What do All-Around Olympian gymnast Gabrielle Douglas, Glee‘s Diana Agron, and Modern Family‘s Sarah Hyland have in common? They’re just a a few of the celebrity names to appear in Nintendo‘s new female-targeted ad campaign for their 3DS and 3DSXL hand-held systems. The campaign, called “Play As You Are” is using talented, visible women to draw in players who might otherwise be turned off to gaming.
Emphasizing the painting and drawing game Art Academy, and a shopping game called Style Savvy might make more traditional gamers blanch. The ads aren’t all gender-driven, even if there seems to be a slant, as Agron and Hyland are set to push puzzle game Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, as well as a photo app, Sparkle Snapshots 3D, starting in October.
Douglas, an international star after her turn at the 2012 London Summer Games, is set to endorse New Super Mario Bros. 2 in a series of TV ads. Stretching for variety, Nintendo is looking to expand their market without alienating an already established base. Let’s just hope that what seems in one light like a partial marketing misstep could, in fact, be a positive move in a more inclusive direction.
(via PC Mag)
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