FREE SHIPPING - ALL SIGNS!
4.9 GOOGLE RATING
2 YEAR WARRANTY
4.9 GOOGLE RATING
FREE SHIPPING - ALL SIGNS!
2 YEAR WARRANTY
Australian 
UK Case Studies: Successful Brands Using LED Neon Signage
For over a century, traditional neon signs were used to capture attention and drive business in commercial settings worldwide. The last few years have seen a rise in the popularity of LED neon signs thanks to the lower price point, ease of installation, and other benefits the newer technology offers. Both types of signage effectively draw attention to a brand or business for several reasons.
These signs do more than just point potential customers to a shop; they can easily convey a brand’s unique personality thanks to their vibrant colors and distinctive designs.
The high visual appeal of glass and LED neon signs can make an establishment easily memorable and recognizable, which is a clear competitive advantage in busy urban environments.
What’s more, because both vintage and faux neon signs can be customized to create a specific mood or ambiance, they’re effective at creating an emotional connection with passersby, which goes a long way boosting brand recall.
With this in mind, let’s look at how some businesses have leveraged the branding and marketing potential of both varieties of neon signs to grow their customer base.
1. Glass & LED Neon Signage Case Study - Nike
Nike's slogan "Just do it" is one of the most successful examples of the power of concise messaging in the advertising world. The iconic tagline is credited with boosting the company’s sales from $877 million to more than $9 billion.
One would think that there’s little else a market leader can do to improve its brand presence once reached this level, but Nike went a step ahead in their visual storytelling strategy, giving more visibility to the brand’s products through the combination of an existing slogan and neon lighting technology.
The illuminated slogan reinforced a fundamental aspect of the company’s message, transmitting contagious energy, confidence, and excitement. This helped keep the brand relevant and profitable. According to recent data, Nike’s revenues continue to go up year after year, with reports showing a 10% YoY increase in 2023.
Nike’s neon-enhanced brand visibility has also had a positive impact in social media, since the combined follower numbers across all Nike profiles in social media networks reach 250 million.
2. Glass Neon Signage Case Study - Hard Rock Cafe
Since its grand Las Vegas opening in 1990, Hard Rock Cafe understood that in the Neon City, making a bold visual statement was the best way to attract customers. For nearly 30 years, the cafe was home to what once was the tallest guitar sign in the world at 82 feet – an unmissable sight that managed to make an impression in one of Las Vegas’ busiest intersections.
The neon sign wasn’t only seen in person by tourists and passersby; it also made an impact at a distance since it was featured in several Hollywood movies, like Vegas Vacation and Honey I Blew Up the Kid.
Although the famous neon sign was taken down in 2017, by that time, the cafe was so successful that it had evolved into a large resort, including a hotel and casino in their Vegas location and entering new markets in other continents. Nowadays, the brand isn’t only recognised as a dining venue, but as an engaging entertainment experience, and its reputation has led to several international awards.
Photo: Hard Rock Cafe, Las Vegas by Steve Sutherland CC BY 4.0 Deed | Attribution 4.0 International
3. LED Neon Signage Case Study - Kylie Cosmetics by Kylie Jenner
The California-based beauty brand Kylie Cosmetics has been in the US market since 2015. It later expanded its sales worldwide, including continental Europe and the UK, where the company had an 8.2% market share in 2022.
To strengthen the brand’s presence in the UK, Kylie Cosmetics relied on bespoke neon signage for a product activation campaign. This was a mobile campaign that visited 5 British cities on a tour bus, so it was important that the signs were suitable for an outdoor environment. The brand used a mix of indoor and outdoor neon signs of different sizes, which were placed in the most prominent parts of the bus, ensuring optimal visibility.
During this activation campaign, the signs served several purposes. Not only were they an effective advertising strategy, but they were used as a selfie backdrop and to set a fun and positive tone consistent with the brand’s identity in the mobile beauty salon where customers could learn more about the products.
This was a successful campaign that generated more than 15,000 in-person interactions, in addition to social media mentions and user-generated content that spread awareness about the brand.
4. LED Neon Signage Case Study - IKEA UK
IKEA opened its first UK store in the late 1980s, and from that point, the Swedish retailer has experienced ongoing expansion, currently having 20 stores nationwide and getting more than 47 million store visits in 2022-2023 alone.
Part of the brand’s success is the ability to inspire customers and to connect with a universal desire for a comfortable home environment. The in-store experience is one of the things most valued aspects of IKEA as a brand, since it goes above and beyond traditional furniture and home décor stores and offering instead a fully immersive experience.
IKEA took their in-store experience even further by using neon signage. The company has installed dozens of custom LED neon signs across its stores in England. Making the most of the versatility of LED neon signage, IKEA used displays of different sizes and tube widths for various purposes, ranging from directional signage to hashtag signs to encourage customers to engage in social media, and of course to highlight some of their displays.
To this date, IKEA UK has more than 1.2 million followers on Instagram alone, and there are nearly 70,000 hashtag posts under #ikeauk, not including thousands more for localized hashtags such as #ikeamanchester, most of which are user-generated content.
5. LED Neon Signage Case Study - 24/7 Fitness Gyms
Another example from the UK is the fitness chain 24/7, which ordered 11 custom branded neon signs to distinguish its brand in a very competitive industry. Thanks to the characteristics of LED neon technology, the company could choose signage that closely matched their brand colours, especially their trademark hot pink and bright green. This helped create a consistent image and reinforce key brand values.
Signs were strategically placed across their venues to help create a high-energy and high-motivation atmosphere. There were also large signs featuring inspirational quotes, as well as directional signage.
According to the company’s CEO, the effect of this signage campaign has been so positive that they plan on adding more custom neon signs to all UK stores as they get refitted. Nowadays, 24/7 Fitness has more than 50,000 members, 29,000 Facebook followers, and another 8,000+ on Instagram, and their custom neon signs often appear in their social media videos.
Conclusion
As you can see from these case studies, traditional and LED neon signs are behind the success stories of many brands across diverse industries. These companies have effectively harnessed the transformative power of illuminated signage, which has helped them reach a wider audience in person and online. Find out how you can achieve the same by contacting the experts at Custom Neon.
Business Research, Surveys & Statistics
More research commissioned or undertaken by Custom Neon® can be found here:
- 10 Statistics Highlighting the Importance of Signage Business
- Logo Statistics and Facts
- Different Types of Logos & What Makes a Good Logo
- How to Get the Best ROI on Business Signage
- Effective Signage Placement Strategies for Maximum Visibility
- Attention Capturing Signs
- Color Harmony and Contrast in Signage
- Persuasion Basics in Signage
- Storytelling in Signage
- Introduction to Psychology in POS Signage
- Retail Trends: Enhancing Experiences with Wayfinding Signage
- The Rise of Insta Worthy Dining Venues : Statistics, Research & Analysis
- Color Psychology Statistics in Commercial Signage
- Case Studies: Successful Brand Color Strategies