Nintendo reveals UKP 5 million Christmas marketing plans

The GameCube and Game Boy Advance will be supported by a UKP 5 million marketing budget in the run up to Christmas, Nintendo UK has revealed, with the firm hoping to continue the sales uplift which has marked much of 2004.

A hardware bundle for rhythm action title Donkey Konga is set to continue the promotion of the title, which launched on October 15th, and will enjoy a UKP 750,000 marketing spend - including TV advertising and sponsorship of popular TV show Takeshi's Castle.

The retail bundle will pack in a console, controller, a copy of the game and a set of the DK Bongo controllers for a suggested price of UKP 89, which is only ten pounds more expensive than the standalone price of the console.

The company has already announced plans for a Mario Kart: Double Dash bundle, which will pack a copy of the game in with the GameCube console at the UKP 79 price point, and a Pokemon Colosseum bundle which will include game and console for UKP 89.

The next major promotional drive for the Cube will come in late November, with Metroid Prime 2: Echoes set to launch on November 26th supported by a targeted TV campaign, a print advertising campaign and a number of PR initiatives.

In terms of the Game Boy Advance, the launch of the Limited Pink Edition of the GBA SP this week is being heavily promoted - with celebrity endorsements from major female celebs being used as a key part of the campaign.

Two hardware bundles are also planned for the GBA SP - a Mario Limited Edition Pak featuring new title Mario vs. Donkey Kong, and a Zelda Limited Edition Pak featuring the new Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap title.

The firm also plans to continue its UKP 1 million marketing campaign for Pokemon Fire Red and Pokemon Leaf Green through to Christmas, with TV and cinema activity planned in the coming months to keep the games in the public eye.

Although exact details haven't been announced, Nintendo is also expected to put considerable marketing weight behind titles such as Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door and Tales of Symphonia on Cube, and Super Mario Ball and Final Fantasy I and II: Dawn Of Souls on GBA.