CASE STUDY Uniqlo - Contagious Magazine

CASE STUDY
Uniqlo /
This article appeared in Contagous issue Sixten.
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focusing on Non-Traditional Media and Emerging Technologies.
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case study / uniqlo /
FOUND IN TRANSLATION

70 / 71
CASE STUDY / UNIQLO / FOUND IN
TRANSLATION / THERE IS MORE TO
UNIQLO’S BRAND STORY THAN COOL
CELEBRITY COLLABORATIONS AND
CASHMERE CUDDLES. A CLOSE BRUSH
WITH BANKRUPTCY DEMONSTRATED THAT
THE ONE SIZE FITS ALL BUSINESS MODEL
THAT THRIVED IN A RECESSION-STRUCK
JAPAN WOULD NEED TAILORING TO FIT
THE FICKLE WESTERN RETAIL
ENVIRONMENT. OPERATING WITH A
FRESH AND FLEXIBLE NEW BRAND
IMAGE SUPPORTED BY AWARD-WINNING
INTEGRATED MARKETING CAMPAIGNS,
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE UNIQLO
COMMUNITY IS NOW A THOROUGHLY
MULTI-CULTURAL, MULTI-PLATFORM AFFAIR.
I THINK WE’RE TURNING JAPANESE –
I REALLY THINK SO… / BY WILL SANSOM /

case study / uniqlo /
It could be a pair of pants. Perhaps it's a cashmere
sweater, or maybe even a T-shirt sporting a mean n' moody
Manga-inspired design. Whatever it is, chances are that
you own at least one item of UNIQLO clothing. If not, it's
only a matter of time until you do.
Officially Japan's leading clothing retail chain, UNIQLO
currently has 804 stores worldwide, the sales from which
have encouraged parent company Fast Retailing Co. Ltd
to reveal optimistic forecasts for the fiscal year of 2008
of ¥585bn (€3.5bn) in net sales. Indeed, in June, Fast
Retailing reported a five-year record high share price of
¥9860 (€59). With this in mind, the chances of this
financial target for 2008 being met, are almost as likely
as that pair of pantone-perfect socks winding its way
into your top drawer by the end of the year…
However, like all the best success stories, the UNIQLO
saga is not without its share of adversity. Initial attempts
to replicate UNIQLO's quintessentially Japanese business
model in the western retail environment did not go exactly
to plan and after failed expansion in 2001, the brand
was forced to retreat and regroup. It would seem that a
different methodology would need to be adopted if what
started out as a single unisex clothing store in Hiroshima
was to be successfully rolled out on a global scale.
From tiny warehouses
The UNIQLO brand philosophy has always been about
creating a distinctly utilitarian retail experience for
consumers. Normal concerns held by the average
shopper about style, quality and brand are dissolved by
a simple assurance that whatever they buy, it will be
great quality, low in cost and will look good with
anything and everything they decide to wear it. What
UNIQLO does therefore, is to provide the basic but
premium ingredients of your wardrobe.
The 'Unique Clothing Warehouse' was opened in 1984
by the Yamaguchi-based Ogori Shoji, which, since 1949,
had operated a chain of clothing stores called 'Men's
Shop OS'. However, the simple difference of stocking
unisex clothing was enough to ensure that the success
of the new store far eclipsed that of the existing outlets.
Ogori Shoji was changed to the somewhat catchier
'Fast Retailing' and in turn, its rapidly expanding new
chain became UNIQLO. By April 1994, over 100 stores
had been opened across Japan and to meet this new
demand, in 1997 UNIQLO adapted the SPA (Specialty
Store of Private Label Apparel) model which had proved
so successful for US retail giant Gap; instead of selling
proprietary clothing, UNIQLO would now exclusively
produce and carry its own garments. The out-sourcing
of the manufacturing process to more affordable
factories in China enabled the brand to capitalise on this
business model, providing great value clothing that was
snapped up by the Japanese public in the clutches of a
recession.
In 2001, the first overseas UNIQLO outlets were opened
in Shanghai and shortly after, four more in London.
However, poor execution of this expansion meant that
the brand was met with indifference by the UK public.
