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Mario shows up at Rio 2016 Closing Ceremony

javac

Member
Nintendo is an entertainment company. They sell and license figures, be it Amiibo or collaborations with 3rd parties like Good Smile Company and Jakks Pacific. They're planning to make movies and are collaborating with Universal to launch a Nintendo attraction. They license board-games, toys, soundtracks, apparel (including a collaboration with Uniqlo). Are all of these wastes of resources and time? No, because doing all of this is what separates them from Sony or Microsoft, no other game company, franchise or brand has the clout to be able to pull of something like this and get people talking. The plan isn't to sell all of these people NX's whatever that may be, although the new attention is welcomed no doubt but rather to ingrain Nintendo as a worldwide brand, one that people associate with good memories. Think bigger than video games. It's what allowed something like Pokemon Go to happen, 20 years of anime, manga and everything else removed of the video games themselves has accumulated to a franchise people are familiar with and hold in high regards, a brand that they associate with happy memories. And so they invest in these brands. Nintendo don’t care if they make their millions with NX, mobile, toys or movies because they have the ability to do all of that and more at once so why put your eggs all in one basket? People are happy watching the Olympics, they see Mario at the Olympics and so the cycle continues.
 
That sounds awesome.

"People in the stadium, RAISE YOUR HANDS AND GIVE YOUR ENERGY FOR THE OLYMPIC FIRE"
Lol. With seeing the Prime Minister coming out a warp pipe co-playing as Mario, that poster that's having a meltdown, and now these post, it has been a good night.
 

Makonero

Member
By now you really shouldn't be surprised that Nintendo receives criticism from all corners, even in a thread like this. As a company Nintendo faces a lot of problems at the moment, having Mario appear at Rio doesn't mean that people should forget all the mistakes that lead Nintendo to this point.
No one here is saying you should...? We are all just flabbergasted that you point to a masterful brand marketing that unifies Mario with Japan and say it's a waste when
A. You have no idea who was paying whom
And
B. It's a win for brand marketing and awareness regardless
 

walei

Member
Are we sure that Mario's presence was all because Nintendo paid for it? How much does a company have to pay to pay to get a head of state dressed up as one of your characters at the center of an Olympic Ceremony??

I mean, did MGM paid to have Daniel Craig escort the Queen at London's OC?

Regardless, it's just amazing that Mario is so ingrained as part of a globally recognized Japanese culture (like James Bond is to GB) that it's an integral part of Tokyo's coming out party for its latest Olympic effort. Money can't buy you that...or NBC would pay to the IOC President dressed up as a peacock every four years.
 
With the way Nintendo has all but gone on hiatus this last year anyone would be forgiven for thinking that Nintendo doesn't even have a marketing team. The plan to get Mario into the Rio closing ceremony was unexpected but it's still not enough. What Nintendo really needs is a workable strategy, to promote the company every month. Rather then vanishing from the world, only to suddenly reappear at Rio.

I just want to hug you like a little kitten. Never, ever leave me.
 
That's true, which is really part of the problem. Nintendo needs to be doing more to reach out to gamers before they try something like Rio.
For all the posturing you're doing, you've yet to actually materially prove that Mario's appearance in the video actually cost Nintendo anything. If we assume that the Japanese government asked for their participation and it was not a case of Nintendo buying their way into the video, then your whole argument falls apart; free exposure is never a bad thing. If you believe this to not be the case, the onus is on you to prove it.
 
By now you really shouldn't be surprised that Nintendo receives criticism from all corners, even in a thread like this. As a company Nintendo faces a lot of problems at the moment, having Mario appear at Rio doesn't mean that people should forget all the mistakes that lead Nintendo to this point.
Literally no one here is criticizing Nintendo for Mario appearing in the Olympics closing ceremony but you.
 

Coen

Member
Maybe I'm being naive, but I'd think this isn't really about Nintendo paying for promotion but more about Japan looking for universally loved characters to make a statement to the world. It reminds me of the James Bond skit with the queen in the London 2012 opening ceremony.
 
Come on guys. They only ask for Mario to make that beautiful pun /s

Wait. I remember people hated that Nintnedo made to many puns, damn their doomed now
 

Tehalemi

Member
You can't blow your load too early. Gotta save that for the future.

At the end of the Olympic torch relay, the torch bearer hands it to Pikachu, who then brings it to the top. He then uses Thunderbolt to turn the torch into a lightning rod, engulfing the entire stadium in a beautiful and luminous beam of light.

/opening ceremony
 

HeroR

Member
Japan's prime minister becomes Mario in one of the most watched TV events in the world = Nintendo is doomed and has no future.

