Rakuten - Audience Acquisiton
Finding an Audience
As a global tech brand, Rakuten wanted to have their first-ever event in the United States, but had a surprisingly simple problem.
No one in North America had ever heard of them.
With low brand awareness, we had a big task at hand.
Set a first impression that could convert that interest into 2,000 paid registrations + attendees for an in-person event.
How do you do that?
With an incredible team of forward-thinkers, a strong visual identity + a lot of A/B Testing.
Goal: To get 2,000+ paid attendees to Rakuten’s first ever US event, “Optimism”
we crafted a stunning identity system
that set premium expectations for users
Converting by Design
This event website was built with a specific purpose; to convert interest into action with paid registration. We gave users focus + reasons to
convert, including dynamic discount codes and smart form logic.
With clear goals in mind, we devised a UX strategy that began with user flows+ wireframes, planning out every aspect of a modern event website experience.
Attendees needed reasons to engage + return to the site, so we made it the hub of the campaign, featuring a dynamic agenda, speaker+ sponsor pages and multiple conversion paths.
All-Star Lineup
While Rakuten had an existing brand identity system, they wanted something new specifically for Optimism.
Working with the experiential agency GPJ, we crafted a stunning visual identity system that set a premium expectation for users at first glance.
Rakuten already had partnerships with A+ talent that could lend instant credibility. With a player + coach from the World Champion Golden State Warriors and a VIP performance by Shakira, the creative was elevated by superstar endorsements.
Watch the Quick Video Recap of the Rakuten Optimism Campaign
Putting Butts in Seats
When it comes down to it, all that premium UX + UI, Social A/B creative optimization and A-list star power did the trick, as we beat the goal of 2,000+ attendees, registering 2,848 event attendees for Rakuten’s big event.
With a performance that netted over 3 million impressions and was 42% over goal for the campaign, Rakuten had every reason to be feeling optimistic about future events.
