Nintendo Blocks Bebo AC Comments

By Jorge Ba-oh 04.12.2008 11

Nintendo Blocks Bebo AC Comments on Nintendo gaming news, videos and discussion

Nintendo has become the first consumer brand to disable comments and feedback on a UK social media campaign.

Social websites like MySpace, Facebook and MySpace have evolved in the last year or so; allowing companies to promote their products through official pages and offer exclusive material for those who sign up. Often members of these networks can share the campaign with their friends and in turn spreads through word of mouth. Nintendo has launched a campaign for Animal Crossing (out this week) on Bebo but strangely enough has disabled comments on the pages.

We'd rather people received information through word-of-mouth than us controlling it. We encourage them to talk, but we just want them to take the conversation elsewhere.
Zoe Cooper, junior product manager at Nintendo

Various agencies and publishers have found the move confusing. CRM manager for EA Colin Blackwood said "Talking is what people do on these sites. If you're not going to allow them to talk you might as well just stick up an ad."

These days it's fairly impossible to find someone not signed up to a social network or discussion group. Microsoft on the other hand, has embraced the increase in social media, trying to get users to provide their feedback directly.

Social media culture is very important to us. We have a presence on all the major social networks and encourage our users to get involved and talk back to us through it."

Alex Weller, Xbox experience manager

Whilst Nintendo have had tremendous success for both the Wii and DS through word of mouth and television advertising; with the chance to have free promotion through social networks and receive instant feedback, surely it would be a good route to take?

Should Nintendo open up their official campaigns for discussion?

Box art for Animal Crossing: Let's Go to the City
Also known as

Animal Crossing: City Folk

Developer

Nintendo

Publisher

Nintendo

Genre

Simulation

Players

1

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  6/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  8/10 (48 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date Out now   Australian release date Out now   

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Nintendo just want to avoid feedback wherever they can help it... They just know they'll get complaints, which will lose them sales.

It's the same reason their forum closed...

Twitter | C3 Writer/Moderator | Backloggery

Not really. In the past Nintendo have actively sought feedback. See the US DSi announcement a while back - both Reggie and Cammie took questions from comments, with Cammie even taking notes of what users were reportedly saying (the interviewer passed them along).

As far as I see it there\'s not much point in having comments on yes, what is effectively an ad either way. I don\'t think there\'s ever been any effective feedback or response through Myspace/Bebo ads.

( Edited 04.12.2008 18:40 by Modplan Man )

Nintendo still wants feedback (Nintendo channel, for example), just not public comments...different things.

Feedback is quite valuable for a company, as long as they know not to take it at face value.

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How very bizarre. Bebo is a shite-pot anyway so none of the comments would be worthwhile.

Trying to think of a witty signature after 'Hacker-gate'...

Oh that's right don't listen to what your consumers are saying.

I guess the game got flamed?

prehaps Nintendo don't want comments from casual gamers on casul iternet sites as all it takes is one informed person and the flames will spread like wildfire. Best keep informed opinions on informed websites (like C3 ;-Smilie) away from the general ignorance.

Matthew Evans [ Writer :: Moderator :: King of Impartiality :: Lord of the 15min Thread ] As the wind blows the sand to cover the camel's tracks so does time move to cover the Lord's.
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Guest 05.12.2008#8

Maybe it's their fear of paedophiles exchanging friend codes with tender young girls, and getting blamed for the result.

Bebo is basically an exchange for thirteen year olds who want to show off their breasts to 40 year olds pretending to also be thirteen year olds. What a lovely world we live in...

Warning: May not be true.

Trying to think of a witty signature after 'Hacker-gate'...

any publicity should be good publicity. and i'm suprised they haven't made an official facebook fanpage.

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This just show's how scared they are that they're of user feedback. And anyways Bebo is not quite as popular as Facebook and Myspace(although I hear that in the UK it is) so you may not get as much feedback!


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