Ignite

An innovative and fun tech solution for this premium-casual brand that generated an unbelievable return on investment

The Challenge: Carluccio’s, the premium-casual Italian restaurant group, needed a new and innovative way to drive cover volume. The market was tough and new customer acquisition was key. A creative solution was needed…

Ignite built a fun but brilliantly simple online game which generated restaurant vouchers as prizes. We added the ability for the game to be reused again and again for future campaigns to maximise bang for buck.

We built a Carluccio’s branded microsite where people “scratched off” a panel to reveal a prize (hint: everyone was a winner). The element of ‘gamification’ makes what is, essentially, a voucher distribution platform more engaging for consumers, which means they’re more likely to play again and share with their friends too.

The “scratch off” mechanism was designed to be simple. Simple to play and simple to re-purpose for other campaigns too, without re-coding the site. Carluccio’s was able to use the same game across two menu launch campaigns, with only the prizes and seasonal branding needing to be updated.

We integrated the game with Carluccio’s voucher provider Eagle Eye and CRM system Fishbowl so that the prize details could display on-screen immediately and automatically trigger a redemption email. The chances of winning different prizes were controlled with an algorithm so we could ensure a commercially viable split between the higher and lower value prices.

The Challenge: Help us break the education sector and launch a new university - something that hasn’t been done in 40 years. No rules, no past data, no best in class examples. How do we attract bright young students to gamble the most important decision of their lives on an unproven university?

Traditional universities teach for a traditional world. But the world has changed, and is changing at a rapid rate. As a society we face seemingly insurmountable problems, something that there is a great deal of passion and frustration for amongst young people.

We turned uncertainty to our advantage. This was a call to break the mould, to stand out, do something different. That’s what the world needs, and it’s what future employees will take note of.

The brand is established, built for the future and full of confidence. The animations and colours are cool and futuristic, whilst the imagery and use of ‘problems’ are human and down to earth.

We introduced a lot of animation into the social space, to give the visual sense that LIS is in movement. A university that is connected, part of the new world - something that is ready to be explored.

The design concept ‘hidden connections’ is central to the brand. A grid system with coloured ‘nodes’ represent the different disciplines, and as problems are explored they create a unique shape. This allows complex problems to be visually represented in a simple but striking way.

This was an important way of breaking the importance of specialising in students' minds, which is taught from a very early age.

"Ignite’s strategy, creativity and insight were instrumental for us in disrupting a notoriously challenging sector. I’ve worked in many industries, and with many agencies, and these guys really get it. They have a unique approach that gets the best out of you and your team, sharpens your vision, and turns it into a workable strategy" - Chris Persson, Co-Founder, LIS

Ignite found a creative way to tap into #WorldGinDay; creating the most exclusive Gin lifestyle platform in Europe and delivering one of the most successful campaigns ever run by Pernod Ricard & Marriott International.

The best thing about secrets is... sharing them.

The idea underpinning the Secret Gin Society was simple: a place for gin lovers to access hidden cocktails and exclusive events at some of Europe’s most incredible bars. Speakeasies (secretive prohibition era drinking establishments) helped inspire both a concept and visual language built around pass-phrases and codebreaking.

Built with the intention of emulating a private members’ club, thesecretginsociety.com sat behind a gated “apply to join” page. Guests would be invited to input their details in exchange for access to a list of participating bars, each serving a limited-time-only secret Gin menu. Thus helping reinforce the feeling of exclusivity.

Creating a new lifestyle brand requires a heavy focus on the content strategy. Leveraging 200 of the participating bars social's accounts we were able to tap into their audience and promote our own Secret Gin Society brand. This had the advantage of building authority at both brand and local level. The Secret Gin Society is now a creative and knowledgable hub, with a vibrant and growing community.

One of the key elements that made this continent wide campaign such a success was it's implementation at location level. We bridged the gap between online advertising and offline implementation using the 'crack the code' element. Special menus created for the occasion included hidden codes, which could only be cracked using the cipher ring printed on the coasters (a trick alluded too through the social content). This added a further level of gamification to the campaign and captured the interest of participants.

The campaign primarily drove a 35% uplift in particpating venues and is being rolled out across continents with multiple activations each year.

+7% sales uplift from this integrated campaign that harnessed the power of influencers to target a completely new market segment.

With health and veganism now mainstream and the whole restaurant industry expanding their offerings, we needed to conceive a campaign to make Pho the leaders in this space.

“Low calorie menus” no longer had an impact, our challenge was to cement them in the consumer's mind as synonymous with healthy eating and the fitness lifestyle.

Ignite developed a sub-brand of Pho - Go Pho It - and partnered up with a crew of fitness influencers to penetrate the fitness market. A slick website experience, a tonne of fresh +original content and highly targeted advertising resulted in a truly game changing campaign for the brand.

Pho’s amazing in-house team recruited a crew of Go Pho It ambassadors, all in the professional health, fitness and wellness industries, with a combined reach of 850,000. By using influencers in the fitness space, rather than foodies, we were able to target a new market segment and position Pho to them as a perfect fit with their healthy lifestyle.

Each influencer starred in their own photoshoot and we produced social content just for them.

This unique content was powerful - and led to a high share rate across influencer platforms. As well as this, the deep partnerships formed mean they’ve become part of Pho’s story in a more authentic way, not just guns for hire.

Central to the campaign was a series of landing pages, all based on search demand and optimised for conversions. People who searched for vegan or nutritional food - would find a page dedicated to that, whilst telling the Pho brand story.

The pages achieved a very strong 40% conversion rate, for main actions like menu views, bookings and restaurant location searches.

An app to simplify booking and drive sales.

