TAXI DELIVERS KNOCKOUT PUNCH - Strategy

Nintendo Wii
Pogo
To launch Nintendo’s Big Brain Academy game for the Wii system in the pre-Christmas frenzy, Starcom
MediaVest Group needed to engage both moms and kids and had to do so on a restricted budget.
Given the educational nature of the children’s game, the target market was alpha moms, rather than
Nintendo’s usual young male demo. Based on the insight that those who played with or saw someone
else playing with a Wii were often motivated to purchase, Starcom went with an experiential television
property that spanned both demos. The agency partnered Nintendo with Canwest Global on its Canadian
production of the U.S. game show Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?
Nintendo was integrated from the outset, from kids on the national casting tour playing Big Brain
Academy while waiting to audition, to mentions in Global’s news coverage of the tour and show promotion.
Nintendo created Mii avatars of the Fifth Graders which appeared during the show and online. At the
beginning of each episode, a 60-second feature showed the kids “warming up their brains” with the game,
and when a contestant reached the $25,000 question, the Big Brain Academy logo appeared on screen.
Viewers playing at home via text message used a simulated version of the console to answer questions.
A sales lift of 53% was achieved during the airings of Canadian 5th Grader, with instant sales lifts
achieved directly after the airing of each episode. Nintendo’s market share grew 7% in October and
another 5% in November, putting them at 48% share overall. The show met its aggressive weekly
audience estimates and the program was shortlisted in the Cannes Media category.
A staple in Quebec since 1962, Pogo has had minimal communication with consumers since 2001. As the
frozen category exploded, the challenge was to make the brand more memorable and socially acceptable
among teen boys – and increase growth by 5%.
The solution was to marry the snack-on-a-stick’s unique style with the fact that guys love competing
with their friends in games that are often simple and a bit ridiculous. Based on the campaign idea of “Be
proud of your wiener,” teen boys were challenged to demonstrate their Pogo pride in “Pogothons” by
holding their Pogo in the air for as long as they could.
In the fi rst, unbranded phase, Starcom created buzz by seeding the Pogo icon on street signs, T-shirts
and chalk art in high-traffi c areas. Seven- and eight-second Pogo images were fl ashed on MusiquePlus
and Vrak, while random MusiquePlus camera pans caught teens holding their Pogos high.
Phase two incorporated branding to build up to the “Mega-Pogothon.” Sticker poster pads were placed
in skate parks and basketball courts, and boys then transferred them to their skateboards, lockers, etc. A
mini-Pogothon at MusiquePlus was supported by brand videos, VJ mentions and promo spots. All branded
elements drove to the website, where teens could sign up for the contest or play the online game. Live-totape
capsules aired during the Mega-Pogothon and highlights were broadcast post-event.
Research illustrated that the Pogothon and the online game were particularly engaging, and tracking
shows unaided awareness increased 22% in the corn dog category and over 300% in frozen food. The
business goals are on track to be achieved.
STRATEGY November 2008 83