Barnes and Noble heads off iPad, Kindle with ads

Barnes & Noble last night began its first major ad campaign for the Nook since the e-reader was launched in the fall. The effort revolves around a 30-second TV spot (viewable below) showing how many have grown up with books; it should air during many major TV shows. Online and radio ads will also be part of the strategy.

The ad campaign is the first in over 10 years for Barnes & Noble and arrives as part of a rapid step up in its attempts to sell the Nook. Although it has already had a retail presence at its own stores, it recently began selling the Android-based reader at Best Buy in a bid to reach an unfamiliar audience.

Both the commercials and the retail expansion are believed set against not just Amazon, which is on the verge of selling the Kindle at Target, but also against Apple and the iPad. Unlike either of its most obvious American rivals, Apple already has both high-profile advertising and a large retail footprint outside of its own locations, both of which have been partly credited for successes with previous devices like the iPhone and iPod.

By Electronista Staff