CASE STUDY Uniqlo - Contagious Magazine

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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 contagious 78 / 79 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 /
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