Online casino brand sense check and website optimization for Japan

What was the brief?

An online casino brand was looking to redesign their brand name, brand logo and mascot character. They first wanted to understand how other online casino competitors are localising their brands to fit into the Japan market.

They needed to grasp the underlying cultural nuances shaping consumer perception of different casino brands to establish their own branding strategy in Japan.

How we approached things

• Delivered a full semiotic analysis report of existing online casino brands operating in Japan in order to uncover key themes and narratives used in their brand names, logos and mascot characters.
• Grouped together themes that made sense in a local context, and which were clearly distinct from and US and UK examples.
• Provided a list of recommended brand names, logos and mascot characters for them to best perform in the Japanese market.

Methodology

We achieved this through semiotic analysis and an online qualitative study.

Results

Tokyoesque added value by delivering;

• In-depth semiotic analysis – We fulfilled the brief, going above and beyond what was asked to provide the most relevant, on-point examples from Japanese culture, branding and everyday life.
• Optimum website components recommendation – Must-have website components based on existing Japanese websites that involves payments (i.e. e-commerce websites, the Japanese national lottery website ‘Takarakuji’, etc); and how and why each component increases the level of trust in the brand from a Japanese consumer perspective.