Wii Advert Analysis

The Nintendo Wii, one of the most successful games consoles ever created, and partly responsible is its style. The sleek, white, fashionable games console was designed to seek out new audiences with games, especially through its low price and 'Touch! Generations' series of games, which have all been massively popular. The entire marketing campaign is based not at one specific audience, but nearly all people, from toddlers to people in their 80's, featuring different games to suit these targets. This advert, however, is aimed at a younger target audience, at a glance, likely women in their 20s to 30s. However, the advert is carefully designed as to not rule out any other potential viewers of the advert.

Set in a clear, modern, open plan room, the advert features two people both all too clearly using the Wii controller, with an expression of joy and humour on both faces, especially in the young woman in the foreground. She is central to the advert, and is instantly seen to be a pretty, sporty, independent woman, which is a very popular idea in today's society, appealing to men and woman alike, as a potential girlfriend or role model respectively. At the end of her reach is unmistakably a Wii remote, the sole link the ad has to the console at all, cleverly used to stop the viewer looking straight for a logo and moving on; most people already know what a Wii is. Instead, the adverts central image is the girls face, the first thing the audience will look at. Upon seeing this, they will proceed to moving along the length of her arm (cleverly lengthened with the camera positioning) and see the Wii remote subtly placed there. The Wii is no longer just a name, it is now an object which they could be using, enjoying just as much as her. For females, the advert is asking them is this is the sort of thing they would like, to be that perfect woman clearly enjoying herself on the fashionable console, with a man in the background to share the moment with. For males, the pretty young woman is going to have a similar effect, but will want to know more where to get the woman than the console, but upon seeing the two linked, they will ask themselves if a Wii is the right way to go. The man in the back of the image is the person they will relate to; laid back, having fun, and in good company. Notice that to emphasize this, his remote is pointed discretely at the girl, as if to ask “would you like her?”. To appeal to the stereotypical housewife, the Wii is seen more as a fashion accessory, and a way to bring enjoyment into the home, so well furnished and lit- just like in the magazines. To them, the Wii then becomes a mean of accomplishing this. Everything about the Wii responds to this advert, even the name, 'Wii', using the successful iPod tactic (which too, has a very wide target audience, meaning their advertising schemes often work in a very similar way), using personal pronouns to directly question the buyer, but changing it to create a more social image, just like the one in the advert.