April 28, 2006
Wii Don't Like It
So one way to get people talking about your product is to codename it with a really cool name, like... say "Revolution," which calls to mind men in long leather coats and infinite gun racks sliding around cyberspace, but then annouce the real name, which calls to mind a pig call. Oh yes, people will talk:
I tried telling my friends about the new name and I was embarrassed. It sucks. I'm just gonna say 'new Nintendo' from now on. —John S.
When I first saw the announcement on the boards I read it as Nintendo "Why", and thought, well that's odd. And then when I saw the official Nintendo statement realizing it was prounounced "We" I realized it wasn't just odd anymore, it was simply garbage. Nintendo says the idea of the name is to show that it's a system for everyone, but when you can't even pronounce it the first time you see it, there has to be something wrong there (I've heard someone as going as far as thinking it was called Nintendo W-2 at first impression). —Dan
I've always been a big fan of "Revolution". I mean, it's wordy, but "Rev" has already been a sturdy nickname for awhile now and the console isn't even out yet. And beside that, "revolution" seems to make work so much easier for Nintendo's historically-retarded marketing department. Put "revolution" in any sentence and suddenly you've got a hot ticket marketing slogan. "My wife has an inner ear infection REVOLUTION." Oh yes. —Jared
Introducing, the Nintendo Wii.
It's pronounced "we." And any time you have to include a pronunciation key with your product name, you're sure to have a winner. It's from the Latin, meaning "we picked this product name out of a hat. Or from a consultancy making 2k an hour. Same thing."
I've heard tell that the choice was supposed to be friendly—to indicate the console is accessible to everyone. Perrin Kaplan, Nintendo's marketing VP says, "It sounds like the word ‘we,’ which emphasizes the all-inclusive nature of the system." I'll tell you what, Nintendo, even soccer (or baseball) moms want to be edgy. Wheee!