For Men

[The Sheriff of Nottingham]

I think a better tagline would have been "Pour homme".

Surely the point the campaign is trying to put across is that the SP is for "men not boys" as opposed to "men not women". i.e. this is a product for grown ups. The genius of this approach is that it taps directly into the insecurity of adolescent males who wouldn't be seen dead with a GBA but would show off their flash new SP. They're going straight for the FHM/Maxim/Boys Toys demographic and as far as I can tell they've achieved it.

I like the idea of a parallel "for women" campaign though, and I think they've missed a trick because there are a lot a gadget mad girls (and women) out there. It would also have emphasised the ironic wink that goes with these ads - it's a "toy" pretending to be a fashion accessory.

Edited to actually make sense!

[dataDave]

Just play the games damnit. Who gives a **** about the ads.
Jeez.

Even if it said "GBA SP - FOR FAGS" I'd still buy it and play it in front of people.

[Toast]

I can see the conversation now between the PR, Marketing and Advertising. Oh the're sooo creative.

"right...theres this guy...and er he thinks he's cool...but he gets out his GameBoy and it feels like its....er...well kinda like a children's toy?"

"so....er..wait for it...wait for it!"

"What we need to show is that this is no longer for boys!....because we're really cool..and....er we want the users to feel cool......like......er....really fashionable!"

"sort of like us.....really!"

"of course we don't play games, but you get the point!"

"am I hot or what"

Now you can see these ****ty conversations where they pat each other on the back but end up with ad campaigns that really have no meaning or identity long-term?

[The Sheriff of Nottingham]

I can see the conversation now between the PR, Marketing and Advertising. Oh the're sooo creative.

<snip>

Now you can see these ****ty conversations where they pat each other on the back but end up with ad campaigns that really have no meaning or identity long-term?

But they're not aiming at you or me, so it's no wonder we're unmoved by it. Hardcore gamers, Nintendo fanboys, GBA owners are already in the bag. There's little value in marketing a product to people who are going to buy it anyway. It's far more effective to target the huge amount of disposable income which is spent on "gadgets" generally - mobile phones, PDAs, etc. These are not people who are particularly interested in games, but who are happy to spend ?100 or so every year buying a new phone because the one they bought last year isn't "cool" anymore.

But like I said before, many of these people are women/girls and Nintendo have definitely missed a trick by not advertising directly to them too. (Having said that, they might be for all I know - anyone here read Cosmo?)

[Chadruharazzeb]

Just play the games damnit. Who gives a **** about the ads.
Jeez.

Even if it said "GBA SP - FOR FAGS" I'd still buy it and play it in front of people.

Exactly. Ads are crap, always were, always will be. I'm sure droves of girl gamers (who probably number about 100 in this country) will boycott the SP now they've seen this ad.

[dataDave]

Exactly. Ads are crap, always were, always will be. I'm sure droves of girl gamers (who probably number about 100 in this country) will boycott the SP now they've seen this ad.

Yeah, big loss.

[Ady]

I think a better tagline would have been "Pour homme".

Surely the point the campaign is trying to put across is not that the SP is for "men not boys" as opposed to "men not women".

True, but you can't deny that -from a woman's POV at least- it does sound rather exclusionary. That said, it is a stupid adever and probably issn't worth any degree of knicker-twisting.

[Ady]

EDIT : WTF is going on?? Why does the 'Edit' button duplicate my post?

[Goemon]

I think a better tagline would have been "Pour homme".

Surely the point the campaign is trying to put across is that the SP is for "men not boys" as opposed to "men not women". i.e. this is a product for grown ups. The genius of this approach is that it taps directly into the insecurity of adolescent males who wouldn't be seen dead with a GBA but would show off their flash new SP. They're going straight for the FHM/Maxim/Boys Toys demographic and as far as I can tell they've achieved it.

I like the idea of a parallel "for women" campaign though, and I think they've missed a trick because there are a lot a gadget mad girls (and women) out there. It would also have emphasised the ironic wink that goes with these ads - it's a "toy" pretending to be a fashion accessory.

Edited to actually make sense!

Agreed!

The Gameboy is generally classed as something for kids....I think they are trying give it a more adult theme.

Good idea for the name...GameBOY

Doesn't sound kiddie at all!

[Concept]

Good idea for the name...GameBOY

Doesn't sound kiddie at all!

Yes, but I think:

GameMan
GameDad
GameGit
GameUncle
GameLad
GameThirtySomething
GameTwentySomething
GameGrandad
GameReachedMiddleLifeCrisis
GameGrump
GameBloke
GameAdult
GameGuy
GameGentleman
GameMale
GameChap

.................................................. .. Don't really roll of the tongue all that well.

[Smeghead]

I dunno

I think GameGrump sounds quite stylish

[Goemon]

Good idea for the name...GameBOY

Doesn't sound kiddie at all!

Yes, but I think:

GameMan
GameDad
GameGit
GameUncle
GameLad
GameThirtySomething
GameTwentySomething
GameGrandad
GameReachedMiddleLifeCrisis
GameGrump
GameBloke
GameAdult
GameGuy
GameGentleman
GameMale
GameChap

.................................................. .. Don't really roll of the tongue all that well.

Hmmm,

Gameguy....

I like that!

...

Copyrighted!!

Gameguy?

[Marvelon]

When I saw the advert I assumed there was a "pink" version - A side on shot of the GBAsp so it looks like this < that says For Women.
That would've made the campaign for me, now it's just a toy posing as a fashion product... My girlfreind didn't like it either. (but she did snap up a limited edition pokemon GBAsp)

[badgerpie]

It is done in the same vein as an Aftershave add. They've been hitting the men's mags with adverts quite hard too, e.g. the one where the guys in bed playing an SP with a girl asleep on the side of him.

In places in London it seems to be a similar state too. Well, certainly where I live. I pass 3 busstops on my way to the station, each one has the SP 'For Men' advert