Nintendo 3DS ‘Play As You Are’ campaign targets women

Nintendo of America is launching a new campaign for the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo 3DS XL that is designed to appeal to the female population.

Titled "Play As You Are", the new campaign is designed to show "how all kinds of women and young girls can explore their interests and express their individuality using the portable Nintendo 3DS — whether they consider themselves gamers or not."

Leading the campaign will be several high-profile females including TV stars Dianna Agron (of Fox's Glee), Sarah Hyland (of ABC's Modern Family) and Olympic medal-winning gymnast Gabrielle Douglas. They will display how the Nintendo 3DS can provide female players with "fun, creative ways to challenge themselves and share what makes them unique."

Olympic medalist Gabrielle Douglas will appear in broadcast advertising in New Super Mario Bros. 2 where she will go for a "different kind of gold". In the game, which launched on August 19, players collect tons of gold coins while discovering new levels and power-ups.

Dianna Argon will be featured in ads for Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone!. Launching on October 1, this game lets players learn a wide range of painting and drawing techniques that can be applied in real life. She'll also appear in spots for upcoming puzzle-solving adventure Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask which will release on October 28.

Last but certainly not least is Sarah Hyland who will be seen in ads for Style Savvy: Trendsetters which is set to release on October 22. In this game players use thousands of items and accessories to create unique looks and manage their own clothing boutiques. She'll also star in a Nintendo 3DS holiday ad featuring Sparkle Snapshots 3D, an application that lets users take 2D pictures and decorate them with 3D accents.

"These women are all amazing role models with their own unique tastes and talents," said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "They know firsthand how Nintendo 3DS can keep them entertained and engaged wherever they go. We think young girls and women of all ages will enjoy hearing what they have to say about their favorite games and activities on Nintendo 3DS."

I have to say, this is a genius move on Nintendo's part. Oftentimes the female population is overlooked when it comes to marketing. With the 3DS already catering to a wide target audience, Nintendo's handheld system has plenty to offer, even for those females who may not think of themselves as gamers. Considering they already attract a good amount of the children and young male population, the female audience is still an untapped market for Nintendo. Hopefully that all changes when this new campaign launches on October 1st.