My COMM101 class has been granted the opportunity to create blogs that give a student’s insight on the world’s current events. This post is an opportunity to review and comment on two of my peers’ blog posts, seeing how views can differ from person to person.
Blog #1: Calvin Chang’s “Can Nintendo Level Up to the Mobile Gaming Market?”
A flock of avid Pokemon Go players, attributing to the game’s success
I agree with the article in that Nintendo’s strengths entering the mobile market definitely lay in the characters and brands that they own. I like the idea that Calvin puts forward that these brands incite a form of nostalgia in the heart of people who have played these games previously, and how this was exemplified through the release of the extraordinarily popular mobile game, Pokemon Go. Personally, I think that this is a great strategy to employ as Nintendo is able to have a scope outside of just one age group, but to open up their customer segments and reach out to not only kids, teens, or adults, but a great combination of the three. I feel like Calvin has written an excellent post, describing the strongest aspects of the video game company’s entry into the mobile market.
My biggest concern reflects Shigeru Miayamoto’s, will these freemium games being put out by third party developers hurt the established brands of Nintendo? I put this forward because a video game series I loved, Roller Coaster Tycoon had a freemium version of their game released on the mobile market that most people, including me, thought was extremely lackluster and did not reflect the original games themselves. If this were to happen to the titles slated to release next year on mobile like Fire Emblem or Animal Crossing, would future sales of the flagship console games decrease? However, I expect Nintendo to hold high of themselves and prevent any disastrous releases to happen.
Blog #2: Kamil Kulewski’s “Nordstrom’s Pill Themed Fashion Line Deemed Offensive”
Moschino’s Pill-Themed Clutch
Kamil expresses con
cern that further market research should have been done in order to prevent backlash against Nordstrom after the release of Moschino’s pill-themed fashion line. However, I believe that this backlash against these brands has very little effect on their well-being. I understand that social issues should often be complied by brands in order to receive the maximum benefit, however I believe that some, especially high fashion brands like Moschino generate more growth out of controversy.
It is no surprise that high fashion runways are filled with models that flaunt unrealistic beauty standards, wearing controversal clothing. While most would find these practices and designs disgusting, some people find intriguing and fashionable. I feel as if controversy helps some high fashion brands grow, despite the view that many others may take.
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