Rakuten is doubling down on a major marketing investment to introduce its brand and online loyalty platform to consumers in the U.S. and Canada with the launch of two new TV spots in its national ‘Life to the Power of R’ campaign by Duncan Channon. The new spots tap into our national obsessions with the reigning champion Golden State Warriors -- and adorable pups -- to show how cash back from Rakuten on the purchases you’re already making can propel you towards experiences that matter.

“Rakuten is all about rewarding consumers as they do the things they already do,” said Michael Lemme, chief creative officer, Duncan Channon. “Getting cash back on purchases helps us do more of the things we love. We’re enormous fans of the Warriors, naturally, and sweet, sweet pupperinos, so it was fun to create stories for these characters that so many of us can relate to.”

The new TV spots will air nationally in the U.S. and Canada alongside Rakuten spots “Runner” and “RSVP” that launched during the 2019 Grammy Awards. The campaign increased aided awareness of Rakuten by 8 points during just the first 3 weeks on air, and daily search has quadrupled since launch. “Life to the Power of R” is the first campaign for Rakuten by Duncan Channon, which was selected as the creative lead for Rakuten’s North American launch in a review last fall. 

Rakuten allows members to earn cash back while shopping at more than 2,500 retailers accessed through Rakuten.com or Rakuten’s app -- while also accumulating rewards from their credit card or retailer loyalty program. Rakuten has been working toward its entry in the North American market since it acquired cashback shopping platform Ebates -- with its 12M customers -- for $1B in 2014. In addition to TV advertising, Rakuten has aggressively been building its U.S. presence as an official partner of the NBA, a three-year $60M jersey-badge partnership with the Golden State Warriors and recent partnership with Stephen Curry on his “Underrated Tour.” 

“We’re excited about how these entertaining new spots will accelerate the strong momentum we’re building for Rakuten in North America,” said Kim Miller, CMO, Rakuten North America. “Building our presence in the U.S. via our sports partnerships and advertising is a top priority for the brand this year. We couldn’t be more pleased to launch this creative with our newest Brand Ambassador Stephen Curry as the Golden State Warriors chase their third consecutive NBA championship.”