Weighing in on the Wii
Over the past couple of weeks I've probably called every gaming retailer in the GTA in my search for the Holy Grail -- er, I mean the Nintendo Wii. I can guarantee you there isn't a Wii to be had. And if a small shipment comes in, they're gone within a matter of minutes. What is going on?! The fact of the matter is, the Wii is the must-have product of the moment. I first heard of the Wii on the CBS magazine show "Sunday Morning". They were doing a story on what was going to be hot in High-Tech for Christmas '06. The Wii wasn't even out yet. Then December rolled around and I started to hear rumblings from friends that they were going down to Buffalo to find their kids a Wii because Toronto was sold out. Friends were bringing Wii's back over the border for friends. Has there been as much of a frenzy over a product since the advent of the Cabbage Patch Doll?
Which brings me to the last two weeks where I've suffered the humiliation of having stoner-voiced game store employees (no offense to game store employees intended) laugh at me through the phone upon being asked when they might be receiving a shipment of Wii. The answer? Who knows.
Then this morning I opened the latest issue of Marketing Magazine to find an article by Angela Kryhul suggesting that the lack of Wii could be a marketing ploy by Nintendo hyping "a launch like it's the second coming..." then "... only bestow precious units on the chosen few to build buzz and desire...If loyal customers perceive that a marketer has purposely divided them into haves and have-nots...can any brand afford to leave people empty-handed?"
I don't buy Angela's basic premise that frustration over not being able to find "the Holy Grail" makes a consumer less likely to desire one or buy one once they become available.
But more to the point, and admittedly I may be naive, but I don't believe Nintendo is being Machiavellian by creating an "artificial product shortage" as their marketing strategy, as Angela suggests. Perhaps they simply underestimated the demand. It happens. Either way, Angela asserts that "perceptions can easily turn against a brand" because of lack of supply. I'm not sure I agree and I can't think of an example where that's happened. Can you? Unfortunately Angela doesn't support her assertion with examples.
In the end, I might never get my Wii. But it won't be for lack of trying. And it certainly won't be because I developed a negative perception of an amazing product because my desire for one went unfulfilled.
