Wii-nter Wonderland - it'll be consolly this Christmas

If current advertising is to be believed, families around the globe won’t be sitting down on the 25th to watch Noel’s Christmas Presents whilst stuffed with turkey, or mortgaging Park Lane to keep hold of Mayfair in Monopoly, they’ll be waving remote controls at a small white box roughly simulating the joys of Tennis. The Wii revolution is truly upon us, so we at The Reel thought it fit to assess how the console war was being fought in the festive season, looking at the latest ads of each of the heavy-hitters.

Nintendo Wii

The daddy when it comes to casual gaming, Nintendo’s Wii advertising from Karmarama has been keen to stress the ‘anyone can play’ aspect of the console’s appeal. Featuring generic ‘model’ types and their families having the time of their lives with their Wii-wands, the spots, whist not being creatively eye-popping, certainly convey the ethos of the system. Indeed recent celebrity fuelled versions (Ian Wright and Shawn Wright Phillips to name but one) cement the family-fun stylings with smart casting, a technique mirrored in the clients’ DS advertising too, with Johnny and Zoe Ball loving their handhelds.

Sony Playstation

Sony’s TV and cinema output for their uber-powerful PS3 system has been centred on their ‘This Is Living’ strapline. Launching the console was an intriguing set of hotel based spots which led to a stylish webfilm housed on www.thisisliving.com. However, the latest sumptuous execution from TBWA London introduces a bizarre cast of characters in a fairground-esque world, entreating the audience to share in their magic. Whilst certainly conveying the system’s ability to transport players to another world, we at The Reel feel that it doesn’t do much for the consoles warmth.

Microsoft Xbox 360

Content in the fact that they’d well and truly built their customer base when Sony and Nintendo’s consoles were just hatching (thanks to a year’s head start), McCann Eriksson San Francisco’s work for the Xbox 360 has recently focussed on major game releases – most notably the fantastic Halo 3 launch campaign – and its online networking capabilities. However, with their latest piece the agency have obviously noticed the ‘casual gaming’ uprising that’s all the rage and are priding themselves on the diversity of their catalogue. Slickly produced and with a friendly feel (although the child choir ‘Nothin’ But A Good Time’ rendition could grate, give us the Poison original any day!), the spots nicely reposition the brand without antagonising their core consumer.


It’s interesting to see that two of the three top dogs have opted for a casual gaming approach for their Christmas advertising – one, a console that has prided itself on its all-encompassing appeal, the other, a gamer’s haven that finally has the pick-up-and-play software to sell. Sony’s approach is to side-step this altogether, although in doing so seems to be unsure who it’s targeting (gamers aren’t getting the chance to see the powerhouse in action, newbies aren’t encouraged by the cold, confusing world presented). Whilst it’s pretty clear which company is leading the race for a place on Santa’s list – Nintendo’s Wii still selling out in minutes wherever it’s stocked – it will be interesting to see which brand’s approach will lead to victory in the long run. After all, a console’s not just for Christmas, it’s for life…