Marketing Plan for Nintendo on Instagram

Team: Tribe

Britney Liedtke: bliedtke@tribe.com, 925.899.0258

Rowyn Milbrath: rmilbrath@tribe.com, 707.479.6298

  Madison van Gemeren: mvangemeren@tribe.com, 925.980.9646

Instagram Photobomb Campaign

Client: Nintendo

Product: Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

Project Manager: Rowyn Milbrath

Brand & Image:

Nintendo is recognized to be one of the top gaming companies in the world. It has won multiple awards for both gaming consoles as well as games. These awards include the “E3 Game Critics Awards” and have won three times for games Super Smash Bros for DS, Super Smash Bros for Wii U, and Mario Maker for DS. Nintendo currently has 3.7 million followers on its Instagram account, and the company uses the platform as a way to announce when new products are released, as well as market towards holidays or top-rated games. Interestingly enough, the company does not advertise games or consoles coming out on Instagram prior to the release date. Nintendo will only post on Instagram once a game or new console has been released. For example, when Animal Crossing Pocket Camp for Iphone was released, Nintendo only posted saying the game was “now available” and had no advertising for the game on that platform prior to the release date. Nintendo also does not engage directly through comments or followers on Instagram. It is only following two people and almost is never responding to comments, positive or negative.

Identity:

Nintendo sees itself as the best of the best, and feels it doesn’t have a lot of competition because of the huge amount of following the company has and the serious love people have for the brand. After changing the company slogan to “There’s No Play Like It,” Nintendo has separated itself as ahead of the pack when compared to its competitors. With little to no social media interaction, especially on the platform of Instagram, it can be inferred that the brand does not see the need to connect with customers, as it is already at the top of its game. Because of the well known status of the brand, not much interaction needs to be done. Nintendo has reached consumers all over the world, and of all ages, with its mass demographic being between the ages of 6-66 years old. Choosing a specific target audience for  Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle will be a new step for Nintendo, and will be more effective because it will be able to carve out an exclusive identity for this specific age group.

Target Audience:

The target audience for Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is a millennial woman named Lauren. Lauren is 25 and has a full time job as a data analyst for Facebook. She loves to wind down in the evenings or during her free time with a fun game, and currently uses her Nintendo Switch to play Super Mario Odyssey. Growing up with two older brothers, Lauren is a huge fan of Mario and can’t wait for Mario + Rabbids Kingdom to come out. She heard about the game through an Instagram influencer @aubreycorrea. When Lauren isn’t playing games on her Nintendo Switch, she is usually scrolling through her feed on Instagram, and that is where she gets most of her ideas and inspiration when shopping for new items. Lauren knows she can trust an influencer like Aubrey because she has similar interests and shares the same opinions about other games and products that she has posted in the past.

Description of Trending Topic:

The use of social media influencers, especially on Instagram, has become a common practice among many well-known brands. An influencer marketing survey conducted by Collective Bias involving 14,000 respondents in the United States revealed that 70% of millennial consumers are influenced by the recommendations of their peers in buying decisions. This same survey also showed 30% of respondents were more likely to purchase a product if it was recommended by a non-celebrity blogger. This seems to be a common thought because of  the importance of authenticity in today’s social media climate. The trust of the client is becoming increasingly important, as people now have the ability to review, rate, or post complaints about virtually any service or product. The most valuable platform for influencer marketing is Instagram, and 94 percent of marketers perceive their Instagram influencer marketing to be highly effective, as reported by Adweek. The majority of Instagram users are between the ages of 18-24, which directly correlates to Nintendo’s target market, especially for the upcoming game Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle for Nintendo Switch. This age bracket could be considered part of the millennial age group, and these individuals rely heavily on the use of reviews and peer suggestions when deciding how to spend their money. Almost 75% of social media users turn to their favorite platform in search of product reviews, and unsurprisingly these same individuals see it as their duty to guide their friends, family, and followers toward good purchases. With a return on investment eleven times higher than any other platform, Instagram is chalk full of opportunities for brands and marketers to utilize in terms of influencer reach. Nintendo’s target customer, especially for this release, revolves around adults aged 25-35 who played Donkey Kong when it originally came out and throughout the time that it continued to be popular, mainly the late 1980’s and early 1990’s. These are grown men and women who now want to relive their childhood on the go and have fun on their free time such as on their commute, during road trips or carpool hours, on their lunch breaks, or after work in the evening.

The Ideas:

It is no secret that the act of influencer marketing has become an incredibly lucrative social media marketing plan. As previously discussed in the “Description of Trending Topic” portion of this report, 70% of millennial consumers are influenced by non-celebrity social media posts. By harnessing the power of these influencers, Nintendo can create a well recognized and trusted rapport with their consumers. In order to build this trust and respect, Nintendo will partner with a well-known and tech savvy influencer. This will be a five-week marketing campaign, and will consist of four Instagram posts and one Instagram story. The theme of the campaign is “#SwitchUp your….” The underlying component of the campaign is the idea of “photobombing” and how this act can be used by brands to market products or services. Each picture will be focusing on a different definition of a photobomb, which will be discussed when displaying the campaign week by week. The idea of using several different definitions of one type of photo will allow Nintendo to gain analytics about influencer marketing, as well as how this new trend can be utilized by big brands, especially those who don’t always bring engagement with their consumers through social media to the forefront of their marketing strategies.

