Monday, October 22, 2007
Nintendo loses their VP of marketing
So far, 2007 has been a bit of a paradox for Nintendo of America. On one hand, the US arm of the Kyoto, Japan-based game giant has had a banner year. Its Wii console has become a phenomenon, selling over 4.5 million units in the US as of the end of September, according to the NPD group--500,000 last month alone. The DS wasn't far behind with 496,000 units sold during the month.
On the other hand, 2007 has seen unprecedented turnover at NOA. While former VP of marketing Reggie Fils-Aime has been repeatedly honored for helping guide the company out of the GameCube doldrums, his colleagues weren't so lucky. Early in the summer, Nintendo Co.'s president Satoru Iwata quietly decided to split up his company's US division. While NOA's headquarters remains Microsoft's neighbor in Redmond, Washington, its marketing department was relocated to New York and its PR arm put down stakes in Redwood City, California--home of Electronic Arts.
As a result of the trifurcation of NOA's operations, many members of its internal PR and marketing teams were given a choice: Relocate or quit. Two of the company's most public faces--director of public relations Beth Llewellyn and senior vice president of marketing George Harrison chose the latter option. So did vice president of marketing & corporate affairs Perrin Kaplan, who announced this month she will be leaving NOA at the end of the year.
Lightnings opinion: Well, she's been working there since the days of the SNES and as such is a well respected figure. However, I see no problems in replacing her.
News importance rating: 4/10
Posted by ~Lightning~ on 10/22 at 06:24 AM
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