Simon Coble, UNIQLO UK, CEO, elaborates: 'We opened
without a flagship store and expanded our network with
a scattergun approach very quickly, before we stabilised
operations. Opening stores in Romford and Knightsbridge
wasn't, in hindsight, the best approach as the brand wasn't
solidified and we failed to support our outer London stores
with the marketing that they required.' Marino Donati,
news editor for fashion publication Drapers, adds: 'In the
UK, you've really got to shout about your identity in order
to be heard. On the one hand, retailers such as Zara and
Topshop were practising fast fashion with a quick
turnover of lines, whilst on the other, retailers like Primark
and Tesco had the budget end of the market cornered.
Occupying a space somewhere in the middle, UNIQLO
was something of a lost sheep.'
However, what doesn't kill a brand only makes it stronger,
and over the following three years concerted efforts were
made to revive and repair the struggling business. In
Japan, the solution was born out of a realisation that the
standalone SPA business model referred only to
production and sales. Accordingly, UNIQLO embarked
upon a far more collaborative approach to its branding
and advertising; rather than enlisting any one agency,
key figures from different creative disciplines were
recruited to collaborate on, and rejuvenate every aspect
of the brand. Kashiwa Sato – executive creative director,
Samurai, Tokyo, oversaw the process as well as taking
care of graphic work such as the redesigned logo which
would be used on store facades, marketing materials and
the products themselves. Markus Kiersztan – creative
director, MP Creative, NY handled in-store visuals and
communication strategies, whilst digital supremo Yugo
Nakamura of tha* ltd. Tokyo used his quirky Flash genius
to revamp UNIQLO's online presence and enhance the
digital element of the ensuing campaigns.
In keeping with this new approach, changes were
being subtlety implemented and experimented within
the remaining UK stores – Simon Coble expands: 'We
realised that we had a loyal following in the UK and there
was a definite bubbling interest in the right demographics
– so we had to be careful to keep the niche element and
attraction to the brand that appealed to this audience,
whilst at the same time retaining our "bread and butter"

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case study / uniqlo /
customers in the suburban stores.' UNIQLO, it would
seem, was once again ready for a stab at globalisation
– combining what it had learnt from the UK with the fresh
and most importantly, considered new brand identity.
From Tokyo to NYC
In November 2006, UNIQLO opened its global flagship
store in the SoHo fashion district of Manhattan. Prior to
the opening, several shipping containers were hoisted –
via crane and flat bed truck – into selected locations
around New York. Powered by an external generator,
these temporary outlets contained neatly folded stacks
of clothing and gave a glimpse of the kind of utilitarian
perfection preached by the brand. However, once the
store itself opened, it would become apparent that this
sense of utility had been perfectly blended with a fresh,
cosmopolitan feel – every bit in keeping with its highprofile
location. Designed by renowned architect
Masamichi Katayama of Wonderwall, Tokyo, the 36,000
square foot space epitomises a carefully constructed
juxtaposition between the brand's Japanese heritage
and a contemporary, culturally inclusive retail experience.
Scott Kraenzlein, account executive with MP Creative,
emphasises the challenge encountered when striking a
balance with the new store: 'UNIQLO has always been
more about a service than a fashion brand; however,
your average Manhattan shopper is not only extremely
style conscious, but also has higher expectations of
what a retail experience should encompass. Above all,
simplicity is key and the clothes are given the space to
speak for themselves, allowing customers to become
acquainted with the brand at their own pace.'
One device used to introduce the UNIQLO philosophy
to New Yorkers, was the UNIQLO Paper, conceived by
MP Creative. Distributed in-store and available online via
a Flash-enabled application, the free magazine features
interviews with designers, local celebrities and artists,
illustrating the cultural relevance of the brand. 'We
wanted to create a magazine that was more than the
standard look-books you get at other stores,' explains
Marcus Kiersztan, 'We wanted to align the brand with
the art and design industry.'
A large in-store gallery was used to exhibit a range of
over 100 limited-edition, exclusive T-shirt designs from
over 40 artists including Yayoi Kusama, Tezuka and
Godzilla. This space was then used from Spring 2007
to house products featuring in the first installment of the
UT Campaign. Yet another example of a distinctly
Japanese retail device being tailored for a global market,
the project rode on the back of the phenomenal success
of the exclusive UT Store in Harajuku, Tokyo. This shop,
devised by Kashiwa Sato, sells limited-edition T-shirts
packaged in plastic tubes on open shelves, providing a
super-efficient self-service system that is more Japanese
convenience store than fussy fashion retailer. The
campaign was supported by print, poster and in-store
advertising, featuring portraits by renowned fashion
snapper Terry Richardson. In spring 2008, the project
launched again on a global scale, this time with Brit Matt
Irwin shooting 300 street-cast models in Tokyo, New
York and London.
