This was a group capstone project completed for my Social Media Marketing class at Kennesaw State University. The report and presentation focus on the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 and capturing a percentage of the handheld PC market.
the problem
With Nintendo chosen as our company for the project, we had to determine what campaign type we would use, and what problem was visible. We immediately thought of the launch of the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2.
Nintendo has always excelled at creating innovative consoles, but when it comes to raw power, they’ve often lagged behind. Many people doubted whether Nintendo’s could truly compete with PC handhelds devices like the Steam Deck or ROG Ally, which had strong reputations for playing powerful games on the go. Would the Switch 2 actually be strong enough to run the kinds of games modern gamers expected?
We knew our campaign needed to address these doubts by positioning the Switch 2 as a serious competitor for handheld PC gamers while staying true to Nintendo’s classic brand appeal.
target market
After we agreed on a product launch campaign, we needed to create a unique 4-week campaign idea that Nintendo was not currently utilizing. I suggested the following target market and overall goal: PC gamers seeking a powerful handheld experience with a goal to capture 5-10% of the handheld PC market.
The rest of my team loved the idea.
Not only would this increase Nintendo’s customer base, but emphasizing the additional power would reassure those who may doubt the console’s power. As stated in my research, Nintendo's targeting strategy is already quite solid. The company appeals to people of all ages and has broken numerous records. However, the company has shortcomings when it comes to its consoles handling powerful games. Targeting PC/Handheld PC users seemed ideal now that the Switch 2 was powerful enough to handle more games.
my role
My role was to contribute to both the strategic and creative side of the project. I helped lay the groundwork for the campaign by writing the Nintendo company portion, which outlined the background of the company and set the tone for the rest of our work. I also brainstormed ideas during each phase, offering help to my groupmates who were not familiar with the console.
On the creative side, I designed three ads for the campaign, making sure each one spoke directly to our audience of PC gamers while still feeling like something that could realistically come from Nintendo. I focused on promoting the console's power and the freedom that comes with it.
what I learned
I feel incredibly grateful that I was able to do this project and with such an amazing group. Gaming is my passion, and I never ran into an opportunity to do a project like this previously in college. To be honest, I had to step back during the planning process because I was so eager to just take on the entire project by myself. I took this as a lesson to consider my groupmates and remember that this was a collaborative project. Still, I am grateful that they appreciated so many of my ideas and we were able to get an amazing grade.