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MAKI-SANSUSHI BRAND
Singapore’s and Southeast Asia’s first-ever DIY sushi brand
One day I was in a multinational Advertising Agency, the next I was busy at the cash counter of my own outlet on Singapore’s famed Orchard Road. I started Maki-San with no business experience, no proper exposure to sushi, and not even a basic grasp of chopsticks. Just the raw belief that if the brand is fun, engaging and sincere, they will come.
Cue a brand development exercise that picked up awards in design shows around the globe, and immediately drew the attention of bloggers, mainstream media, artists and customers who were willing to spend their dollars, column inches and social feeds over a complete rookie. The recipe worked. I ended up with 18 Maki-San outlets in Singapore (including franchises) and 1 Master Franchise in Osaka, with a turnover of over SGD 1 million per month.
The Asian Subway
Maki-San offered make-your-own and Signature Sushi Rolls and Bowls. For the first time in Singapore, customers could choose ingredients to create their own sushi. And that too with flavours that were not just Japanese staples, but from all over the globe. It brought in audiences who had never tried sushi in their life before, and earned Maki-San the moniker of ‘Asian Subway’ from the media.
Packaging becomes Marketing
Maki-San’s packaging became its biggest marketing asset. Hand-created, ‘kawaii’ designs on macaroon-styled boxes that drove people to take pictures by the thousands, thus giving us a significant online presence. A boon considering we had no marketing budget.
Unconventional Store Design
The Maki-San flagship store was a riot of colours, sushi cut-outs and custom-made posters. The design broke conventions for F&B spaces (“Don’t use blue. It is a cold, non-food colour!”) and added the right amount of energy to the space and concept. It helped us standout in Singapore malls which have brands with renovation budgets way bigger than us.
A DIY Website
The brand website featured a fun blend of technology and artistic expression. People could compose their own music messages and send to each other, thus highlighting the D.I.Y. promise of the brand.
A Monster 1st Anniversary Campaign
As our outlet was housed in a cineplex centre, we decided to celebrate our first anniversary, with our own ‘Clash Of the Titans’ feature. Two Kaijus, representing seafood and meat respectively, battled for supremacy aka bragging rights – including a limited edition box design. The one that sells more triumphs. We even had a manga-style comic strip chronicling this battle. This incredibly fun and eye-popping engagement set the tone for how we’d manage all our important events and occasions.
The Gobble Gobble Christmas Campaign
To usher in Christmas, we introduced Yuletide offerings of turkey breast sushi roll and sushi bowl, supported by a marketing campaign centred around a Pac-Man styled game challenge. Customers chased turkeys on a microsite as well as in tray-liners win special prizes. We created badges, gift wrappers and stickers as campaign giveaways.
A Pretty Pleased Press
Maki-San’s first-of-its-kind concept and extremely unique approach to branding and marketing found quite a few admirers in the media. From prominent newspapers and magazines to influential health and lifestyle bloggers and celebrities, the brand drew attention from all corners. It gave us a ridiculous amount of ‘earned media’ even before we understood the term!