The success of the new formula in NYC proved that
UNIQLO was finally striking the right balance for the
western retail environment. Kensuke Suwa, UNIQLO
global marketing director, comments on the expansion:
'Each new territory spells new challenges as we move
towards becoming a truly global brand – be they internal
or external factors. However, after the lessons we learnt
back in 2001, we now approach each new market
tentatively and look to gain a solid understanding prior to
large scale-commitment.'
London calling
Clearly, whatever had originally been lost in translation
was finally being found. One year on from the opening
of the global flagship store in New York, the brand was
once again ready to tackle its territorial Achilles heel and
take on the UK fashion market right where it is distilled
to its most competitive and fickle – the high street. And
what better high street to take on, than Oxford Street in
central London? With over 200m visitors and 300 retailers
taking approximately £5.5bn (€7bn) every year, this is
one of the busiest retail environments in the world.
The same collaborative process that gave birth to the
NY store was employed in the design and execution of
not one, but two new stores which opened simultaneously
at either end of Oxford Street in November 2007. The
larger of the two premises (nearer the more up-market
Mayfair area) is the official European UNIQLO flagship
store, echoing in terms of interior design and architecture,
many of the features found in the New York location.
Four huge revolving mannequin boxes reach up to the
first floor, displaying the current seasonal offerings and
for the first time outside Japan, a dedicated UT 'future

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case study / uniqlo /
convenience store' section has been created with the
shelf-stacked 'T's in tubes' layout of the Harajuku shop.
The re-birth of the brand in the UK was promoted not
only by the 2008 incarnation of the UT T-shirt project,
but also by a more cohesive version of the People
campaign – first devised for the New York launch by
Marcus Kiersztan of MP Creative, and Nicola Formichetti,
creative director of Dazed & Confused. Focussing on
local heroes and celebrities as brand advocates, the
success of this egalitarian campaign relied heavily on it
being adapted for each specific location. Therefore for
London, home-grown British talent was featured such
as eclectic rapper Dizzee Rascal, who also performed at
the opening of the stores. Kensuke Suwa concludes:
'When launching the London flagship store, the strap
line "From Tokyo to London" reinforced the idea that the
brand was Japanese, but by working with British talent
such as Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream, actress
Samantha Morton and Georgia Jagger, we created a
campaign specifically for London that would resonate
with Londoners.'
Building global communities online
Considering the size and location of UNIQLO's flagship
stores, one could be forgiven for presuming that
globalising the brand has thus far been a strictly
territorial, real-world affair. However, looking at the most
successfully integrated of the brand's advertising and
marketing campaigns, it soon becomes clear that
encouraging consumers to interact with the brand in a
digital environment has played just as big a part – if not
bigger – in helping the UNIQLO community to expand
and transcend cultural boundaries.
Yugo Nakamura, as well as forming part of UNIQLO's
Creative Committee, is creative director at tha* ltd. – the
agency responsible for some of the brand's most
innovative digital campaigns such as UNIQLO GRID and
UT LOOP. 'With all of the UNIQLO online campaigns, the
basic question is how to deepen and broaden the users'
brand experience. The challenge is then to achieve this
through encouraging user participation, by creating and
visualising a space where users can actively interact
with the campaign. This isn't to say that everything is
dependent on the activity of the users; what is important,
is to keep the balance between places where users can
be passive and places where they can be active.'
