Nintendo abandons Wii advertising

Nintendo has stopped advertising its in-demand Wii console in the UK, replacing planned ads with ones for the DS instead, according to Marketing Week.

In the run-up to Christmas, advertising is usually frenzied for video games and consoles, but Nintendo has decided that since the console is in short supply, there is no point in promoting it.

A Nintendo spokesman explained, "We have been running the campaign all year round, but we want to take a responsible stance this Christmas and not fuel demand."

Nintendo is currently producing 1.8 million Wiis a month, reports Marketing Week, although the company has still been unable to meet the demand for the console, which remains in short supply at many retailers.

At least one person is quite pleased about the Wii scarcity. Sony's Howard Stringer recently said in an interview that he believed it was "fortuitous" for the PlayStation 3 that Nintendo was running out of stock.