The Campaign

Japan had just increased its consumption tax rate for the first time in 17 years. In response, our client PCA, an accounting software manufacturer, was updating its products to handle the new rate. PCA’s problem was its low brand recognition – just 16.8% of people had heard of the company. A strategy was needed that would increase brand recognition and promote sales, so we focused on reinventing their corporate identity to create a fresh brand image. We achieved this by replacing their single corporate color with 100 color variations. This opened numerous possibilities for clearly identifying each product line while still situating it firmly within the brand, creating a unified image connecting brand and products across all media.

Success of the Campaign

Brand recognition shot up by 193%. And among the most desired target consumers, professional accountants, about 50% now recognized the PCA brand. Sales surpassed forecasts by 129%, reaching 1.15 billion instead of 890 million yen. Retail sales were 250% higher than the previous year, making PCA the fastest growing company in the industry.

Describe how the campaign/entry was launched and executed across each channel in the order of implementation.

Product advertisements using the new corporate identity were placed in high reach media from TV commercials to magazine adverts and outdoor billboards. The CI color used in each case matched the color of the advertised product line. Then, when a customer was stimulated by one of these adverts to request a brochure from the website, the brochure would be mailed in a dedicated envelope, both brochure and envelope being in that product’s identifying color. Sales staff giving product explanations were similarly provided with business cards in all 100 colors to match the products they were promoting. Colors were also standardized for each product’s icon and start-up screen. This integrated campaign in various media using this strategy of unified brand and product colors aimed to create an image that would drive consumer behavior at all stages from recognition to purchase.