Designed to reflect how the brand is constantly evolving
in the hands of the consumer, UNIQLO GRID allows
users on a dedicated microsite to manipulate the UNIQLO
logo by using the mouse pointer to click, drag, spin and
multiply to their hearts' content. However, the digital
canvas on which they play with the logo is shared by
thousands of users across the world – making this a
genuinely collaborative exercise. At the top of the page,
it tells you exactly who (by nickname) is making which
moves. At the time of writing, Mako in Japan was
furiously multiplying in diagonals across the bottom of the
screen…
For a slightly trickier but ultimately more rewarding
creative process, check out the UNIQLO UT LOOP – part
of the UT T-shirts campaign. Originally running alongside
a series of TV spots, this Flash-enabled site provides
you with nine different UNIQLO representatives, each
with their own sample noise, be it a shout, grunt or even
a big ol' fashioned raspberry. You can then drag and
drop the different characters, complete with noises, into
sixteen different spaces, thereby creating your very own
mini dub loop. Once you are happy with how it sounds,
you can submit your loop to the website, where it will be

shuffled and played at random as part of the 'People's
Loop'. There is even an easy 'Blog this' button which
allows visitors to download and share either this
collaborative loop or just their own, as a widget for
embedding on blogs or external websites. Yugo
Nakamura concludes: 'Rather than being at the centre of
fashion trends, UNIQLO has a philosophy of providing
the high quality components of fashion. Respectively,
UNIQLO GRID and UT LOOP both encapsulate this
idea of combining simple elements into a complex and
freeform variety.'
Clicks and clocks
There is of course, a campaign masterminded by Projector,
Tokyo which took the interactive and monstrously
addictive flash site model to a whole new level in 2008.
It has scooped thus far, the Innova Lotus Gold Award at
ADFEST, 2 Gold Awards and the Grand Prix at the One
Show Interactive, a Grand Clio for Interactive, a D&AD
Black Pencil for Online Advertising as well as a Cyber
Lions Grand Prix and the prestigious Contagioussponsored
Titanium Lion award at Cannes 2008. Ladies
and gentlemen, we give you the UNIQLOCK.
Mark Tutssel, chief creative officer, Leo Burnett
Worldwide, was the Cannes 2008 Titanium and
Integrated jury president. He describes the impact which
the UNIQLOCK had on the judges: 'A Titanium Lion is
an idea that's so unique, pure and new it cannot be
labelled in a conventional way. It breaks through traditional
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award-category boundaries and creates something
altogether better. Titanium is about finding tomorrow's
ideas that reset the creative bar and move the industry
forward. The UNIQLOCK was an idea that stopped the
jury dead in its tracks. An idea that fused together
everything that is new in our business: entertainment,
utility and interactivity. After all, only with innovative and
ground-breaking thinking can we adapt to the speed at
which the world is changing. This is virtual, branded
utility – pure Titanium.'
The 2008 campaign is a development of a 2007
initiative – an online clock which marks passing moments
with 5-second clips of female dancers performing
micro-routines clad in the new UNIQLO line of
cashmere. Somewhere between branded entertainment
and utility, this delightfully distracting microsite struck a
chord with bored office workers everywhere; it racked
up over 30m views in 195 countries – highly significant
considering that the brand has stores in only a handful
of these territories.
Recognising the brand-building potential of the
application, Projector set about making it bigger and
better for 2008. As a result, it now operates 24/7 for
365 days a year, with the dancers' clothes changing
according to each season – polo shirts in spring and
cashmere sweaters in the winter. It will also go to sleep
at night, with sequences on the hour and an alarm clock
function in case you're in the habit of keeping your
laptop next to your bed. Perhaps most significantly
however, a downloadable version of the UNIQLOCK is
now available as a widget for embedding on blogs,
iGoogle or Facebook profiles. By viewing WORLD.
UNIQLOCK, users can link to all the embedded sites via
a global map which lets you see at any given time,
exactly how many people are watching the UNIQLOCK
and in what country. This is perhaps the most literal
realisation of the UNIQLO global community to date –
proven by the fact that so far, over 27,000 widgets have
been downloaded and the site itself has been viewed
68m times in over 209 countries.
'I had the intuition that an expression which perfectly
synchronised bodily movements with sound, would be
the most simple and pure way of representing
UNIQLO's products. The concept of MUSIC X DANCE
X CLOCK came from the "rhythm of a second" – dance

case study / uniqlo /
to the rhythm of a second and music to the rhythm of a
second – in the same way that a clock keeps time to the
rhythm of a second. After Googling the name "UNIQLOCK"
and finding zero results, I knew straight away that this
tag would be perfect for spreading the experience
across the web and uniting global bloggers,' says
Koichiro Tanaka, creative director, Projector, Tokyo.
