KUMA LODGE, JAPAN

Kuma Lodge is owned by three Australian partners and is located in Madarao, in the region of Nagano. Madarao is a quaint,  Japanese ski village that retains much of the charm that larger ski resorts in Japan, such as Niseko, often lack. Our brief was to build a brand and creative strategy that blended an authentic and fun Japanese ski experience with contemporary design and western comfort.

We developed a clever design identity and system based off Kuma (Japanese word for 'bear' which are local to the area) which could extend through their marketing and content plans and entire guest experience.

The results speak for themselves:

• 200% increase in revenue from 2015/16 to 2016/17

• Kuma Lodge is ranked #1 on TripAdvisor for the area

• 300% increase in audience engagement on social media (shares, likes and comments)

• The guest experience continuously delivers 5 star reviews