Question

In the 1990's Tamagotchi was designed as a virtual pet and test marketed in Tokyo. The word-of-mouth publicity was so strong that toymaker Bandai was hard-pressed to keep up with demand. By the time Tamagotchis reached New York toy retailer FAO Schwartz, the initial shipment was sold out. This shows that:

1) virtual pets do not need special marketing efforts
2) word-of-mouth marketing is highly effective in collectivist cultures
3) demand for virtual pets is more in technologically advanced countries
4) print marketing is not as effective as word-of-mouth publicity
5) demand for innovative products is proportional to publicity

Answer 1

The success of Tamagotchi's word-of-mouth marketing illustrates how consumer interest and demand can be driven by non-traditional marketing strategies and how technology has influenced market dynamics and globalization.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the 1990's, the success of Tamagotchi, a virtual pet, gave insights into marketing trends and consumer behavior. The example shows that word-of-mouth marketing can be extremely powerful and that it can drive demand remarkably even in the absence of direct marketing efforts. With technology influencing the market, as evidenced by the transition from traditional advertising to more integrated marketing strategies, the Tamagotchi phenomenon demonstrates that consumer interests can be captured through innovative concepts that resonate deeply with them, and that these interests can quickly spread across communities and nations when word-of-mouth is combined with the increasing connectedness provided by technological advancements. While the viral success of Tamagotchi was notable in itself, it also speaks to broader trends regarding globalization and technology's role in market evolution.