JCB is the only international payment brand from Japan
Its European subsidiary, JCB Europe, helps Acquirers and Merchants accelerate business growth and competitive advantage by enabling them to seamlessly and securely process payments from high-value cardmembers from Asia, purchasing products and services across Europe.
Gold: Inspiring Example of Rebrand/Relaunch
Despite being a prominent international brand known for its credit card and electronic payment services, JCB struggled with familiarity among its European Merchant and Acquirer target audiences.
Our goals were clear:
- Rebrand and reposition JCB Europe as a collaborative, trusted global brand that empowers customers to accelerate growth in secure, seamless, and efficient ways
- Differentiate JCB by helping it cut through and ensure its target audiences understood the brand’s unique qualities, values, and customer-centric approach
Thanks to a creative wrapper inspired by the traditional Japanese art style, Nihonga, and a customer-first activation approach that established trust and credibility in the JCB brand, we smashed our targets to deliver outstanding results.
RESULTS AT A GLANCE
51PT
uplift in awareness
67PT
uplift in familiarity
43PT
uplift in consideration
7% CTR
The Economy of Trust video series (vs. 0.39% benchmark)
933%
uplift in social media engagement
1,337%
uplift in social media channel growth rates
INSIGHTS & STRATEGY:
FROM JAPAN TO THE WORLD
JCB has two audience segments: Acquirers (their direct audience) and Merchants (their indirect audience). To inform and shape our approach, we conducted a set of primary and secondary research initiatives:
- Stakeholder alignment interviews
- Sales team surveys
- Voice of the Customer and Voice of the Employee interviews and surveys
- Prospect buyer brand health survey
- Competitor benchmarking
While the market showed its hesitancy to adopt a Japanese brand in lieu of its perceived more innovative and dynamic competitors, our research phase revealed a startling truth:
Existing customers, employees, and stakeholders LOVED the cultural differences and values JCB brought to the European market. The business took more pride in the level of quality, care, and consideration it gave its customers. JCB’s Japanese heritage set them apart.
THE BIG IDEA: BETTER WITH OMOTENASHI
Rather than shy away from JCB’s heritage, we decided to lean into it. Enter the ‘Better With Omotenashi’ brand and creative platform.
Omotenashi is the uniquely Japanese art of customer care, diligence, and consideration. By focusing on the extra level of support partners could get from JCB, we transformed concerns about its speed of service into a celebrated aspect of its brand experience.
We developed a series of beautiful watercolor-style illustrations in keeping with the traditional Japanese art style, Nihonga. Each promoted the key qualities and values of a JCB partnership while also exuding a sense of warmth, quality, and consideration through the deliberate use of subtle colors and precise brushstrokes – all to show JCB was ‘Uniquely Yours’.
EXECUTION: CUSTOMER-FIRST ACTIVATION
We wanted to engage, educate, and inspire our audience, so we used a multi-channel strategy to bring ‘Better With Omotenashi’ to life across:
Digital amplification
Using paid social and display ads in industry publications like the Financial Times, Bloomberg, and The Economist to drive awareness, while owned social channels amplified engagement.
Thought leadership
A video series featuring key customers and prospects about real-world applications of Omotenashi in payments, fostering deeper audience connection.
Live engagements
PR and events that included JCB’s first-ever panel discussion with top decision-makers representing the business and its customers underscoring the industry’s shift towards trust-based economies to spark meaningful dialogue and reinforce JCB’s leadership.
“There are moments in a Marketer’s career where the brand programme you work on stops you in your tracks.
Better With Omotenashi has done just that for me and dare I say for our entire European JCB organisation too.”
Victoria Perea-Usher
VP Marcomms, JCB Europe
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