Since the UNIQLOCK, Projector has continued to study
the behavioural patterns of internet users – concentrating
on that initial moment of uptake and how content is
absorbed. As a result, its latest campaign for UNIQLO's
line of Dry Wear focuses on the way in which neurons
fire in the human brain when we observe the actions of
another human on screen. More abstract than the
UNIQLOCK, DRY IN MOTION displays a grid of graceful
gymnasts, which replicates or changes in size every five
seconds. Each figure is contained within their own
sphere which displays around its rim, the passing
seconds in different increments. There is also a counter
in the top corner of the screen showing 'your view time'
– a reminder of just how distracting this kind of website
can be. Koichiro Tanaka describes the thinking behind
its conception: 'I am interested in the mirror neuron which
copies the behaviour of another human as if the observer
itself were acting. When we see completely controlled
body movement, our feelings move and as a result, we
want to see it more. In other words, emotion is made by
body motion. I feel that it is important to visualise "Time
in Motion" – another method of representing the user's
behaviour in a different way from the UNIQLOCK which
visualises the expansion of the users.'
Turning Japanese
UNIQLO aims to triple its turnover in the next four years
with continued expansion into Singapore in 2009 along
with the opening of a new European flagship store in
Paris. The success of the US and UK flagship stores has
proved that the brand is now capable of adapting to
cater for each new location – operating with a duality
which allows it to sell simultaneously in the Japanese
suburbs and the centre of Manhattan. However, South
America, India and Australasia present whole new
cultural and economic challenges, so until stores are
prospering in these locations, discussions of UNIQLO
becoming the world's biggest retail brand will have to be
put on hold. One thing is for sure though – thanks to the
collaborative efforts of the Creative Committee and
campaigns such as the UNIQLOCK, the brand has set
in place a marketing strategy which is capable of using
every second of every day to build brand awareness
within a truly global community. The rest, as they say, is
just bricks and mortar.

ANALYST’S INSIGHT /
By Neil Saunders / consulting director /
Verdict Research /
Uniqlo is a distinct brand with a wide competitive set
including Gap and Primark at the basics end and Zara
at a more premium level. It operates in a space which is
not only crowded in terms of competing retailers, but
also in the context of marketing messages trying to
target similar demographics. As a result, Uniqlo has to
work very hard to get its message across. Marketing
innovations like the Uniqlock and the Loop are useful in
helping to build communities and raise the presence of
the Uniqlo brand.
It's a fair aspiration for Uniqlo to want to be the world's
biggest retail brand, but it has a long way to go before
meeting this goal. Companies like Inditex, the parent
company of Zara, are far more advanced in terms of
creating a sustainable and profitable global reach.
However, there is an opportunity for Uniqlo to become
more visible and relevant. In-store, presentation is clean
and visually compelling with lots of colour, while block
merchandising makes the offer look significant and
attractive to consumers. Uniqlo's large flagship stores in
capitals like London and New York give the brand a
toehold in countries where it is unlikely to work as well
in more provincial towns and cities. In an urban context
with high footfall and diversity, almost anything can be
credible, but in retail terms, cities like London are an
exception. Uniqlo's plan to focus on expansion in Asia,
bringing it closer to its home country, is likely to be a
more successful strategy.
