I'm such a geek

So as is typical for ones' final year of University, I have to do a big research project thing, which put simply, is a dissertation by another name. This week then I had to submit my one page plan for what I planned to do for it. If you're interested have a read, if you're not I don't blame you, I'm fairly embarrassed by what a geeky endeavour it's going to be.

Final Project Draft Proposal – Brand Perceptions of Nintendo in the UK

On December 8th 2006, videogame hardware and software manufacture Nintendo launches a new home videogame console – the Wii – in Europe. In a marketplace of two manufacturers (Microsoft's Xbox division and Nintendo) playing catch up to one dominant brand (Sony's Playstation), Nintendo in particular faces a brand perception issue. Videogames are usually (but increasingly less so) aimed at males aged 15 – 24, whereas Nintendo's consumers are typically younger than 16. Following a largely unsuccessful attempt with its last home console (The GameCube) to increase its penetration of the male 15 -24 age group, the company now intends to market the Wii at non-traditional age groups, i.e. the family, females and casual game players, mainly using a similarly non-traditional control method based around motion-sensing technology.

Nintendo is (in the West) perceived as a children's brand. Around the launch period (typically up until a year after launch) of Wii, how best can Nintendo communicate its new vision to its target audience?

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This project will aim to find out how best Nintendo can market its new product to a challenging new set of potential customers. It will do this using, amongst other techniques; Surveys of both current and potential videogame consumers, focus groups that will investigate consumer perceptions before exposure to the project, having learnt about the product, and after using the product, interviews with anybody who can provide in-depth ideas/insight, and observations of buying habits. It will then make recommendations and a potential marketing campaign for the product.

Spooks Is Awesome

Got round to watching Monday night's Spooks episode tonight. Dear God it was good. This series has been absolutely fantastic so far. A step up from the already great run last year. If you're not watching it, can I ask: why not, Clive?

OMG Simon Amstell

Just this second I found out, whilst browsing Wikipedia, that Simon Amstell is the new permanent host of Never Mind The Buzzcocks. This is literally the greatest news ever. Or at least from today. Well I say today, it was apparently announced back in July. I blame Tenerife for keeping me out of the news loop while I was there, the swine.

Series apparently starts this month anyway.

Yay for Broadband

After what felt like 27 delays (thanks to rubbish BT engineers), our net connection went live today. And it's not just any net connection, oh no: We're talking 24mb, wireless broadband here, folks. I've been so excited today that my face literally fell into a some random elderly lady's arms on the bus this afternoon.

Well I say fell, really it was more of a forceful barge. And maybe it wasn't her arms, I suppose it was actually her crotch. And technically she wasn't random, she was Grandma Josephine. Hey, we weren't even on the bus, we rented out The MEN Arena for the performance!

It may be disgusting, but it's also financially lucrative. Mmm hmm.