// CARVING OUT A UNIQUE & COMPELLING SPACE IN A SATURATED MARKET
CLIENT: Main Street Ryu
BRAND CONSULTANCY & ROADMAPPING | MARKETING STRATEGY | DIGITAL & PRINT EXECUTION
Perth’s bar and restaurant scene has exploded in recent years and with up to 30% of hospitality businesses not experiencing the patronage required to sustain business and subsequently closing their doors within the first year, businesses need not only to stand out to survive… they need a compelling offer, superior value proposition and something truly unique.
Noop crafted not just a venue, but an entire brand experience – thriving and lucrative – in Main Street Ryu.
Challenge
With a string of successful franchise restaurants and boutique hospitality venues, Main Street Ryu’s owners approached Noop to bring their next vision to life… an Izakaya (居酒屋) that fused retro video game nostalgia, Street Fighter, hip hop culture & neo-Tokyo urban cool.
They knew what they wanted, but were unsure of how to bring the moving parts together and (in a highly discerning market such as Perth where the boutique bar & restaurant scene is still emerging) wanted certainty that patrons would receive the concept well.
Having seen too many ‘themed’ venues fail, it was also imperative to ensure that the venue’s theme was cohesive, consistent and thoroughly considered; allowing customers to not only absorb the theme but to also enter it through a customer sequence of complete and total immersion.
With a unique combination of inspiration to tie together, a key variable was to ensure niche/cult appeal of the theme without alienating the mainstream.
Approach
Through extensive market research, customer persona profiling and fully respecting the cultural nuances of Japanese cuisine, art styles and customs, Noop devised a comprehensive Brand Guide and Digital Roadmap.
Carving out every tiny detail of the brand and brand experience alike – from naming conventions to logos, employee language, uniforms, digital advertising, web design, online booking integration, menus, packaging and cutlery sleeves, signage and custom neons, social media graphics, photography and custom illustration -allowed Main Street Ryu to fully leverage their customers’ needs and desires to create a totally unique experience.
With close chef consultation on all food items to ensure the idea of innovation translated throughout the entire experience, the concept came to life, tied together with the highest quality produce, unique food and drink offerings and clever integrations & loyalty strategies that would keep customers guessing & coming back for more.
Not only setting the direction, Noop carefully created all brand assets, maintaining tight reign of the brand integrity to ensure that the experience for customers is immersive at every single touch point.
An integrated digital campaign was devised alongside supporting digital collateral and a Public Relations focused launch strategy was devised, leveraging social influencers, consistent brand threads and the timeless value of novelty, with long-term sustainability plans in tow.
The key components of the brand experience success – clever, unique copywriting and inspiring, engaging illustration- were established, and Main Street Ryu’s staff were empowered to continue these brand threads; allowing them to save on ongoing resources and delegate management of their marketing assets to in-house.
Results
Opening in late December 2017, Main Street Ryu experienced immediate preliminary success through the implementation of key brand ideas as laid out by Noop’s direction. Customer trust building began immediately online with Noop’s integrated digital campaign and positive reviews have been steadily building ever since.
Digital successes include:
- Consumer relevance scores of 10/10 and 100% positive sentiment in online reviews
- Organic engagement a consistent 6x above the expected industry average
- Paid engagement a consistent 7x the expected industry average
Plus, with Main Street Ryu’s staff empowered to take the brand story on board, a consistent image has been maintained, allowing trust to take strong roots and build future longevity. With this commitment to innovation, Main Street Ryu is set to break the trend of dwindling, dated Perth venues and remain a lucrative Perth institution (with international franchising potential) for the long term.
