• Promo, Monday, November 20, 2006 11:15 AM

As its Wii gaming console sold out across the country in its debut yesterday, Nintendo unleashed a barrage of marketing that promoted the gaming system via print advertorials, tie-in sweepstakes and TV spots. "The crux of the campaign is to demonstrate how much fun Wii is to play, and that goes for every member of the family, regardless of their age or experience level," says Perrin Kaplan, vice president of marketing, Nintendo of America.

A 60-second TV spot breaks today that shows a father mistaking the Wii remote for his TV remote control. He then becomes immersed with the gaming experience and the whole family joins in. Comedy Central, which is giving away a Wii every hour during the Thanksgiving weekend, will feature the system in a series of vignettes spoofing reality TV shows.

In other sweepstakes, 7-Eleven is giving away 711 gaming systems to promote its Slurpee beverages, and Pringles is offering 100 consoles in a separate sweeps.

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