Nintendo is kicking off the largest marketing campaign in the company's history, with over $200 million being dedicated to promoting the Wii over the next 12 months. Commercials starting Wednesday across North America are just the opening shots in an expensive battle to claim back their share of the gaming marketplace.

George Harrison, senior vice president of nintendo Marketing, say that 80% of the money will be committed to marketing the console to adults in order to expand their market reach beyond their traditional target of children and teenagers. Television adverts include a 2 minute documentary showing parents and grandpoarents playing the system with their kids.

It's great to see Nintendo getting this aggressive about marketing their product. It shows a passion that seemed completely lacking in the promotion of the Gamecube. They're small and scrappy, but they're playing to win, and people always love an underdog. Michael Fahey

Nintendo to Spend $200 Million on Wii Marketing to Battle Sony [Bloomberg.com]

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