maxgofstein posted: " Introduction to Nintendo Nintendo is a Japanese video game studio, publisher, and system manufacturer. Initially founded in 1889 as a company creating hanafuda cards, the company was revived and joined the video game industry in the 1960s. Nintendo di" COM 125: Social Media
Nintendo is a Japanese video game studio, publisher, and system manufacturer. Initially founded in 1889 as a company creating hanafuda cards, the company was revived and joined the video game industry in the 1960s. Nintendo didn't find monumental success until the early 1980s with the release of the Donkey Kong arcade cabinet.
A few years later, they released the widely successful, home video game console called the Nintendo Entertainment System, better known as the NES. The NES was released in 1985 and with it, released the game Super Mario Bros. Super Mario became a worldwide phenomenon, with the NES selling over 60 million units, and the Super Mario Bros game selling over 40 million copies. Nintendo continued to make more original games with characters and worlds that were memorable and fun. These games and characters strongly resonated with audiences, from The Legend of Zelda to Kirby's Adventure, so many people fell in love with the world of Nintendo. And after 38 years, Nintendo is still going strong in the video game industry. They've continued to make more consoles and more games in the franchises they've started. While they don't have a perfect track record, Nintendo cares about delivering fun games and experiences that are engaging for audiences to connect with and enjoy authentic experiences that are memorable and that feel great to play.
Social Media Overview
Nintendo uses a variety of social media platforms:
*For this Project, I will be exclusively focusing on Nintendo's internet presence in North America, where most profiles have the label "Nintendo of America."
Nintendo's American YouTube channel currently has 9.08M subscribers and 5.6K videos. They have uploaded to YouTube since 2011 with the unveiling of their handled device, the Nintendo 3DS. Since then, they have consistently posted a wide variety of promotional material for their games and systems while mostly sticking with trailers. Since 2011, they've presented these trailers in large batches with their live-streamed "Nintendo Directs". These "directs" normally run around 40ish minutes and provide many game announcements and other promotional material. They are also live-streamed on Twitch.
Nintendo's internet presence relies on their trailers for upcoming game releases, and YouTube serves as the prime spot for all footage of whatever they are releasing. Every trailer for third-party games gets between 50k views and 100k views. While their first-party trailers get between 600k views all the way up to 5 million views! Like the trailer for the next mainline Mario game, Super Mario Bros. Wonder!
Nintendo has links to their other socials at the top of their channel page and in their video descriptions. They have only posted a handful of YouTube shorts, and they post occasional tweet-like posts to their community page. Overall, Nintendo's YouTube is simply the best place to see what they're posting most, game trailers!
Nintendo's American Twitter account is their most successful account with 12.9 million followers. The account was created in 2007 and has now become the most popular spot for Nintendo updates. Every new trailer Nintendo uploads is cross uploaded to every social media they have. What's unique about Nintendo's Twitter is their more community-focused posts, encouraging interaction and discussion.
This tweet here posts about a character from the latest Legend of Zelda game, "Tears of the Kingdom", and the side character, Hestu!
The spirited tree fairy Hestu can only be seen by a select few. Hestu can increase the size of Link's inventory through the power of dance, though he'll need some Korok seeds to get into the groove. #Zelda#TearsOfTheKingdompic.twitter.com/qVgItOeEz0
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 23, 2023
Other unique tweets will usually involve notifications they don't post anywhere else because the news is easy to share with a quick tweet.
Last chance!
Save up to 50% on a super selection of games for the #NintendoSwitch system!
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) June 23, 2023
Another aspect of this Twitter account is Nintendo retweeting partnerships and their sponsorships! Like with the tabletop playing group Critical Role, and of course, with Illumination for The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Nintendo of America's Facebook page is very similar to their Twitter, although with various differences. The Facebook page has 5.4 million likes and oddly doesn't post as much as Twitter, despite similar posts like the partnership retweets on their Twitter. What sets their Facebook page apart is using some of Facebook's unique features to do things like schedule events.
The other thing about their Facebook Page is that most of Nintendo's die-hard fans are probably on Twitter or YouTube, so the core audience of Nintendo might not be following their Facebook. Nintendo's audience is mostly kids and teens, while not as many adults. Which contradicts with Facebook's more adult audience. That being said, certain posts are highlighted on their Facebook that aren't on their other accounts. Like this Nintendo Switch ad for Mother's Day.
Nintendo of America has used their Instagram quite efficiently and has utilized all its best features. This account stands at 7.6 million followers, and like all other accounts mentioned previously, this one posts up-to-date news about the newest Nintendo releases. Instagram also has a few unique posts, like partnership posts not present on other sites, like the most iconic partnership of Nintendo's, Pokémon!
Nintendo uses reels for their Instagram account, as full videos can now be viewed through that method, so they post select trailers there. They also post many Instagram stories and turn them into highlights for anyone to view on their profile! Including these fun activities not seen on any other of Nintendo's social media platforms.
