Last week, Nintendo launched the successor to their latest signature game console eight years after its initial release. The original Nintendo Switch created a blue ocean for the gaming company as both a handheld and TV console, something completely unique for the industry. Its new little brother, The Nintendo Switch 2, sold out on online pre-orders almost immediately across all major retailers ahead of the June 5 release. Fans had reason to pursue every avenue to get their hands on the Switch 2 on launch day with the rising uncertainty of tariffs and potential price increases on a console already almost $200 more than its predecessor,
As a casual gamer who loves the high of snagging a new console and a busy parent who doesn’t love standing in line with a squirmy toddler, I was disappointed to miss out on the pre order. Sure, I only refreshed my Target app twice before giving up and going back to bed. But I couldn’t see myself lining up in the morning, or at midnight, and going about my normal life the next day.
And then, launch week hit. I found myself checking opening times for GameStop, Target, Walmart – anywhere. At 10 pm on June 4, I packed up my Kindle, a water bottle, and a cheap lawn chair and I set up camp outside my local Best Buy. I was 76th in line.
When everything is online, what makes us get out and pay to experience something despite the inconveniences? Whether you’re a multinational corporation or a small business, the draw of in-person events in an increasingly digital world is a powerful tool.
Nostalgia, Competition, and a Plumber Driving a Car
One of the biggest factors that drove my participation in the midnight release of the Nintendo Switch 2 was my nostalgia. I remember hunting for the Wii Mario Kart steering wheels at every Best Buy and Circuit City (RIP) with my parents and brothers, calling different stores and dropping everything to chase after one of three they had left. Driving home with the shiny new hardware felt like a big victory.
The emotions and tactility of real world events can simply not be replicated online. Ultimately, this is for the best. My in-person LinkedIn dashboard would be me standing in a mostly empty room with a few loose business connections and about 1,000 robots shouting motivational quotes in all caps. Positive community associations only strengthen brand sentiment. Events show people that they’re part of an in-group. Or, even better, a select special few.
Did I feel silly leaving my house in pajamas to go stand outside a closed store? Yes. But when I got to the back of a 75 person line, I felt silly for not showing up even sooner. While your local business may not have as large of a geographical reach as Nintendo, it’s still true that gatherings literally bring people together and make them feel included. It could be more effective for your small business than the best targeted banner ad, and it might give you access to new audiences.
Your Potential Audience is Bigger Than You Think
Thanks to Google Ads and the internet’s growing data mine, it’s not impossible to reach exactly the audience you’re looking for exactly when you want to find them. But sometimes, those aren’t the people you should be looking for. Without the right marketing guidance behind your keywords and strategy, the wrong online tactics could be boxing you out from people who really crave your product or service.
Even within my local community, the Switch 2 midnight release line was incredibly diverse. I saw dads bringing their teenage sons, pregnant mothers, middle aged men. There was a group of early-twenties nerds in Nintendo merch that ordered pizza to the front of the line. There were couples, and brothers, and a woman holding a sleeping newborn. If you hadn’t seen it in person, it would seem completely random. But every one of these people were excited to buy the Switch 2. Or, excited to sell it online at double the price.
The opportunity to meet your audience face to face is rare, and it can tell you a lot about their backgrounds and interests that you can’t learn from their purchase information.
Doing it for the ‘Gram
Okay, I’ve sufficiently aged myself by waxing poetic about the benefits of leaving your house to socialize, which kids these days just don’t do anymore. And by referring to Instagram as ‘the Gram.’ So I’m fully aware of the irony of this last point. Community events are great fodder for your social media. With all the AI-generated infographics clogging our feeds, real human faces and places are what break through. They don’t just show people how much fun you are, but they show that you’re an actual human person (or company) with the capacity to breathe air and empathize.
I wrote a few months ago about the Severance pop-up in Grand Central Station. Just like video games, you don’t expect television shows to meet you face to face. Not only did the pop-up reach the busy people of New York City, but it reached me, a Virginian sitting in my living room. With the right creative spark, events get people talking. They also get people posting! The buzz lasts longer than a handful of minutes or hours, because everything lives indefinitely on the internet. For better or for worse.
Conclusion
Nintendo did something that Ticketmaster could only dream of; they got people excited about waiting in line. I never got my Eras tour tickets, but even those who did have Ticketmaster on their hit list. Maybe if Ticketmaster had a physical line, an impromptu pizza party, and Tracie from Best Buy handing out handwritten ticket numbers, their brand sentiment wouldn’t be in the toilet. We’ll never know!
Even if your business model is mostly targeted toward introverts with a nostalgic love for plumbers in overalls and big silly monkeys, it’s possible to spark an in-person event that gets people talking about your brand. It could even make the difference between being lost in the feed and igniting excitement in a new audience.