The Ad[Verse] – Laughing With Nintendo
If you’ve ever attended or watched a Nintendo Press Conference, you’ll likely forgive me for suggesting that humor isn’t the strong edge of Nintendo’s PR Sword. It doesn’t need to be either, but when the company attempts to be lighthearted and funny, it often feels like a old people are telling me jokes – leaving me to pretend to laugh while trying not to get caught looking at my watch. Sorry Grandma, I love you, but you’re not on the cutting edge of comedy.
But I feel entirely different about Nintendo’s experiments with humor in advertising over the years – which they admittedly don’t often attempt. It wasn’t out of the question for me to find a few ads that stick out in my memory for the legitimately clever and hilarious effect they had on me when originally airing – causing me to consider that on those rare occasions when Nintendo hits the mark, they hit it better than the rest.
The most important thing about both these spots were that they grabbed my attention, of course. But in retrospect, both spots achieved that rare ability to take a normal situation and turn it askew in a way that is of course ridiculous, but doesn’t descend into the nonsensical. Sure Nintendo mascots don’t go for strolls in the park, but if they did I certainly wouldn’t have previously expected them to lay the boots to one another.
It’s a really difficult proposition to capture a sense of actual gameplay within real-world situations. With the notable exception of the original DS campaign, most live action spots don’t even come close to accomplishing what both of these spots hit upon – often distracting me from any idea of what the game is even about.
Truth in advertising, albeit to the extreme. I’ve heard it suggested that this is the secret to great humor, taking the simple and making it complex, and vice-versa. How many of us have joked about our Nintendo addiction making us homeless, or wanting to hump a new piece of hardware – we know you have.
The first time I saw this advertisement about someone made homeless by their Nintendo addiction, I had to wait to see it a second time before I would believe it was from Nintendo. Family and friends immediately concluded that my fate was being captured within the ad.
Both these spots have since become guilty pleasures, and the rarest examples of the types of advertisements I’d hope to create myself. Admittedly there was also no way I wasn’t going to find cause to show that mouse humping a GameBoy Micro. Sony’s talking PSP squirrels have nothing on this. I never would have previously imagined that Nintendo could approve something this funny.
Jamie Love - August 18th, 2009 - 
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Alb on August 18, 2009 at 8:35 pm
You forgot about http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45Lt6NnRQdk
TheMaverickk on August 18, 2009 at 8:57 pm
It’s sad but having “fun” just isn’t the main focus of the gaming world anymore.
It’s about being slick and artsy;
http://wii.ign.com/articles/101/1014972p1.html
The times even reflect that… look how most current companies and consoles are advertised. It’s about being slick and serious. If it’s not serious, it’s not hardcore… a game that is simply fun can’t possibly be a piece of art.
I personally as an art major feel like slapping some developer snobs out there. There’s art in fun, I mean looking at the humor presented in these ads is absolutely art. Simply in the presentation, the sweet hand made quality of the costumes, and then putting them in the real life world.
Not to mention that there are some pretty deep themes and emotions I truly believe run through titles like Metroid for example or a game like Majora’s Mask. Mind you don’t try and tell any of the gaming snobs out there that those games count as art.
vdeogmer on August 18, 2009 at 9:42 pm
You also forgot http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZSkUTWZyeA
Jamie Love on August 18, 2009 at 9:45 pm
@vdeogmer – DAMN! That’s an awesome commercial too! Completely slipped my mind, thankyou!
DoppleBoppler on August 18, 2009 at 9:52 pm
No Punch-Out!! Wii commercial? The extended version of the one with Doc Louis and Little Mac, that is. I thought that was hands down the funniest Nintendo commercial, which is saying a lot since there are some good ones.
Jamie Love on August 18, 2009 at 9:56 pm
@DoppleBoppler – that commercial did surprise me, even more so because everything for the Wii has fit into a pre-set mold of sorts, and it was specifically speaking to fans of the series, which isn’t exactly their target marketing group anymore.
Carl on August 18, 2009 at 10:14 pm
Yeah, those Heavy Rain devs are nuts. What made Citizen Kane good is that it didn’t just ape a stage play or rely on cheesy tricks like “train drives towards screen.” It used the medium in a unique way using a unique visual language. So what’s unique about videogames? Interactivity! The joy that one gets from making Mario run to the right is pure and simple. Why the hell would anyone want Mario to have motivations? *I* have a motivation: I want to run to the right because it’s fun! That’s all there is. If you try to put in more that you end up with wankery like Metal Gear 4.
TheMaverickk on August 18, 2009 at 11:11 pm
@ Carl
Despite all the insight some of these snootier developers have, they seem to forget that video games are interactive… they aren’t movies.
Heavy Rain looks like a choose your own adventure movie… or like watching a movie where you have to keep hitting correct buttons in order to keep the movie going. It’s something that troubles me because in an effort for devs to supposedly “create art” they literally have to detach the component that makes video games… well fun and entertaining for that matter.
This discussion could totally go off topic from the post, but for the most part those ads reminded me just how awesome video games used to be. How exciting they were and that they were still a toy and it was ok for video games to be a toy for that matter. I’ll miss that red Nintendo logo… hopefully they bring it back though… like how Coke went from new coke, to classic coke. That red logo symbolized fun… now it’s gone grey… so sad.
mitch on August 19, 2009 at 1:28 am
I can’t believe you forgot this one, Jamie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_HOMVConcM
It was championed by our very own Benny Torres.
Camel on August 19, 2009 at 6:26 am
My personal favorite:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2m3NgZk7eE
Bainick on August 19, 2009 at 11:53 am
Quite a few MORE for you guys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0LfLk9lLEg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJwNIiZ1m-g&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqVvxs_gqbE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySAFbFlys3A&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOLL1ksKlMI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wglFb5vpCs&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pDK72y4tHg (This one actually made it to Australian TV’s, an amazement in it’s own)
And something only half related, was it just me or were the ‘Wii Would Like To Play’ commercial’s music sounded like it cam from a KOEI’s SW games (which is coming to Wii also by the way).
Jamie Love on August 19, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Hey guys, great finds! I just realized I’d forgotten one of my truly all time favorites for Kirby64 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3rgzsytu0E
DrDark on August 19, 2009 at 4:12 pm
‘Wii Would Like To Play’ commercial music is by the Yoshida Brothers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ron17xFNBf0