The Wii: Nintendo’s Video Game Revolution by David Wesley and Gloria Barczak was recently recognized as one of the top business cases in 2009 by Ivey Publishing. The case is written from the viewpoint of George Harrison, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Nintendo of America, who is faced with severe product shortages after Wii sales unexpectedly surge worldwide. In preparing his company’s marketing strategy for the 2007 holiday season, he must develop a product positioning strategy that takes into consideration continuing shortages.
In 2007 and 2008, line ups like this one were common as Nintendo tried to manage ongoing product shortages
The case discusses Nintendo’s competitive position prior to the launch of the Wii, the success of the 2004 DS handheld console launch, and the factors that contributed to the ultimate success of the Wii, such as brand loyalty, content availability, third-party support and adherence to industry standards. The case also considers how radical innovations can be used to win market share from technically superior products focused on incremental innovations.
The Wii: Nintendo’s Video Game Revolution was a winning entry at the 2008 John Molson MBA Case Writing Competition in Montreal, Canada, and is featured in Understanding Business Strategy: Concepts and Cases by R. Duane Ireland, Robert E. Hoskisson, and Michael A. Hitt. In addition, a Japanese version, translated under the supervision of Prof. Takuro Yoda of Keio Business School, is available from Ivey Publishing and its worldwide partners.
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