In an unusual partnership, companies Tencent, Nintendo, Holiday Inn, and IKEA are running a marketing initiative, featuring Super Mario Party. The event will take place in select Holiday Inn hotels and IKEA showrooms across China.
The year 2020 marked as a turning point to the way people live. With lockdowns in place, which limited both domestic and international travels, entertainment became paramount in ways possible. For people in China where the latter is truer, this implies a boom in domestic travels that see families moving in droves to new places.
For a country whose primary means of amusement involves the use of PC or mobile, console gaming is somewhat uncommon. Nintendo is keen in changing that as it partners with multiple companies in promoting a family-centered home entertainment with the Switch.
While a large market, Nintendo, however, is bringing its product to a specific type of consumer. Particularly, those who travel and could put the effort of visiting locations owned by either the Holiday Inn or IKEA. Or, simply, gamers in general who happen to chance either places during the promotion.
From a Credible Source
In a tweet, prolific industry insider Daniel Ahmad shares the news, which he put as a collaboration among said companies. In particular, for showcasing Nintendo Switch’s capability, which also puts Super Mario Party at the highlight.
Coming off as a string of tweets, Ahmad describes how the marketing is placed. With Holiday Inn, 24 branches throughout China are chosen for promoting the hybrid console. Specifically, guests are free to experience multiplayer sessions at the lobby or at the privacy of their own rooms.
12 Ikea locations have also converted show rooms to a Super Mario Party theme and let people play the game during their shopping experience.
Both promotions are running between now and August 31.
Super Mario Party was recently released in the country with the online update. pic.twitter.com/1sNsFUsqEZ
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) July 4, 2021
Meanwhile, 12 IKEA branches from across China will feature showrooms which give curious buyers an amusing distraction from their shopping. But, more importantly, for the purpose of marketing the Nintendo Switch, among likely gamers in the crowd.
Overall, the marketing initiative is anticipated to last until the end of August 2021.
Reasonable Marketing
Ahmad acknowledges how the campaign might come off as unusual to those coming from outside of China. But he also emphasizes a few important factors as to why the effort is worth the undertaking. One is the stated fact that the country is seeing burgeoning local tourism, drawing from the constraints of international travel. Another is also due to the relative absence of console culture in the country, which demands hands-on exposure to potential consumers.
Why the partnership chose to put Super Mario Party at the pedestal, rather than another iconic title, is quite obvious. It seems likely that Nintendo, through the short-term business deal, is looking to target China’s many families. Which is indeed a large crowd, instead of just focusing on just the single person. Although the latter is not necessarily an exception to the rule.
Image used courtesy of Nintendo UK/YouTube Screenshot