Nintendo Gives Consumers Reasons To Shop Tommy Hilfiger
Back-to-school promotion brings Nintendo 64 to the retail world.
Edited by John Stouffer
(7-30-98)

(Press Release, July 30, 1998)—Back-to-school shopping just received an exciting new twist!

On August 2, Nintendo of America and Tommy Hilfiger kick off a revolutionary new retail concept melding entertainment with fashion. More than 1,000 Tommy Hilfiger in-store boys departments across the United States will feature permanent Nintendo 64 interactive kiosks for the next year. So, kids and teens can play the latest Nintendo 64 video games for free as they try on the hippest in kids and young adult apparel.

This in-store sampling program gets underway with a two-week Back-to-School Sweepstakes promotion running through August 15. Not only can consumers check out the best-selling 1080 Snowboarding or the brand new F-1 World Grand Prix video games, they also can register to win one of ten first prizes of Stratton Mountain or Mammoth Mountain Snowboarding weekends, one of 25 250-dollar Tommy Hilfiger Children's wardrobes, or one of 100 Nintendo 64 systems. With a 50- dollar minimum purchase of Tommy Hilfiger shoes, socks, or underwear, consumers receive a twenty-dollar discount certificate for 1080 Snowboarding or any other selected game from the Nintendo sports library. In addition, all Tommy Hilfiger in-store boys departments also will sell limited-edition Nintendo 64 jackets, T- shirts, and sweatshirts while supplies last.

To kick off the back-to-school promotion, Kenan and Kel, stars of Nickelodeon's hit children's program "All That," will visit Hilfiger stores in four major cities to sign autographs and play Nintendo 64 video games with some lucky consumers.

"Nintendo game players wear Tommy Hilfiger," said Peter Main, Nintendo of America's executive vice president, sales and marketing. "So what better way to showcase our new Nintendo 64 games than to take them directly to where our consumers shop. Hilfiger is the perfect compliment to Nintendo."

"This new concept offers the kind of enhanced shopping experience Tommy Hilfiger customers expect," said Joel Horowitz, chief executive officer of Tommy Hilfiger, U.S.A. Inc. "We believe this will forever change the youth apparel retail experience."

The tour featuring Kenan and Kel, starts in San Francisco, August 2 at Macy's, followed by a stop at Macy's in New York's Herald Square, August 7. The tour then moves to Burdine's in Miami, August 8, and concludes at Dayton-Hudson in Minneapolis, August 9.

The back-to-school promotion is supported by a major marketing push that features print ads in major markets, local market radio spots, back-to-school catalog advertising in newspaper ads, and point-of-sale initiatives.

The Nintendo 64 kiosks will remain in the boys departments for a year. 1080 Snowboarding, the definitive one- or two-player snowboarding game, is the first N64 title featured. F-1 World Grand Prix, an unparalleled auto racing simulation experience, will be featured in the kiosks starting the week of August 10. New N64 titles will be added throughout the year.

Back to Business Main