The logical conclusion.

Mario is the Japanese version of Mickey Mouse. This is like the President of the United States stepping out of a Mickey Mouse cartoon while dressed as Mickey.
 

casiopao

Member
Speaking off idol, i can't wait for many anime idols to come and bring Deculture to those who disregard the power of J-Pop lol.

Idolmasters, Aikatsu, Pri para, Love live, Miku, Macross Delta and Frontier Idol, many many moar Idol anime, i will be buying that VIP seats lol.^_^
 

massoluk

Banned
Speaking off idol, i can't wait for many anime idols to come and bring Deculture to those who disregard the power of J-Pop lol.

Idolmasters, Aikatsu, Pri para, Love live, Miku, Macross Delta and Frontier Idol, many many moar Idol anime, i will be buying that VIP seats lol.^_^

Don't forget Marie and Callie
 

?oe?oe

Member
Nintendo should have revealed the NX and its launch titles in the middle of the arena during the Games. Idiots. What are they smoking? Not even a bronze for effort.
 

Astral Dog

Member
Compared to the NX, both Neo and Scorpio are known quantities, more powerful versions of existing consoles with a proven track record. While the NX remains an unknown quantity, that's supposed to follow up Nintendo's least successful console since the Virtual Boy. While Mario might have one of the most famous faces in the world he can't save the NX right now when nobody has any idea what an 'NX' really is. This means that at best Rio is a missed opportunity for Nintendo.

i never imagined there would be a more obnoxious anti-Nintendo Nintendo fanboy than Ninjablade, but congrats you are getting there in quite a short time ;-)
 

Peru

Member
The Tokyo bit there had music from Yasutaka Nakata (Capsule, Perfume) and choreography from MIKIKO (Perfume, Babymetal). Hopefully they just bring Perfume for the real Opening ceremony.
 

CrazyDude

Member
Japan's closing ceremony will award the marathon medals like tradition, but this time it will have Ash in the background like this:

Teardrop.jpg
 

Kintor

Banned
No one here is saying you should...? We are all just flabbergasted that you point to a masterful brand marketing that unifies Mario with Japan and say it's a waste when
A. You have no idea who was paying whom
And
B. It's a win for brand marketing and awareness regardless
There's nothing 'masterful' about Nintendo's marketing here. It's probably a stunt that's been in planning for years, even since Tokyo's Olympic bid was successful. Unfortunately for Nintendo, Rio arrived at a time when the company's brand is at the weakest point it's been since end of the GameCube, perhaps even more so given that the WiiU has sold less than the GameCube. So that even if Nintendo is successfully getting attention at Rio there's no solid foundation to build-upon, it's all empty hype with nowhere to go.
 

ranmafan

Member
The Tokyo bit there had music from Yasutaka Nakata (Capsule, Perfume) and choreography from MIKIKO (Perfume, Babymetal). Hopefully they just bring Perfume for the real Opening ceremony.

Yeah I forgot to mention those names when I posted about Shiina Ringo's involvement. They had a really good group of people working on this ceremony. Nhk had a nice segment on it after the ceremony with interviews of many of the people involved including Mikiko and Shinna Ringo. Was pretty nice.
 

Makonero

Member
There's nothing 'masterful' about Nintendo's marketing here. It's probably a stunt that's been in planning for years, even since Tokyo's Olympic bid was successful. Unfortunately for Nintendo, Rio arrived at a time when the company's brand is at the weakest point it's been since end of the GameCube, perhaps even more so given that the WiiU has sold less than the GameCube. So that even if Nintendo is successfully getting attention at Rio there's no solid foundation to build-upon, it's all empty hype with nowhere to go.

Like E3 then? After all, Scorpio isn't out so that was wasted marketing. So were all those trailers for unreleased games! What a waste!
 

casiopao

Member
Don't forget Marie and Callie

Ahah. How can i forget my Squid Overlord.T_T

Hell, they can also add so many husbando Idols lol. Uta Prince is going to big lolol.^^

Nintendo is an entertainment company. They sell and license figures, be it Amiibo or collaborations with 3rd parties like Good Smile Company and Jakks Pacific. They're planning to make movies and are collaborating with Universal to launch a Nintendo attraction. They license board-games, toys, soundtracks, apparel (including a collaboration with Uniqlo). Are all of these wastes of resources and time? No, because doing all of this is what separates them from Sony or Microsoft, no other game company, franchise or brand has the clout to be able to pull of something like this and get people talking. The plan isn't to sell all of these people NX's whatever that may be, although the new attention is welcomed no doubt but rather to ingrain Nintendo as a worldwide brand, one that people associate with good memories. Think bigger than video games. It's what allowed something like Pokemon Go to happen, 20 years of anime, manga and everything else removed of the video games themselves has accumulated to a franchise people are familiar with and hold in high regards, a brand that they associate with happy memories. And so they invest in these brands. Nintendo don’t care if they make their millions with NX, mobile, toys or movies because they have the ability to do all of that and more at once so why put your eggs all in one basket? People are happy watching the Olympics, they see Mario at the Olympics and so the cycle continues.