www.verdict.co.uk
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CHALLENGE / INITIAL ATTEMPTS TO REPLICATE
THE QUINTESSENTIALLY JAPANESE, UTILITARIAN
BUSINESS MODEL IN WESTERN TERRITORIES
PROVED UNSUCCESSFUL. THE RAPID EXPANSION
COMBINED WITH A LACK OF FLAGSHIP STORES
AND SUFFICIENT MARKETING SUPPORT MEANT
THAT THE BRAND WAS LEFT OUT IN THE COLD BY
THE UK MARKET. CLOSE TO BANKRUPTCY, A NEW
APPROACH WAS REQUIRED THAT WOULD HELP
UNIQLO CARVE ITS OWN NICHE IN THE MOST
COMPETITIVE RETAIL ENVIRONMENTS IN THE UK AND
THE US, STARTING THE SUCCESSFUL GLOBALISATION
OF THE BRAND ANEW /
SOLUTION / INSTEAD OF ENLISTING THE SERVICES
OF ONLY ONE AGENCY, A COMMITTEE WAS
DEVELOPED UTILISING THE BEST CREATIVE MINDS
FROM EACH DISCIPLINE. A FRESH, COSMOPOLITAN
BRAND IDENTITY WAS MASTERMINDED WHICH
WOULD DEFINE THE DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE
OF NEW FLAGSHIP STORES IN NYC AND LONDON,
AS WELL AS THE MARKETING AND ADVERTISING
WHICH SUPPORTED THEIR PRESENCE. IN ADDITION
TO THE REAL WORLD EXPANSION OF THE BRAND,
INTEGRATED MARKETING CAMPAIGNS WERE
DEVELOPED TO BUILD A GLOBAL COMMUNITY
ONLINE. CAMPAIGNS SUCH AS THE UNIQLOCK
USED THE BLOGOSHERE AS A BUZZ-BUILDING
PLATFORM – COMBINING A SENSE OF FUN,
FASHION AND UTILITY IN A MICROCOSM OF THE
BRAND ITSELF /
RESULTS / THE FLAGSHIP STORES IN NYC AND
LONDON ARE EXTREMELY SUCCESSFUL, PROVING
THAT THE NEW BRAND IDENTITY NOT ONLY
WORKS, BUT CAN BE ADAPTED FOR NEW
TERRITORIES. A NEW EUROPEAN FLAGSHIP IN
PARIS IS DUE TO OPEN IN 2009 ALONG WITH
STORES IN SINGAPORE. THE UNIQLOCK, AS WELL
AS SCOOPING NUMEROUS AWARDS HAS SO FAR
BEEN SEEN OVER 68M TIMES BY PEOPLE IN 209
COUNTRIES. FURTHER PROOF THAT THE UNIQLO
GLOBAL COMMUNITY IS EXPANDING, IS EVIDENT IN
PARENT COMPANY FAST RETAILING'S PROFIT
FIGURES. PREDICTIONS FOR FISCAL 2008 ARE
¥585BN (€3.5BN) IN NET SALES AND IN JUNE IT
REPORTED A FIVE-YEAR RECORD HIGH SHARE
PRICE OF ¥9860 (€59). UNIQLO FOUNDER TADASHI
YANAI IS AIMING TO MAKE UNIQLO THE WORLD'S
BIGGEST RETAIL BRAND /

and map / uniqlo /
00
UQ
01
RE-
THINK
01
COLLA-
BORATE
UQ
UNIQLO / BRAND MAP /
01
804 STORES
01
UNI-
SEX
01
01 / RECRUIT & REJUVENATE /
REJUVENATE
Uniqlo is Japan's leading unisex clothing
chain, with 804 stores and a 2008 net
sales forecast of ¥585bn (€3.5bn).
Shares in its parent, Fast Retailing reported
a five-year record high of ¥12,110 (€71.7)
in July.
This scenario certainly wasn't predicted
after a failed expansion into the UK in
2001. Uniqlo had high expectations of its
European launch, but was met with
consumer indifference – largely because
of a 'scattergun' approach to retail
locations, the lack of a flagship store
and minimal marketing activity in the key
territory of London. This retreat forced
the brand into a rethink, embarking
upon a more collaborative approach to
its identity and marketing that has since
sparked a global success story. Rather
than using a single agency, key figures
(Kashiwa Sato, Markus Kiersztan¸ Yugo
Nakamura, etc) from numerous creative
disciplines, were recruited to rejuvenate
every aspect of the Uniqlo brand, from
store design to its digital presence.
02
SERVICE-
DRIVEN
02
IN-STORE
GALLERY
02
NYC
02
BASIC
02
CONTAINERS
The UNIQLO brand philosophy has always
been about creating a distinctly utilitarian,
service-driven retail experience to reflect
the basic prices but premium product
quality. Prior to the 2006 opening of its
global flagship store in Manhattan's fashion
district, several shipping containers were
hoisted into selected locations around
NYC to serve as temporary outlets – the
neatly folded stacks of clothing promoting
the utilitarian perfection preached by
the brand. Once the real store opened,
the 36,000 square foot space showed a
deliberate juxtaposition between the
brand's Japanese heritage and a
contemporary, culturally inclusive retail
experience.
After the lessons learned in London, this
strategy shows that UNIQLO now
approaches each new market tentatively
and looks to gain a solid understanding
prior to large scale-commitment. With
plans already in place for Paris and
Singapore, the company aims to triple
its turnover in the next four years.
