nation in the hopes of snagging the rare commodity.
Nintendo has announced that it will kick off the launch of the Wii by hosting midnight launch events all across the country. Flagship stores such as Toys ‘R’ Us in Times Square, and the Gamestop location in the Universal City will be sure to attract hundreds of customers and gaming press coverage.
Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo North America said, "We’re urging shoppers not to get complacent. The level of demand we’re seeing goes beyond the ordinary. Retailers are telling us a significant fraction of customers preordering Wii are nontraditional gamers."
Fils-Aime,s remark is consistent with Nintendo,s marketing plan of targeting the vastly untapped demographic of individuals who are not hard core gamers. Nintendo has reaped huge revenues with their DS handheld game console; a game machine which was squarely aimed at the casual gamer. Mario and Friends is hoping to capitalize on this bonanza by attracting these same types of customers over to the user-friendly Wii.
Nintendo said that it would do everything it could to make sure that a steady supply of Wiis reaches the public. "Nintendo is maximizing all its resources for a rapid replenishment program designed to consistently pump Wii consoles into the supply pipeline and keep retailers’ shelves as filled as possible."
