Sample Project Paper on Principles of Marketing 101 Wii U

Introduction

This paper reflects on a marketing project that concern the Wii u product. It is a home video game that is developed and manufactured by Nintendo to suit the eighth generation. The console became released as the pioneer eight generation video in November 2012. Its competitors at the market are Xbox one from Microsoft and PS4. The Wii U is the pioneer product from Nintendo to support HD graphics. Its system incorporates a primary controller which is termed as the Wii U Gamepad. Touch screen is one of its features which operates with aid of action buttons.

1. Marketing research

To conduct this research, the methodology that was used was use of interviews and getting information from the websites. In the interview, I used a sample of six individuals whom I asked them questions concerning the Wii U product and their marketing strategy. The response is incorporated in this paper as part of the study. Another method that I sued was seeking details from the websites. Through this, I was able to access vital details about Wii u product including its competitors at the market (Carter, 2004).

1. Situation analysis

Competitor/Customer/SWOT Analysis

There are 2 major competitors for the Wii u, namely the Ps4 and the Xbox one. Each have their own strengths and weaknesses. PC is another substitute that is considered a power house in the market that all console developers try to avoid. The issue with the PC is that it doesn’t directly compete with the consoles but it takes majority of the consumers to its platform. There are many sub products that could be considered competitors such as the vita, VIVE, Phones can even be a contender for the competition. This is because majority of the current players have phones with apps to play the games.

In this regard, PS4 and Xbox one are the key competitors to the Wii U. The strength of PS4 is that it is known onto be a powerful part of the system. It can provide, many games hence this makes it a rival to Wii U. Another strength of PS4 is that it entails loyal consumers who have grown up using the previous version called the PS3. However, the weaknesses of PS4 is that it is expensive and lacks backwards compatibility (Freeman, 2015).This is a major issue that concerns this product it is still upgradingits old games. Their objective is to increase sales and the number of returns.  Another weakness of PS4 isthat its online mode subjects users to spend plenty of cash. This implies that if an individual needs to play with his colleagues, he is obligated to pay for the service on a monthly basis.

Xbox is another rival that is weaker than the PS4 and it is several times stronger than the Wii u. Xbox one incorporates Motion controls, numerous games and backwards compatibility. Its weaknesses is that it consists of motioncontrols that are very bad with pay to play online services. It also has some issues withsoftware or internet connection at times and expensive than the Wii u. The Wii u has its own strengths and weaknesses. The strengths of this console are most games are exclusive and you won’t be able to experience it on any of the other consoles. Has a unique gamepad with a screen, provides a local and online multiplayer, for free and has backwards compatibility. Some of the weaknesses are the lack of sufficient power, slow load screens, server issues and lack of enough games. The differences in promotion of the product was that PS4 and Xbox had the idea of a stronger console provides the consumer with a better performance and experience (Orhun, 2006).

Its strength is clear when it provided many third-party developers a place to create their games. Wii u marketed itself as a family console whereby its playincorporated siblings and parents. This implies that both the PS4 and Xbox focused on the individual that would be playing their games. This lead to people thinking that since most of our parents are busy there is no actual point in getting a weaker console that you won’t even use it since it was promoted for families. Another difference is that Xbox one and PS4 both had a year before their release while the Wii u released early in order to try to be ahead of the competitors but they lacked any actual games, rendering it useless.After a year, the Wii u had a decent amount of games. This applied to PS4 and Xbox who had launched games and incurred great success after the overall idea of the consoles.

1. Product positioning

I believe that Wii U product is the best at the market in contrast to what competitors’ offer. For instance, this product differs with other products in relation to its unique features and game benefits. It incorporates various play styles that suits the family and it is less expensive to purchase. This explains why clients should opt to purchase Wii U products at the market (Kotler, 2006).

1. Marketing mix

Product:

The product that will be focused on is the Wii U that was made by Nintendo as a home console. The Wii u is a gaming console that is focused on the family playing together and enjoying the different types of games. It is a Gaming product that makes it very unique. The product has some gaming benefits, an early release and numerous exclusive game labels. This product is focused on gaming so there is no personal solving to this product, other than solving an empty amount of time. The product life cycle is about 4 years, it affects the marketing because the marketer has to ensure that all information about is spread within a short period.This is vital to enable individualsto get excited and enjoy the experience that this console can provide for its customers.