Week One Idea: #SwitchUp Your Road Trip

Photobomb Idea: “Breaking Vanity”

#SwitchUp your road trip and create your own adventure in #MarioRabbidsKingdomBattle out August 29th!

The “Breaking Vanity”  Photobomb revolves around the idea of breaking up someone’s obsession with themselves. In this case, the influencer is clearly posed for a photograph, and her Nintendo Switch (that would be playing the game) is peeking out behind her map. By having the Nintendo Switch break up what would otherwise be your typical influencer content, it provides relief in the over-populated world of selfies. It may also be worth noting that the age group that Nintendo is marketing towards value experiences over material items. So by bringing an experience to the mind of the social media user, they see how a certain product may be able to enhance said experience. In this case, the product is Mario Rabbids Kingdom Battle.

This photo will be posted via Instagram on Wednesday, August 1st, 2018 at 3pm Eastern Standard Time, which will start off the campaign. This time has been chosen specifically to attract the majority of gamers who reside on the east coast.

Week Two Idea: #SwitchUp Your Saturday

Photobomb Idea: “The Reality Show”

Instagram Story Post

    “Just wanted to tell you guys how much fun I had writing that blog post on Saturday, so if you haven’t seen it      yet check it out! Oh, also I just got the new Mario Rabbids Kingdom Battle Game with Donkey Kong for the Nintendo Switch and it is so much fun! Swipe up to preorder that, it comes out August 29th!”

This video story will be posted via Instagram on Wednesday, August 8th, 2018 at 3pm Eastern Standard Time, and will be the content for the second week of the campaign.

After the influencer posts their content to their stories, Nintendo can re-post onto it’s stories, as well as onto its actual Instagram timeline.  Instagram reported 250 million daily users for Stories in June of 2017, and that number has only grown; according to Instagram, over 300 million people now use it daily. When the influencer starts her story by discussing a recent blog post, she reminds the consumer that she is trustworthy, as she has the ability to write about her opinions on her own website. The sudden switch into the discussion surrounding the Nintendo Switch and Mario Rabbids Kingdom Battle shows that it wasn’t planned. The switch just happened to be sitting there, and when she was discussing her recent blog post, she spots the Switch, and decides to also incorporate her newfound interest into her story. This is defined as a “Reality Show” Photobomb because it is a real moment frozen in time. This was a product that was once unseen, and was never meant to be a part of the original content, but came into the frame out of the blue.

Week Three Idea: #SwitchUp Your Breakfast

Photobomb Idea: “Classic Crasher”

 

“#SwitchUp your snack and go bananas for #MarioRabbidsKingdomBattle out August 29th!”

To be posted on August 15th, 2018 at 3pm EST, this post will be the third photo in the five week campaign.

As an example of a “Classic Crasher” Photobomb, this photo showcases an influencer’s morning breakfast, and an unexpected peek of her new game that she enjoys playing every day before heading off to work. This content brings in the health-conscious and lifestyle social media users that may remember playing Donkey Kong when they were younger, but aren’t interested in buying a whole console, and don’t have much free time to give to the experience. So, the Switch, available to you when commuting, carpooling, road tripping, or while eating breakfast, is the perfect solution for gaming on the go.

Week Four Idea: #SwitchUp your road trip

Photobomb Idea: “Where’s Waldo”

This photo will be posted via Instagram on Wednesday, August 22nd, 2018 at 3pm Eastern Standard Time, which will be photo four in the five week campaign.

This photo is an example of the “Where’s Waldo” photobomb, due to the fact that Donkey Kong blends into the barrels and is not easily spotted. Incorporated into this post are Lauren Diaz and Aubrey Correa, who are gaming/lifestyle social media influencers, each having over a million followers. Their audience consist of individuals who do not consider themselves “gamers”, but enjoy playing popular games when having a spare moment. These influencers have a strong connection with their followers as they are open to everyone with what is going on their lives, give advice to those who direct message them, and always give their honest opinions on games and products. Lauren and Aubrey’s trusted opinion and loyal followers will not only provide a positive impact about the game itself, but also will help establish strong user generated content within the brand.

Week Five Idea: #SwitchUp Your Nighttime Routine

Photobomb Idea: Battle of the Products

This photo will be posted via Instagram on Wednesday, August 29th, 2018 at 3pm Eastern Standard Time, which will end the campaign. This time has been chosen specifically to attract the majority of gamers who reside on the east coast.

This final photo of the #SwitchUp campaign will be focusing on the idea of a surprise, this surprise is an unexpected way to wind down after a long day. Because this campaign is targeting the older portion of the Millennial age range, they will most likely be dreaming of what they will achieve when they get off of work. Nintendo will be able to battle the typical norm of a book and a cup of hot tea, with the new Donkey Kong addition on the Nintendo Switch. Catching up on their Instagram timeline, and looking for a new way to experience their night time routine, the target customer will be overjoyed to find that they can now relive a childhood memory on the go, and wherever or whenever they please. This photobomb definition of “Battle of the Products” is a new way to shock and surprise social media users into consuming a product or service.

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