We are talking to brick wall lol. And seeing his response, it is like a Great Wall level of wall.T_T

You think Mario Prime Minister will finally eliminate censorship in Japanese porn? You know... It's all about the important things.

Mario is going to replaced all that censored sticks into mushroom lol.^_^

That was amazing! I didn't expect Captain Tsubasa!
But where is Sonic?! :(

In that underground Dungeon he is supposed to buried in.^_^
 

Jebusman

Banned
i never imagined there would be a more obnoxious anti-Nintendo Nintendo fanboy than Ninjablade, but congrats you are getting there in quite a short time ;-)

He's very much anti-nintendo. His post history involves pointing out how Sega was superior to Nintendo whenever possible.

His modus operandi is to enter a thread, explain to you in all the way Nintendo has fucked themselves, and how every choice they make is always the wrong one.

He's a Sega fanboy stuck in the 90s forever to wage console wars.
 
There's nothing 'masterful' about Nintendo's marketing here. It's probably a stunt that's been in planning for years, even since Tokyo's Olympic bid was successful. Unfortunately for Nintendo, Rio arrived at a time when the company's brand is at the weakest point it's been since end of the GameCube, perhaps even more so given that the WiiU has sold less than the GameCube. So that even if Nintendo is successfully getting attention at Rio there's no solid foundation to build-upon, it's all empty hype with nowhere to go.
You prove to us that Nintendo had to pay to have Mario be on the center stage of Tokyo's 2020 Olympic preview show and you may have a case. A very very very slim one but certainly a bigger case than the nonexistent one you have now.
 

Days like these...

Have a Blessed Day
There's nothing 'masterful' about Nintendo's marketing here. It's probably a stunt that's been in planning for years, even since Tokyo's Olympic bid was successful. Unfortunately for Nintendo, Rio arrived at a time when the company's brand is at the weakest point it's been since end of the GameCube, perhaps even more so given that the WiiU has sold less than the GameCube. So that even if Nintendo is successfully getting attention at Rio there's no solid foundation to build-upon, it's all empty hype with nowhere to go.


This will go down in the annals of gaf
meltdowns on par with ff13 being on Xbox.

Please tell us did Nintendo shoot themselves in the foot?
 

Codeblue

Member
As I said earlier in this thread, Nintendo's core brand is fundamentally damaged. The failure of the WiiU has eroded Nintendo's market share and good will with the public. Until Nintendo finally reveals the NX and gives gamers something tangible to think about any publicity stunt they cook-up will fall flat. Because right now there's no new product that Nintendo can connect to Mario at Rio.

My favorite part about your posts is that their stock is literally increasing as you're posting about how useless this is.
 

Skux

Member
Holy shit this thread lol

All they wanna do is show off their mascot at an event and then this happens.
 

Kintor

Banned
Like E3 then? After all, Scorpio isn't out so that was wasted marketing. So were all those trailers for unreleased games! What a waste!
Nintendo should have revealed the NX at E3, so that they could have avoid the situation they're in now. Where Nintendo is left without a new product to promote, despite going to all the trouble of appearing at Rio. Lot's of effort on Nintendo's part with nothing to gain in the end, thanks to the mistake they made by delaying the reveal of the NX.
 

Makonero

Member
Nintendo should have revealed the NX at E3, so that they could have avoid the situation they're in now. Where Nintendo is left without a new product to promote, despite going to all the trouble of appearing at Rio. Lot's of effort on Nintendo's part with nothing to gain in the end, thanks to the mistake they made by delaying the reveal of the NX.

They have products on shelves to promote, their stock is rising, millions watched as Nintendo/Mario become synonymous with Tokyo, but sure, their big mistake is not revealing their next console when you wanted it
 
Nintendo should have revealed the NX at E3, so that they could have avoid the situation they're in now. Where Nintendo is left without a new product to promote, despite going to all the trouble of appearing at Rio. Lot's of effort on Nintendo's part with nothing to gain in the end, thanks to the mistake they made by delaying the reveal of the NX.
Oh God. Look, I'm off to bed. But please do continue your crusade. I'll catch up with the mocking tomorrow.
 
