Rack it Up!

Rakuten what? That was the question facing the new and difficult-to-pronounce Japanese e-commerce company. Having a stand-out cash-back-earning service wasn’t quite enough for it to take off in North America. The brand needed people to know what the heck it was. Rakuten turned to Standard Black for an awareness campaign that explained what Rakuten is, how it works and why everyone should use it.

To get the word out, we launched a national awareness campaign using a comprehensive mix of media channels and digital platforms including TV, OOH, and digital. Next we set to work turning Rakuten’s strange name into a sticky slogan, Rack it Up, by creating contextual creative and content for strategically chosen high-profile events and public gathering places to capitalize on peak awareness and timely call-to-action.

Our OOH campaign boldly introduced Rakuten and the campaign’s Cash Back conversation with contextual takeovers of major subway hubs like NYC’s Hudson Yards MTA station and SF’s Montgomery BART. The takeover spread the word about Rakuten from ceiling to floor and from column to turnstile by pairing bold type and bright colors with honestly direct copy that made the benefits of using Rakuten painfully obvious.

As a result, Rakuten was transformed – becoming fresh, vibrant, and easy to remember. Unaided awareness doubled over the course of the campaign. Rakuten exceeded its goals in establishing brand awareness, driving brand engagement, and increasing its customer base. Our campaign was even named “Best Rebrand/Relaunch and Best Brand Content Strategy” by The Drum Marketing Awards US 2020.

Consumers weren’t the only ones talking about the campaign. Rakuten Rewards’s VP of Marketing, Trevor Gregory said, “The Standard Black team were amazing to work with and absolutely clutch for the successful rebrand! Looking forward to more awesome campaigns together in the future! #RackItUp.”