03
UNIQLO
PAPER
02 / UTILITARIAN & UNIQUE / 03 / PAPER & PLASTIC /
03
UT
03
PLASTIC
TUBES
02
MP
CREATIVE
03
STREET-
CAST
Aligning the brand with the art and design
industry, the UNIQLO Paper is a free
in-store and online magazine conceived
by MP Creative. 'More than a look-book',
it features interviews with designers,
local celebrities and artists to emphasise
the brand's cultural relevance.
An in-store gallery exhibited a range of
100 limited-edition T-shirt designs from
40 artists including Yayoi Kusama, Tezuka
and Godzilla. This space was later used
to house the first foreign installment of
the brand's UT Campaign. Based on the
successful UT Store in Tokyo this distinctly
Japanese retail device sells limited-edition
T's packaged in plastic tubes, providing
a self-service system that is more
convenience store than fussy fashion
retailer. The campaign was supported by
print, poster and in-store ads, featuring
portraits by Terry Richardson. In spring
2008, the project launched on a global
scale with Matt Irwin shooting 300 streetcast
models in Tokyo, NY and London.

04
OXFORD
STREET
04
HEROES
04
HOME
GROWN
04
PEOPLE
The re-birth of the brand in London's
Oxford Street (200m annual visitors)
was promoted by the 2008 incarnation of
the UT T-shirt project, but also by a more
cohesive version of the People campaign
- first devised for the New York launch by
Marcus Kiersztan of MP Creative, and
Nicola Formichetti, creative director of
Dazed & Confused. Focussing on local
heroes and celebrities as brand advocates,
the success of this egalitarian campaign
relied heavily on it being adapted for each
specific location. Therefore for London,
home-grown British talent was featured
such as eclectic rapper Dizzee Rascal,
who also performed at the opening of the
stores. The strap line 'From Tokyo to
London' reinforced the idea that the brand
was Japanese, but by working with British
talent such as Bobby Gillespie of Primal
Scream, actress Samantha Morton and
Georgia Jagger, Uniqlo created a campaign
for London that would resonate with
Londoners.
05
INTERACT
05
EMBED
05
GRID
Encouraging consumers to interact with
the brand and participate with each
other inside the digital environment has
played a big role in helping the UNIQLO
business expand by transcending cultural
boundaries.
Designed to reflect how the brand is
constantly evolving in the hands of the
consumer, the UNIQLO GRID microsite
(designed by Yugo Nakamura's tha* ltd)
allows users to manipulate the UNIQLO
logo. This digital canvas is shared by
thousands of other users across the
world – making it a genuinely collaborative
exercise. The UT LOOP is a flash-enabled
site providing visitors with nine different
UNIQLO representatives. Each comes
with their own sample noise (shout, grunt,
raspberry, etc), thus creating personalised
mini dub loops which people can submit
to the main site to be played at random
as part of the 'People's Loop'. A 'Blog
This' widget allows visitors to share and
embed this collaborative device.
06
209
COUNTRIES
06
68M
04 / LONDON & LOCAL / 05 / LOGOS & LOOPS / 06 / CLICKS & CLOCKS /
05
THA*LTD
05
BLOG
THIS
05
LOOP
06
contagious
PROJECTOR
UQ
UNIQ
LOCK
06
DRY IN
MOTION
80 / 81
A monstrously addictive flash site
masterminded by Projector, Tokyo scooped
a coveted D&AD Black Pencil and both
the Cyber Grand Prix and Titanium Lion
at Cannes 2008. UNIQLOCK is an online
clock that fuses entertainment, utility
and interactivity. Operating 24/7, it
marks passing moments with 5-second
clips of female dancers clad in UNIQLO
clothes that change according to the
season. A downloadable UNIQLOCK is
available as a widget for embedding on
blogs, iGoogle or social networking
profiles. Users can link to these embedded
sites via a global map which details
exactly how many people are watching
UNIQLOCK worldwide. The site has been
viewed 68m times in 209 countries –
highly significant considering that the
brand has stores in only a handful of
territories.
Projector's latest campaign, DRY IN
MOTION, features gymnasts and is
inspired by the way neurons fire in the
brain when observing the actions of
another human on screen.