The Brief

Japan had just increased its consumption tax rate for the first time in 17 years and accounting software companies, including our client, were upgrading their products to handle the new rate. The client wanted to take this opportunity to promote sales and to improve their low brand recognition (just 16.8% of people had heard of the company) so the target audience was mainly new customers.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

The goal was to increase brand recognition by 150% and to achieve a sales target of 890 million yen.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

Brand recognition shot up by 193%. And among the most desired target audience, 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.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

A tax change meant companies were upgrading their accounting software, offering a short term opportunity to capture customers from rival brands. The client suffered from low brand recognition, so we focused on corporate identity. PCA stands for Professional Computer Automation. We decided to reinvent PCA’s corporate identity, putting a silhouette of a face inside the letter P to symbolize their target users, professional users. We also replaced their single brand color with 100 variations to clearly identify each product line while situating it within the brand. Our strategy hinged on creating a unified image connecting brand and products.