Clever Super Mario ad proves the power of print

An advert for Paper Mario
(Image credit: Nintendo)

The best print ads can really pack a punch, even when it comes to selling a digital product like a video game. An old ad for Paper Mario is generating waves of nostalgia on Reddit, but the piece remains just as clever today as it was over 20 years ago when the game was released.

The title in question is Paper Mario, which is pretty much what it sounds like. Mario was actually made of pixels, but he looked like he was made out of paper, and so did the locations in the game. And Nintendo came up with an ingeniously simple way of plugging the concept.

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Joe Foley

Joe is a regular freelance journalist and editor at Creative Bloq. He writes news, features and buying guides and keeps track of the best equipment and software for creatives, from video editing programs to monitors and accessories. A veteran news writer and photographer, he now works as a project manager at the London and Buenos Aires-based design, production and branding agency Hermana Creatives. There he manages a team of designers, photographers and video editors who specialise in producing visual content and design assets for the hospitality sector. He also dances Argentine tango.

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