There is no product range for the Wii u but each game, has its own target demographic as well as, being made for different lifestyles or play styles. The branding of this product is based on the branding of Nintendo, which is something that the family can play together. Many of their approaches for this product focused on the family being together and playing, even though many of the current day gamers are in their 20’s and above. The brand is also known for having strong nostalgic memories by providing many people with different first experiences. Nintendo is attributed by individuals at the market as the strength of the brand.

Price:

The price of the Wii u is an important issue. The price of this console with some added games is a total of 1400 Qatari riyal while its competitors such as PS4 or Xbox amounts to 2000 Qatari riyal for similar items that are purchased. The gap in prices occurs due to difference in tech as well as differences in the total experience each can provide. This means that each has its own hardware and software that makes them unique. Price also differs based on the number of games on the device and various ways of playing. The pricing objective is to allow families to be able to purchase this product for their young and play as a family.

Conversely, other competitors are focused more on the adults by considering their needs to enhance a better experience. The strategy is to reduce the overall cost of the tech used inside the Wii u. This is because itlowers the cost of the product allowing them to sell their commodities at a cheaper price than their competitors. As a result, this generatesa good experience while playing. The purpose of making the price less is to convince the families that it can be worth the cost as it will unite the family, with its lower abilities.

Place:

Wii u can be found in many tech or gaming companies. This include virgin or even Saqir. The Wii u isn’t only sold in Qatar but it is sold everywhereby use of online services and shippingto other states.  The distribution of this product was made to allow every country to have an ample number of consoles. These were made possible by the Nintendo Company making sure many of the big stores had the Wii u at launch.  Another reason for the product being available everywhere was due to the current trend of pre-purchasing. This was the act of buying a product before the official release. On the launching day, the product will be sent to your house with possible benefits. For instance,there is no need to go for shopping because this product could be accessed online. It was accompanied by added features or items. Thedifferent distribution channels that are part of major marketing include Walmart, Amazon, and Carefree. This is inclusive of many local and international names that get the product and distribute it to the consumer (Pearce, 2009).

Promotion:

Clearly, Wii u used several of the 4 major promotion mixes. They ranges from advertising and improved it by focusing more on specific things that satisfied the need of clients. Promotion was a way of revealing the capability of the product and lack of enough information about it cause issues. Many of the current Wii u’s products are in existence and sold because they come with added items.  Nintendo embraced promotion when he noticed that there was a problem with their sales. Public relations were used since many people saw Nintendo as a strong and old company that they grew up with. In this case, they all wanted to see it grow and have a positive outlook. The promotion of the Wii u is a major concern. The promotion had many issues in it, such as the identification of this console being more fixed on providing a family experience rather than a gamer experience. This caused many people to doubt the product before even its release. Another issue that the promotion made was lack of enough information about the product before launch. Examples of this are the lack of launch tittles or other games expected to come for the Wii u. As a result, this made many people to doubt Wii u and its capability to handle any good games. Another issue that was noticed is the fact that the Wii u lacked technological power. This made majority of individualsto perceive it as a weak product that can’t perform to beat its competitors.

1. Conclusion & recommendation:

I recommend potential clients to purchase Wii u products because it incorporates unique features that makes it beneficial to entire family. Its special features incorporates various styles and play station that suits the eight generation. In contrast to its competitors’ products, Wii u is affordable and easy to use. The firm that sells this commodity has the best promotion strategy when it offers discounts and added items to foster its purchase.

References:

Activision (Firm). (2012). Transformers prime: The game: Wii U.

Carter, W., &Harbridge Consulting Group. (2004). Competitor analysis. London: Kogan Page in association with Harbridge Consulting Group.

Freeman, M. B. (January 01, 2015). Using the Wii Remote for Mobile Device Application             Testing: A Proof-of-Concept. International Journal of Handheld Computing Research           (ijhcr), 6, 1, 34-43.

Kotler, P. (2006). Principles of marketing. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall.

Orhun, A. Y., & University of California, Berkeley. (2006). Product positioning strategies.

Pearce, M., & Dent, L. (2009). The four P’s marketing strategies. Bendigo, Vic: Video Education             Australiasia.