Apparently, this Christmas, there will be a shortage of Nintendo Wii (Whatt he hell is the plural of Wii, anyway? Wiis? We?). This is in no way an attempt on the part of Nintendo to increase demand. Certainly not. Why ever would anyone think such a thing? In fact, suggesting that Nintendo are deliberately undersupplying is precisely the sort of cynicism that helps the terrorists win. So, let’s get this straight. It’s not a branding exercise, it’s not a publicity stunt. It’s just that Nintendo, one of the world’s most successful companies, forgot to make enough of the most popular games console in the world. Could’ve happened to anyone.
Dan O'Connor
Dan is responsible for translating social media research into the analytic and conceptual frameworks which underpin the team’s product and service development. He is particularly interested in how social media has changed the ways in which people exchange information within networks, and the impact that these changes have had on traditionally top-down information systems, such as those prevalent within the health, education and NGO sectors, where he leads RMM’s activities.
Dan’s focus upon health and education stems from his background in academia: He has a PhD in History and, as well as being Head of Research at RMM, he is a member of faculty at the Berman Institute of Bioethics at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA. He has published and lectured widely on the ethics of social media use within healthcare systems, and is involved in the application of social media in medical education at Johns Hopkins hospital.
Dan likes cooking, martinis, and irony. Frequently at the same time.
Ordinarily I’d agree with you on this Dan. HOWEVER, the fact that Nintendo are actually turning a profit on every console they sell (unlike Micorsoft and Sony) i’d have thought they’d adopt an altogether more “make hay while the sun shines” approach to shifting units (not least because the readily abundant Xbox and PS3 are beginning to drop in price).
It only really helps a concole manufacturer to ‘manufacture’ a shortage when they are making a loss on each unit: that way they can keep the cost higher for longer (the argument being I assume that its still in high demand – never mind the fact its only due to a shortage which they enineered). Thus, they have a better shot at making back the outrageous R&D costs.
Or maybe i’m just being to nice…
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