A theater company with 100 years of history takes on the challenge of finding new ways to engage with fans
Takarazuka Revue is one of Japan’s leading theater companies, with a history spanning over 100 years. The company has continuously worked to improve and develop its services in line with the times and to meet the expectations of their many passionate fans.
They approached us with one such initiative, stating: “We want to work with you to explore new ways of engaging with fans through digital channels.” In addition to its theaters, Takarazuka Revue offers a variety of services, including websites, video and music streaming, and online merchandise sales. We set out to create a single point of access that makes these services easily accessible, and to jointly explore ways for fans to experience Takarazuka Revue not only in the theater but also as part of their everyday lives.
Fenrir joined the project as a service design partner. We worked side by side throughout the entire process, from planning to production and promotion.
Listening to fans’ voices to find a wider range of ways to enjoy the experience.
First, to understand the users, we began by speaking with them directly. We conducted interviews primarily with people who enjoy or are interested in the Takarazuka Revue, and we organized and analyzed the ways they enjoy the experience and the specific challenges they face.
As a result, we discovered that fans enjoy the experience in numerous ways, and there is a strong need to provide information tailored to each user preference. We saw the potential for users to easily see content that interests them and enjoy the Takarazuka Revue in a more personal and accessible way by giving them greater control over the information they see and interact with.
The official app offers “a new experience where fans can enjoy the Takarazuka Revue at their own pace.”
Based on the results of the user survey, Fenrir proposed a portal app that allows users to enjoy the Takarazuka Revue at their own pace. It would consolidate official information in one place and let users enjoy the content according to their preferences in an easy to view and understand way. We believed that an app faithful to these fundamentals would create a new relationship with users that makes Takarazuka Revue feel more accessible.
We brought the service to life through a collaborative process where Takarazuka Revue contributed its convictions as a traditional theater company and its passion for fans, while Fenrir contributed its expert insights. This collaboration focused not only on features and UI but also on defining the mechanisms that would drive the app’s growth. We used growth cycles and concept diagrams to organize which elements contribute to service growth and in what ways. Based on these, we set KPIs and embedded tracking tags into the app, laying the groundwork for verifying growth and making improvements.
Ultimately, we created a touch-based prototype for smartphones and conducted a concept acceptance survey. Encouraged by the positive feedback, we moved forward with actual development.
Providing an experience where users can easily connect with the Takarazuka Revue anytime.
Users view both the app and the theater as part of the same Takarazuka Revue service. Therefore, we took care to reflect the glamorous and distinctive image that Takarazuka Revue has built over the years in the app’s design.
We created an atmosphere that makes users feel as if they’ve actually visited the theater by using a red and gold color scheme, evoking the Grand Theater’s chic red carpet and sparkling chandeliers, and prominently featuring photos of the stars and visuals from performances.
Another key challenge was how to convey a vast amount of information. We designed the screens with careful consideration of the natural flow in which users would navigate the content. For both iOS and Android, we leveraged the operating systems’ standard conventions and components to ensure that as many users as possible could start using the app without getting lost.
Throughout the project, Takarazuka Revue repeatedly expressed the desire to “make the experience enjoyable for a wide range of customers.” We constantly discussed how to make this possible and incorporated these insights into the design in terms of both visuals and usability, and without targeting a specific audience.
The name “Takarazuka Revue Pocket” was proposed by Fenrir and developed in collaboration with the Takarazuka Revue. We created an app icon and logotype that embodies the wish for the app to be a constant presence, as if it were always in your pocket. With the glamour and brilliance of Takarazuka Revue in mind, the design conveys the sense of authenticity unique to an official app.
The app spread among fans, primarily through the theaters, and received high praise. We aim to build on this strong start for the future.
At Fenrir, service design means “the activity of creating and promoting services that people love.” It’s not just about creating the service; it’s also important to consider how to promote it. In particular, app store ratings are said to significantly influence the decision to download, so securing positive reviews early on is crucial.
Therefore, we proposed a promotion strategy focused on theaters, because that is the moment when users can most tangibly experience the app’s value. By encouraging users to engage with the app before and after performances, when their need for information is highest, we aimed for high-quality engagement rather than sheer volume.
Additionally, to lay the groundwork for future promotional efforts, we included QR codes across all media channels and established a system to measure effectiveness. As a result, the app received high ratings of 4.6 on the App Store and 4.9 on Google Play immediately upon release. Download numbers are also growing faster than initially anticipated, so we intend to leverage this strong start to fuel the service’s future growth.
Future Developments
For this project, we served as a service design partner for the Takarazuka Revue, contributing to everything from defining the service itself to determining how to promote it. We’ve just released the app with the minimum viable product to bring the concept to life, and the real work begins now. In addition to the planned update development and the cycle of improvements based on measurement results, we hope to contribute to the business’s growth in even broader areas.
Client Testimonial
Developing this app was a new challenge for us as well.
To help our customers enjoy the Takarazuka Revue even more, we worked closely with Fenrir to thoroughly discuss digital experiences and engagement methods, which led to the creation of this app. Thanks to their proposals, ranging from the logo and icons to promotional materials, and our attention to even the smallest details during production, we believe we’ve succeeded in creating an app that truly embodies the spirit of the Takarazuka Revue.
We’ve gotten off to a great start, and we look forward to continuing to work with Fenrir to develop this into an even better service.