Marketing is such an important part of making a console a success. Even Reggie Fils-Aimé stated in his memoir that the idea for the 'Wii Would Like to Play' campaign for the Nintendo Wii – which was initially shot down by Satoru Iwata – ended up being instrumental in the system's rapid success in the US.
For the Switch, however, nobody is creating commercials like Nintendo Australia. In fact, in our humble opinion, Nintendo needs to get whoever is in charge of creating these advertisements and let them work their magic in every major region across the globe. They're simply remarkable.
So, in an effort to hopefully brighten up your day, we thought it necessary to do a short round up of Nintendo Australia's very best Switch commercials. Be warned, a few of these may bring a tear to your eye. This writer in particular welcomed a daughter into the world a couple of years ago, so the 'Cherish every stage of life with Nintendo Switch' commercial proved particularly devastating. In a good way, mind.
Enjoy an unforgettable journey with Nintendo Switch
The latest commercial focuses on The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. It's pretty simple: a woman is on a lengthy train journey and decides to pass the time by exploring the land of Hyrule. While a lot of commercials like to focus on multiplayer gameplay and the idea of connecting with other people, this one really demonstrates the joy of simply playing a game on your own. Lovely stuff.
Find new beginnings with Nintendo Switch
This commercial features a boy who, in the midst of a new house move, bonds with a local girl over some Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Again, there's nothing fancy going on here, it's just two kids playing some Mario and having a grand old time. Proof that you can feature children in commercials and not have it be excruciatingly cringy. Well done, NA.
Fun for everyone
There's no 'story' behind this commercial, necessarily, it just features a family playing some Super Mario Party Jamboree together. Like the others, however, it's surprisingly natural in its execution; granted, we imagine Mario Party sessions in real life would descend into utter chaos, but still, it's nice!
Find new ways to connect with Nintendo Switch
This is a nice one. Here, a teenage boy discovers a shared passion of basketball with his grandfather, and so decides to play some Nintendo Switch Sports with him. This one definitely channels some of that classic Wii energy in that practically anyone of any age can play.
Cherish every stage of life with Nintendo Switch
Okay, here's the one that nearly made us collapse with overwhelming emotion, and it'll likely have the same effect on you if you have young children of your own. It gives us a glimpse into the life of a family as they welcome a new daughter, Grace, into the world.
It shows the mother and father playing Breath of the Wild while the newborn Grace sleeps in her crib, then moves forward a couple of years to show Grace and her mother playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons, before ending a couple more years later with all three of them playing Super Mario Bros. Wonder together.
Oh, and there's a cute dog too. We're not crying, you are.
Spark a little joy with Nintendo Switch
This one shows the power that gaming has to cheer you up. A young girl heads home in a bit of a mood after sadly losing her game of football. Thankfully, her brother is on hand to lift her spirits with some Super Mario Bros. Wonder. Again, very simple stuff, but Nintendo Australia has clearly proven that the simple ideas are often the best.
Rediscover your sense of adventure
We highlighted this one last year upon the release of Tears of the Kingdom, but it's worth mentioning again here. It shows a man who is clearly finding himself somewhat bored or frustrated with the daily monotony of life, so dives (quite literally) into the world of Hyrule to rediscover his sense of adventure. Emotional stuff, and like the latest video for Echoes of Wisdom, demonstrates the value of gaming solo.