D&D London approached us to design and develop an app for them. The primary goals were to drive sales, further brand loyalty and simply their booking process. Having worked with D&D London for many years, we had the advantage of knowing both the client and target audience comprehensively. This allowed us greater focus on the UX side of the project, plotting every possible route and scenario.

A large portion of the project was dedicated to wireframing. App users are looking for one thing when they load an app, an easy journey from A to B. If they want to book a table at their favourite restaurant, they want to do so in as fewer taps as possible. If they need to sign up, sign in or check out, the process needs to feel simple, fluid and natural.

Familiarity is another key aspect to utilise. Don't reinvent the wheel. Apps are habitual in many aspects. Expanded navs have a universal icon. Fixed navs and footers are commonplace that allow pages to only ever be a few taps away. Date selection in a D.O.B field of a form is standard. By leaning into what users already know, it allowed us to consider and solve lesser known scenarios, having numerous users using one account for example. If a PA needed access to book a table, the ability to have pre-loaded payment details is key. Similarly, the ability to amend details needed thought so the app can evolve with the user's needs. The D&D app always feels expansive and never restrictive.

As part of phase two of the project, we introduced in-app shop functionality. The shop includes experiences, gift cards and much more. Previously D&D London's shop had existed on a separate URL to the group site. Merging these two aspects and streamlining the process means that finding all things D&D London has never been easier.

Download and explore the app for yourself on the App & Google Play stores.

Award winning websites don’t compromise on form or function; see how we made the Pho brand sing whilst increasing conversions +60%.

As Pho expanded across the UK, they needed a website that could match their ambitions. We were challenged to develop a site that drives bookings, reflects the independent nature of the restaurants, and brings the brand story to life.

We unlocked the power of Pho’s brand with a powerful conceptual design route, combine that with meticulous UX planning and clever use of technology in a simple to use and easy to navigate site.

Phở is more than a bowl of soup, it’s an obsession - the soul of a nation. Inspired by the founders’ travels to Vietnam, the website had to occupy the energy and vibrancy of Vietnamese food.

The website feels alive, with interactive animations, load effects, integrated videos and clever use of illustrations to bring depth to the site.

With more restaurant locations, an increased focus on bookings and a wealth of nutritional information to categorise, we needed a slick UX to allow people to find and engage with the content properly.

Thorough keyword research and user-journey planning informed a comprehensive SEO strategy, sitemap and page wireframes. The result - a website that not only looks great but delivers +60% conversions too.

Each restaurant has its own bespoke area, with essential restaurant information featured. Optimised to ensure users looking for their local Pho on Google, find their local Pho - these ‘landing pages’ are websites in their own right.

This localised approach and emphasis on each restaurant is a powerful strategy to combat the issues growing brands face in continuing to reflect the independent nature of each of their sites.

1M impressions, over 5,000 Loyalty Club sign-ups and a 2-hour queue around the block on opening day!

Marugame Udon, a popular 1,000+ global chain, was set to open their first location in UK and Europe in July 2021. The goal was to make a big splash around the grand opening so that their brand was easily recognisable as purveyors of the freshest udon in London. We helped them achieve this with a fully responsive and bespoke built website, a creative launch campaign, and ongoing strategy and digital marketing.

Our launch campaign focused on giving away free udon during their opening week. The campaign hook was An Invitation To Udon. The goal was to give away 5,000 bowls of udon in return for customers signing up to the Loyalty Club. The campaign ran two weeks prior to opening and six weeks post-opening. Our team was responsible for all campaign collateral (digital and print), including interior brand touchpoints like menus, uniforms, strut cards, and order kiosk screens; and exterior signage like hoarding, digital menu screens and A-boards. 

We also planned, designed and executed the paid & organic social campaign. We designed and ran ads that supported the main message - An Invitation to Udon - to get people to try the restaurant during opening week. The main campaign messaging was:

1. An Invitation to Udon - Sign up to the loyalty club, get a free bowl of udon during opening week

2. Win Free Udon For a Year! - As part of organic social and to build our audiences, we gave away two grand prizes of free udon for a year. We encouraged customers to follow us and tag a friend on our social posts to enter to win. 

3. Other chances to win prizes - We gave away food & merch hampers prior to launch to build buzz around the opening.

Not only was this messaging and strategy successful, but the client now has a successful campaign concept that can be easily rolled out to support other location openings.

Brief

Oowee Vegan approached us to build a custom and bespoke website that injects the energy and fun of their brand into the user experience, and brought across the big and bold personality of the popular vegan fast food chain.

Objective

Our objective was to explore how we can elevate their brand elements, and combine that with what makes Oowee so special, to create an engaging, exciting user experience.  Overall, we wanted to make sure the site was fully branded, dynamic/interesting and conversion led, ultimately driving revenue.

A dynamic first impression

Our team strived to inject fun into the user experience, to bring Oowee’s big, bold personality to life online. We maxed the use of animation across the site - hover and scroll effects and custom branded animations give a burst of energy. This echoes Oowee positioning as fast, vibrant and challenging in the vegan fast food space. 

Bringing the food to life 

Our team translated the offering of vegan food into captivating, interactive visuals. We wanted to excite our customers with the food images, and SHOW people why they should eat at Oowee - rather than telling them in words. Pictures speak a thousand words after all. It was about capturing the mission and values of Oowee with interactivity and visuals for a more engaging experience. 

Showcasing unique locations, making Oowee alive online 

Through the use of page transitions, our team was able to capture the individuality of each location's unique attributes for a better online experience.

Results

The new Oowee site has brought more traffic to the brand, more online interactions, like menu views and clicks to call, plus increased online orders and purchases of gift vouchers.