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Gadget Fashion: Cross-Marketing Gone Wild |
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Dr. Samuel Says -
Bidness
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Written by Dr. Samuel Centralia, Ph.D., D.D.S., Esq.
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Wednesday, 17 September 2008 |
Marketing professionals are funny. In an effort to push their product, they're often given to a kind of lateral thinking that is, frankly, quite enviable. Think of the various examples of viral marketing and covert advertising in the last few years. In fact, I dated a marketing major once in college. Nice girl -- definitely a lateral thinker -- and a natural talent. By the time we split up I'd bought a timeshare in Florida.
Anyway, I came across an interesting item this morning that reminded me
of the value of lateral marketing ideas. Nintendo, having apparently
achieved total retail saturation with their handheld DS game console,
has struck a deal with a -- get this -- handbag rental outfit. From
Bags to Riches offers 30-day rentals of expensive high-fashion handbags
from the likes of Prada, Tory Burch, Gucci and Juicy Couture. (I'm
quoting from the press release here, as I don't know Prada from Dada.)
 Customers that rent a handbag will also get a free Nintendo DS unit for
30 days, in "a variety of chic Nintendo DS colors, including Metallic
Silver, Metallic Rose, Onyx, Crimson/Black or Cobalt/Black." (Again
from the press release. It's a kind of poetry, really.) Subscribers can
select from a collection of popular games such as Mystery Case Files:
MillionHeir, Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day and
Nintendogs.
Clearly, the Nintendo folks are targeting women gamers. “Almost half
the Nintendo DS systems sold in the United States last year belong to
women,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice
president of Sales & Marketing. “With From Bags to Riches, we can
help the growing population of female gamers test drive some great
Nintendo DS games -- and look good while they’re doing it.”
I love marketingspeak, and you gotta admire Nintendo's moxie. They're
going to get the DS console into your hards one way or another.
Resistance is futile.
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