Unlike the idiotic “To Michael” Sony oeuvre that you all loved so much, this actually rings true:
Douchebag dude mailing it in at a big box store - Happens all the time
Customers don’t know what the hell they want - Ditto
Some customers don’t even realize that douchebag dude is a douchebag - Check
Hot chick walks in and Douchebag suddenly turns on the charm - Obviously
Hot chick announces as soon as humanly possible that she has a boyfriend - Nerds will be well acquainted with this phenomenon.
As a short story it’s fantastic. An unlikable protagonist that probably gets what he deserves and then reverts to type. Totally jives with everyday experience.
As an advertisement for the 3DS it’s awful: It does nothing to explain why I should want a 3DS.
The only people that would seem to be able to take something away from this are hot chicks who will probably get the message that they should buy one for themselves and their boyfriends.
So this ad is far less likely to drum up sales than the pandering Sony commercial so in that sense it’s likely a failure. I still prefer it by a mile though.
Well, it can surf the net, connect to netflix do I don’t remember what rad thing and gets hot girls to play games with their boyfriend? 3D is obviously not that important.
Got to agree the message is not shared well at all though. I don’t think this will sell many 3DSes.
Yeah, as a short story / 60 second film it’s great. As an advertisement, not so much, but why should I care? Kotaku chuckleheads griping about how terrible it is can suck it.
Stereotype (Beard+Glasses Tech Employee) boringly directs three more stereotypes, (Middleaged Housewife, Token Black, Gay Frat Boy), and then pays special attention to a fifth stereotype, (Hot White Girl), by actually walking her to the Nintendo 3DS display.
The Hot White Girl likes the 3DS and asks to buy one for herself… and her boyfriend! Beard+Glasses rolls his eyes behind her back. Foiled again! SCENE.
Really? “Phenomenal”, but also awful as a commercial for the product it’s trying to sell is a strange opinion to have. And even if you’re going on its merits as a short story, it’s still pretty bad and not at all original.
On a side note, what’s strange to me is Spoofy’s take on it:
She doesn’t mention (where is there an announcement?) a boyfriend til the last minute. It doesn’t seem like a cockblock, it just seems like she was oblivious to his “charm.”
But, more importantly, what’s up with the “Nerds will be well acquainted with the phenomenon?” Men who have the guts to talk to girls will be well acquainted with this phenomenon. Besides, who are these nerds? People interested in buying a DS? The employee? People who don’t like this commercial? People who do like this commercial? Your own self-loathing insecurities? I don’t get it.
This is a turd of an ad. It doesn’t advertise anything til the end, and when it does, it apparently (to some?) paints the “game” part of the device in a bad light by the “nerd” getting foiled. It also mocks Nintendo’s main retail suppliers (big box). It’s also full of stereotypes and is sorta racist in one part (the employee holds out his fist to the black guy – who’s dressed in a suit, mind you – like some kind of gangster).
This is a turd of a short. There’s the stereotypes and odd moment of racism. More importantly it just isn’t funny. The camerawork and audio suck. It’s a “real world situation,” sure, but it doesn’t go anywhere with that premise. The whole thing is boring and sterile and almost cynical.
This, however, is a fantastic representation of Nintendo: a boring, sterile, increasing irrelevant company that’s stuck in a rut and can’t decide what the fuck they’re trying to do.
What sucks for Nintendo is that most of the audience is probably smart enough to know that the iPod Touch does literally everything mentioned in that ad, though arguably much better in many ways. I hope they don’t stock the iPod Touch in aisle 3, for Nintendo’s sake.
This. When you peel back the phenomenal script, it’s clearly a half-hearted, extremely desperate stab at Apple’s iDevices. WE CAN DO INTERNET AND THINGS TOO!!!
Also, like you mentioned, what is in aisle 3? The 3DS? Apple products? Dishwashers? Is he sending them to the 3DS and just taking special care of the hot chick? Is he sending them toward the iPad and reserving the best of the best (ha) for the hot chick? Is he sending them to dishwashers because he’s a bitter fuck but actually does his job for the hot chick?
Oh, I forgot. I like the sultry way the hot chick delivers the “I want to have a little… fun with my friends.”
I have used an iPhone. That’s the same thing right? Anyway, the 3DS is better because it will one day play Game Boy Advance games and Balloon Kid. That’s how I know.
Same for me. I had no idea the 3DS could do Netflix, which is kind of cool if you already have an account (although I can’t really imagine wanting to watch movies on a screen that small).
Otherwise, I thought the commercial was godawful, mainly because I have no idea who I’m supposed to identify with:
the overly nerdy and annoying store clerk
the mom who wants to “surf” the “net”
the hipster looking for a “rad” gaming system
If the 3DS is the system for these people, how do I connect with that? Does anyone see themselves as a clueless mom or annoying hipster douchebag? Is that a big demographic Nintendo is chasing?
What’s frustrating is that this could have been a pretty good ad with minimal tweaking, simply by making the customers more intelligent and not so annoying. As it stands, this ad makes me feel like the 3DS is a system for people who are Not Me.
(FWIW, I disliked the “Michael” commercial as well.)