Now, Nintnedo's Pinterest profile is odd, because their posts were very infrequent and as of now, they haven't been posted to the account since Easter 2021. That being said, this social media account of theirs is completely original! With posts that are easily catered toward Pinterest users with most posts featuring colorful filters and flattering arrangements of their products.
The account has 50.5k followers, which is the smallest account out of all of Nintendo's social media profiles. This is most likely due to the fact that it's the most inactive. Oddly enough, they still promote this profile on every YouTube video they post. A lot of content on their Pinterest is holiday-themed, so it's even more peculiar that they'd promote an account with posts that quickly become outdated. Though, when Nintendo isn't trying to take advantage of the holiday season, they successfully combine style and product advertising by taking great pictures of what they have for sale, like their line of Amiibo figurines.
Nintendo's Tumblr is currently inactive and, like their LinkedIn page, is not advertised in Nintendo's other social media platforms. But what's interesting is that it's also an account of Nintendo's to feature posts that are only about certain games. Feeling appropriate for the site's more artsy and aesthetically pleasing posts.
Finally, the other social media that Nintendo of America doesn't advertise, LinkedIn! Nintendo's LinkedIn currently has 659,263 followers and 5,170 confirmed employees. Now, while this is a more populated account than Nintendo's Pinterest, their LinkedIn is not a very active account in general. It was active until 2019, now they have decided to only post occasionally. Two employee-focused posts have been posted since 2019, and they are really nice to see. Showing a personal message to the employees of Nintendo is really sweet, it would be cool to see more of them.
Analysis.
Nintendo of America has succeeded the most at making fans excited and invested thanks to their social media presence. They share new trailers across all their (popular) platforms, share posts of their charming characters and worlds associated with their games, and overall post a variety of content on all their major franchises that people love to see the most. I've personally been a fan of Nintendo for a very long time and it's no surprise to me that they rely on the excitement factor of their content through their trailers and announcements. The "hype" factor, if you will. It gets people talking. With their Nintendo Directs that are live-streamed on YouTube, Nintendo brings everyone together for one big event so everyone can see some of their biggest announcements live at the same time. Then fans would go to Twitter and see how people are reacting and what they're discussing! And maybe if someone isn't a huge fan of Nintendo and isn't tuned into their YouTube or Twitter, they would still see their announcements on their more lowkey pages like Facebook and Instagram. Nintendo wants to make sure that you know what exciting things they have for their consumers through all the necessary platforms. As a bonus, they also post ads on TikTok! (they do not have a TikTok, however).
Digital Footprint.
Nintendo's digital footprint is standard for any other major gaming company, as searching their name on Google will always provide you with the most relevant content for your search. It starts with their website, along with links you can click under it that direct you to their major website pages: "My Nintendo Store", "Nintendo Switch OLED Model", and "Games". Nothing out of the ordinary, and ideal for what the company is aiming for - easily accessible and updated links. Below that, we see their socials (YouTube first), shop links for Nintendo products (not all connected to the Nintendo website, however), and other projects like "Super Nintendo World" at Universal Studios.
The more concerning links that show up are the journalist articles detailing the most relevant news about Nintendo, which at the moment, are rumor-like statements about their next console. Nintendo is such a large company that all major journalist outlets posting articles mentioning their name will show up on the first page of Google results as relevant news, despite the company's best wishes. However, it's safe to say that Nintendo has made their mark on the internet and their legacy is easily understood. They are one of the leading gaming companies pushing their latest games on their newest, revolutionary hybrid gaming console, the Nintendo Switch.
Conclusion & Recommendations.
I'm confident in saying that Nintendo has used all of their social media platforms successfully to encapsulate their legacy over the course of their 38 years in the gaming industry. Posting consistently on YouTube and Twitter, along with their Facebook and Instagram. And their Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Tumblr are nice to see as they complete every major social media platform. All accounts accustom to their follower base and adapt to the typical environment of all social media sites.
I have a few recommendations for them.
More fan interaction!
With a fanbase as loyal as Nintendo's, I want to see Nintendo replying to tweets and questions that users may have to personalize people's experience with the company's online profiles and gain trust in the consumer. The last thing we want is for Nintendo to feel overly corporate online.
Revive inactive accounts!
Tumblr and Pinterest are great places to post more unique content to that fit the aesthetics of the site. A cool way to entice people to follow multiple accounts across several platforms.
Listen to audience demand!
Yeah, this one is more like a personal preference, but I can't help it. Listen to the fans! It's a large market that would truly be satisfied with some vital changes made to their systems and or games that are widely in demand. Could be a nice change of pace for all Nintendo fans.
Overall, my observations are positive. Despite not being able to find some of Nintendo's socials easily, when I found them, I could see the Nintendo charm was never absent. All of it was cute, unique, and on-brand for what Nintendo advertises to this day. Great games, great characters, and overall fun for anyone even remotely familiar with the iconic Italian mustached plumber who says "Wahoo!"
Last chance!
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