Topic: Any DS commercials in the US yet?

[Caustic Saint]

I live in Tokyo and the DS teaser spots (the Touch! campaign) are in very heavy rotation here. I've only seen two different ones (you can see them at http://www.touch-ds.jp/fla.html ), but I see them all the time during the afternoon/evening cartoon block.

The song they're using in the ads is  Utada Hikaru's "Easy Breezy", which I suspect was chosen primarily for the phrase "I still remeber the ways that you touched me." Strangely though, in the 15-second spots (the ones running the most) the audio fades after "remember." Kind of odd considering that the tagline for everything DS-related right now is "Touch!"

I don't like the song (it's pretty bad, even for J-pop), and seriously doubt they'll use it in the US, so I started wondering what they'd go for to push the DS in the US market. Of course, there's one fantastically obvious choice, but I don't see Nintendo going for it. Any fan of 80's rock (uh-oh, is my age showing?) remembers Joan Jett's "Do You Wanna Touch?", which would be great - especially for the chorus. "Do you wanna touch? (Yeah!)" That, plus the opening drum and guitar riff would make for some seriously high-energy ads.

Of course, the song's all about sex (and easy sex, and drinking), so I can't see the big N using it to launch a new product. Pity, really.


On a slightly related note (Japan vs. US), what's up with the game pricing in Japan? I'm glad the DS is cheaper here, but the games are a fair sight more expensive. (4,800 yen vs. $29.99) Sure, figure in tax (using Seattle as an example) a DS would cost me $162.74 in the US, and I'll only have to pay $136.36 (based on 110 yen to the dollar), so that's not bad at all. But games will run me $43.63 as opposed to $32.53.

Gee, now that I've run the numbers it's not so bad. DS + 3 games runs about $267.25 here vs. $260.33 in Seattle. I can live with that. I guess it's just the psychological aspect of seeing the price on a portable game read "4,800." And I do live in Tokyo, so I suppose I'll just have to start complaining about having to wait an extra 11 days to buy my DS.

[Mario]

Reggie said the marketing for Nintendo DS will be very innovative.

[Bill Aurion]

I recall in a recent interview that the advertising will work on a physical as well as "psychological" level...Interesting...

[Berto2K]

It should start soon, I hearing stuff about somewhere like the 18th.

EDIT:  There is already print advertising running, which started on about the 8th.  So hopefully we start seeing those TV ads soon.

[Infernal Monkey]

They should have Stan Bush's song "Touch" as the background music to DS launch ads. It was in the Transformers movie!

"YOU GOT THE TOUCH!"
*wailing crap rock*

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

OMG It's Simon Belmont!

YO SIMON!

[Infernal Monkey]

HEY MATES, I GNARLY KICK FLIP DRACULA STRAIGHT TO HELL WITH OLLIE'S AND OTHER NONSENSE! Captain N needs a DVD release, with Reggie commentary. It'll just be Reggie kicking the creators and lots of screaming.

[Zach]

Quote
Originally posted by: Caustic Saint
Of course, the song's all about sex (and easy sex, and drinking), so I can't see the big N using it to launch a new product. Pity, really.

Actually Nintendo has been trying to get rid of their "kiddy" image here in the U.S.  I would not be surprised if they used a song like that, knowing what people associate it with.  They might not use the parts about sex and drinking, just the touch part, and let the song's reputation speak for itself.

After all the lyrics you mentioned in Hikaru's song (I still remember the ways that you touched me) are not very innocent.