The rolling thunder of the Wii Fit marketing program hits another target, as UK high street chain Woolworths gets re-branded as "Wiiworths" and plastered with the game's trademark color scheme. It's not the only getting Fit, as our friends at Nintendo tell us the Hyatt Hotel in the heart of the LA's Sunset Strip is also going to be a shining beacon of promotion. We're heading down to snap a pic—unless you've got one already, readers—so we can bask in the glory of giant advertising. We expect to see a Wii Fit tattoo by next Wednesday.
Woolworths Now Wiiworths! [Flickr]









Comments
Clevar. Clevar.
Nintendo's really going all out on advertising for Wii Fit, huh? Even more so than the console's initial launch.
Wow, is Nintendo going all out with this thing or what?
It's going to be worth it for them, this is going to be the biggest single platform launch of 2008.
I have Wii Fit and personally, I think it's fantastic - allowing you to really work out when you're up to it and even relax things with Yoga etc, when say, you have a massive cold and about to die!
Me and my gal put in 30 minutes each night after hiking in Japan taught us how exactly unfit we were.
Okay, no I'm officially concerned. Nintendo is making a serious attempt at taking the planet over now. When the new president gets elected, they've just going to laugh manically as a giant Miyamoto and Iwata scroll unfurls behind them on the White House.
I can't belive it, they do all this for WiiFit and nothing for Brawl?
I think Brawl would deserve a chain store, don't you?
@syl1985: brain not working - forgive all the Engrish and gramma probs there.
Hmm... The tatoo is tempting... But I think I'll wait until something grabs me a little more than this.
I thought the cake appears before the tattoo...
you have no idea what lengths Nintendo has gone to market this behemoth. It is going to sell out and all the Nintendo reps have been overwhelmed with various projects placing wii fit signage and endcaps EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!! Wii Fit is not fun for the people who WORK for Nintendo on the store level right now
@Green-clad Gamer Dude: @Aethyr:
You guys must have missed the memo from Nintendo about how huge of a marketing effort they were going to put behind Wii Fit.
@NeoJames: Putting Brawl in a department store wasn't going to spur sales. Everyone on Kotaku knew about it, and that's who they were targeting with that game: gamers.
Wii Fit needs to appeal to people like my parents. I personally haven't seen an ad for it, but then again I know all about it -- it would be unnecessary for Nintendo to market to me. The fact that my mom is aware of the product speaks volumes, however.
@NeoJames: you don't understand, Brawl DIDN'T need this much promotion to sell a fuckton of units. And in my opinion Wii Fit does NOT need it either, but Nintendo apparently wants to burn the marketing cash for it.
@Huckleberry: I wasn't talking about if it needed one to boost sales, I was talking about the fact that it deserves one.
Ne'ways...I wonder...does the inside look any diffrent?
Any bets on when Wii Fit appears on Oprah with Miyamoto jumping on her couch?
They had this at my local Woolies, i.e. posters etc and one small piece of A4 with the priceless line of "sold out" hidden among the yoga posing figures.
All the adverts kind went to waste.
By the by - the push in Australia is in full swing for May 8th.
They have had it on every morning show imaginable and the TV ad's appear constantly during anything that Females 20-40 would be watching.
Every store in Melbourne has pretty much sold out their allocations on pre-orders anyway.
If Wii Fit is so awesome, why does Nintendo need to go to such lengths to advertise it?
@Lstormy10: Wii Fit constantly asks you not to jump, so maybe he will just waddle around :P
@Eothein: It's not a waste - they are keeping up demand, the same thing they did with the console - made it a hot item that was hard to get which made everyone want it more.
They will have so many women chomping at the bit to buy this.
@Ecks: Because they want to sell it. What game actively doesn't seek more marketing?
I'm pretty sure they didn't think GTA IV was the worst game ever, and there was a solid amount of advertising for that.
@Ecks: They are going to great lengths because they want the same mainstream media penetration that GTA4 and Halo 3 had.
The Wii has pulled my parents into gaming, and I 99% guarantee they will buy Wii Fit.
They just heard about it today; I knew it was a matter of time. I'm personally trying not to affect my parents' choice in games; I'm really intrigued as to what they pick up on their own.
I don't know, Everett, is it the one Woolworths branch or all of them?
Woolworth is still in business? That logo looks new. They closed them all down here in NYC.
Wow, that's pretty impressive. Or something.
Since I'm pretty sure thats England, I am impressed that Nintendo managed to get a chain store like Woolworths to change it's name just for one game.
Pretty astounded.
@Trowble (XBL/PSN): I remember when Woolco changed to Wal-Mart here, years ago...
Woolworths went out of business years ago. I remember going to the liquidation as a kid. Guess they're still around over there. Makes that "Only in the UK" tag appropriate.
Full court press, and I still can't find a Wii around here without more effort than I'd readily expend for consumer electronics. Wish they'd put more effort into that.
I bet all the employees there have to get temporary wii fit add tattoos X3
Wow. I'm sort of impressed. I didn't think Nintendo had it in them to do a marketing push anywhere near the level of Halo or GTA. I just wonder how they intend to supply enough hardware for the response when the Wii is already sold out (in the US).
Bend over, Woolworths.
No really, this is awesome.
Jeebus, it's been assimilated!
They do know how to promote a product thats for sure.
@Sabre_Justice: Okay, no more long name.:
We are the Wii.
You will be assimilated. Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be squeezed onto a DVD-5 and rendered in widescreen 480p. Your money will fly out of your wallet and into the overflowing bank accounts of our masters.
Resistance is futile...
That would make me want to avoid the product if anything.
Walking into your local wii-worths, you'd probably expect them to have a few balance boards in stock.
Guess again.
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