THE NINTENDO SWITCH
“The Consumer Decision Journey” (self-reinforcing loop)
In the initial consideration set, the consumer considers their initial options. Nintendo’s main competition for the switch is primarily the Xbox one and PS4. When looking at the Switch the consumer also analyzes the rest of the market for similar products.
The role of a Digital Marketer in the consideration stage is to make sure when people search for the “best portable gaming console” Nintendo’s switch is the first thing that pops up. This can be done through the utilization of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) techniques. Curating a large profile of a combination of paid, owned, and earned media to increase brand visibility in the gaming space is essential to this as well. By increasing a brand’s overall awareness/profile will make marketing the specific product easier and get the product into the consumer’s initial consideration set.
During Active Evaluation consumers add or subtract brands and evaluate what they want, with the Nintendo Switch this process probably includes googling comparisons/video reviews of the product, watching videos of gamers using the device, reading reviews, and cross analyzing the product to other major video game consoles.
One opportunity for Digital Marketers at this point in the framework is to work to increase consumer brand interaction. Spark a conversation around the Switch. Hire influencers to film active use of the product, incentivize users to leave reviews of the product, work to get your product promoted on social/strong social profiles with high engagement. Its the role of the Digital Marketer to provide the consumer with the tools to help them evaluate your product.
The consumer selects a brand at the moment of purchase. So at this point, the customer has probably tried out a few gaming options and decided the Nintendo Switch’s interface and portable nature are the right fit for them. It’s the Digital Marketers’ role to set this in stone.
One role of a Digital marketer at this point is to make the process simple. Don’t make the customer jump through hoops to make the purchase, make it simple. Make the buying process an enjoyable one. The user experience should be enjoyable and interactive- to keep the customer in the loyalty loop it's important to have more than one touchpoint.
The Post-purchase experience occurs after purchase- the consumer builds expectations based on experience to inform the next decision journey. For the Switch, this means continued interaction and positive interaction within the Nintendo interface.
Touchpoints become particularly important in the post-purchase experience. To make the interaction more than just transactional (and to create brand loyalty) it’s important to continue to interact with the customer after the initial purchase. For a Digital Marketer, this could be a series of email cadences, a QR code that unlocks something extra after purchase, and more.
Moments of Truth/“Pivoting Points of Time” - Key moments that define an experience.
Zero Moment of Truth - Describes the moments of brand integration before a consumer is physically facing a product or service (search)
The ZMOT is before the active search process, it’s the online journey when users are in contact with a brand before they’ve decided they’re looking to purchase something. Creating brand awareness and visibility is essential in this step.
For the Switch, Social media ads are a great way to reach out to the tech-savvy audience the Switch would target. As well as creating relevant/shareable content that helps it pop up organically in news feeds (potential articles about its innovative design or the continuing relevance of Nintendo's gaming platforms).
The First Moment of Truth - First time you engage, touch, or face the physical product for the first time
This is where Digital Marketing plays the largest role. SEO plays a huge role in creating those first impressions and making sure a product is seen first. Working to rank the best and most relevant content when a consumer looks to answer a question about Switch is key. Knowing and targeting these key terms is the main role a Digital Marker would play. In the case of the Nintendo Switch, some high-value commerce keywords could be “best portable gaming device”, “portable video games”, “handheld gaming”,” Nintendo games.”
The Actual Moment of Truth (the one 1/2 moment)- The moment between when you first see it and when you actually use it, how does the product get to you?
As a Digital Marketer, an email updating the user on tracking the package or including details of the product post-purchase can be effective. In the Switches case, it could be cool to allow the device to live track itself and send update texts to the user.
The Second Moment of Truth - First time you use a product
This step is key in the convert customers from a one-time transaction to a brand loyal consumer.
An email cadence following up a purchase with more information on the products/tips and tricks/popular games would be an effective Digital Marketing strategy for the Switch. Providing information to your audience that helps customers learn how to use or even return products is useful. Keep up the customer support even after purchase.
The Third (or Ultimate) Moment of Truth -First time you talk about a product after you use it (review)
At this point, a Digital Marketer needs to make the review process as easy as possible for the consumer. Encourage the consumer to continue to interact with the product/brand and give feedback/share their experience.
For the Switch, a Digital Marketer should encourage multi-platform brand interaction offering opportunities to interact with the brand on social, web, internal interface, amazon, and other various platforms to help re-affirm brand loyalty.