Maybe I'm being naive, but I'd think this isn't really about Nintendo paying for promotion but more about Japan looking for universally loved characters to make a statement to the world. It reminds me of the James Bond skit with the queen in the London 2012 opening ceremony.

Eon Productions had to sell all their employee's first borns for that coverage, if it takes so much money to be included apparently.
 
As I said earlier in this thread, Nintendo's core brand is fundamentally damaged. The failure of the WiiU has eroded Nintendo's market share and good will with the public. Until Nintendo finally reveals the NX and gives gamers something tangible to think about any publicity stunt they cook-up will fall flat. Because right now there's no new product that Nintendo can connect to Mario at Rio.

Again you have no idea what branding means. The Nintendo brand is not just consoles or hardware. The strength of the Nintendo brand is in their stable of IPs. Who the fuck cares if there's no new product RIGHT NOW; you think companies should only leverage marketing if they have a new thing to sell? If that was the case, a lot of companies would have gone belly-up already.

The whole point of marketing is to ensure that you, as the brand, stay relevant to the market, not just the CORE market. Because you want to be expanding your market as much as possible. Yeah, there's no NX right now but Mario appearing in Rio (watched by 700+ million people around the world) will ensure that people talk ABOUT Mario (and it's trending in Twitter and social media so it's definitely working) and, by association, Nintendo. Thus, the brand stays relevant in people's minds and it might just cause an uptick in the consumption of any products CURRENTLY associated with them.

That's true, which is really part of the problem. Nintendo needs to be doing more to reach out to gamers before they try something like Rio.

Again, totally no awareness of how brand awareness works. You think that Nintendo should dismiss Rio and instead just focus on creating more Directs or put their resources solely on game trade shows like E3 and Gamescom? The 3 million or so people who attend or know those will already KNOW about Mario and Nintendo. Because those are core/niche events. Meanwhile, Rio Olympics is watched by hundreds of millions of people, a lot of whom do not even play video games of any kind.

If Timsmitski in Somewherekinztan is watching the Rio closing, he'll see Mario. Sure, he may not know who Mario is but odds are he will hop into his social media account and then see that, oh hey, this Mario in Rio is trending. Who the fuck is this Mario? So, he does a little search and realizes, oh, it's that fat dude. Why's he famous? Oh, so a video game character from Nintendo.

Now he may or may not anything about it but he'll already know about Mario. He's already aware. So now the next time he sees Mario somewhere, he'll already know ah. it's that fat dude from Nintendo and he may or may not impart this knowledge on to his nephews or nieces when they start talking about cartoons and video games.

You want a more specific example? A couple of pages back, someone saw Doraemon and says something like, "Who's that cat thing?" and people were all "Dunno if you serious but that's Doraemon man, one of the most famous characters in Japan and Asia!" So now the dude knows who Doraemon is and chances are he'll look more into the character and may become interested enough to buy Doraemon merchandise or impart this knowledge on some other geeky conversations in the future, with people who may or may not know who Doraemon is hence spreading the brand and anything associated with it.

And that is fucking brand awareness.
 

Fuu

Formerly Alaluef (not Aladuf)
It's clear that they tried to use characters that are familiar to Brazilians of a certain age. Doreaemon aired in Brazil years ago before the anime boom, Captain Tsubasa was big, pretty much everyone here knows Hello Kitty and Pacman, and everyone of a certain age range knows Mario.

The only way it could have been even better as a video for the closing ceremony of Rio 2016 was if they stuck Saint Seiya somewhere in there.
 
Nintendo should have revealed the NX at E3, so that they could have avoid the situation they're in now. Where Nintendo is left without a new product to promote, despite going to all the trouble of appearing at Rio. Lot's of effort on Nintendo's part with nothing to gain in the end, thanks to the mistake they made by delaying the reveal of the NX.

.
 

Deku89

Member
Reminds me of when they made that Pokemon commercial for the Super Bowl. It wasn't about a specific game, just to raise brand awareness. Then Pokemon Go happened. I think it's a good strategy and it seems the marketing department have been stepping it up. I'd also like to see an animated Mario movie in that style.
 

HeroR

Member
He's very much anti-nintendo. His post history involves pointing out how Sega was superior to Nintendo whenever possible.

His modus operandi is to enter a thread, explain to you in all the way Nintendo has fucked themselves, and how every choice they make is always the wrong one.

He's a Sega fanboy stuck in the 90s forever to wage console wars.


And for all Nintendo's screw ups, they're still better off than Sega.

*I know this is a low blow and I actually like Sega, but it's just too easy.
 
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