The Strange Genius: Nintendo Game Boy Ads from the 1990s
Image Courtesy: Retronews.com
Advertising is the art of grabbing attention and starting conversation. Today, audiences are bombarded by hundreds of ads every day, most of them easy to scroll past and forget. Back in the 1990s, brands were already facing this same exact problem: how do you cut through the noise to make your product stand out? In a bold leap of faith, Nintendo decided to take creativity to a whole new level, embracing the unexpected and downright weird in an attempt to stand out. Here we’ll be looking at some of their weirdest Game Boy advertising campaigns—why they worked, what made them so memorable, and what we can learn from them.
More Fun than a Ferret Down your Trousers
As one of the most iconic examples of Nintendo’s fearless approach, Nintendo UK shocked the world by running a bizarre campaign that claimed that their Game Boy was “more fun than a ferret down your trousers.” The phrase was odd, chaotic, and outright absurd. I mean it’s completely nonsensical. A ferret in your trousers? Who even came up with the idea? But oddly enough, that was the point.
Image Courtesy: Retronews.com
The campaign targeted rebellious teenagers, tapping into their chaotic spirit and the growing punk culture at the time. The sheer randomness of the comparison grabbed attention instantly and, more importantly, made Game Boy seem edgy, unpredictable, and exciting. You didn’t need to understand the ad to remember it—and that’s what made it brilliant.
Six Tasty Colors
Here’s another Game Boy ad by Nintendo. There’s something unsettling about this image of disembodied tongues on a wall of flesh. Instead of focusing on the technical specs of the device, Nintendo decided to focus on making their product “feel” more desirable. It was weird … unforgettable, but it worked. Things had to be weird and wacky to appeal to teenagers who were craving something different—something rebellious. Again, things weren’t about making sense, but about making an impression.
Image Courtesy: Retronews.com
Nintendo, as we all know it, has had the reputation of being family-focused, serving a wide demographic of audiences. During the 90’s, however, their bold in-your-face marketing strategy marked a radical departure from this image. Despite the controversy surrounding some ads, Nintendo’s aggressive attitude to take risks and push boundaries undeniably contributed to Game Boy’s monumental success.
According to Nintendo, the Game Boy sold over 118 million units worldwide in its 12 year production life, far outperforming its competitors. Advertising is a war of gaining attention and starting conversations. Nintendo’s campaigns are a reminder of being bold, chaotic, and even a little bit absurd if that means resonating with your audience.
Nintendo’s ads weren’t being weird just for the sake of being weird. They were weird with a purpose—to resonate with rebellious teenagers who wanted their entertainment to be as unpredictable as they were—mirroring the rising counterculture attitudes. In a world where safe marketing blends into the background, Nintendo’s bold strategy reminds us of the importance of sparking emotion through radical expression.
-Tomoki Narukawa-