SPIKES: The secrets to Uniqlo's success

A far-fetched, utopian dream? Not if the clothing brand is Uniqlo, a Japanese casual wear designer, manufacturer and retailer, whose online and integrated campaigns have been reaping Cannes Lions and awards from every international award show in the past few years.

Kentaro Katsube, Uniqlo Creative Management Director, spoke before a full house at Spikes Asia, and shared the 'secrets' to Uniqlo’s success and, by extension, how the brand can influence positive change in the world.

Uniqlo came to the world’s attention with the 'Uniqlock' project, a downloadable screensaver combination of music, dance and clock that featured four girls modeling Uniqlo dry polo shirts while they danced to music composed by Fantastic Plastic Machine.  

According to Katsube, Uniqlo operates with four principles in place:

1. The company identifies the distribution of information: who are the mavens, where are the best places to 'put' info, what are the 'key' phrases to leverage communications (if possible look for a 'hot topic'). Having done the previous steps, tell a story; use the web as a placeholder for ideas, which, in turn, will become fodder for blogs and bloggers.

2. The creative concept and its executions must be unique, emotional, leave room for your audience’s imagination and, lastly, fun and entertaining. It’s critical for the integrated idea to be as simple as can be, able to be understood instantly.
 
3. In working with the agency and the creatives, ask for commitment. Impress upon them that the success of both the company and that of creative is one and the same. Finally, inspire to reach the loftiest goals, the highest awards. Not surprisingly, Uniqlo has become spoilt for choice as talents from all over the world pitch ideas, generating more and better “content” for Uniqlo.

Most important, Katsube opined that content, advertising, media and PR have to become integrated to the point where they can’t be separated.

Finally, how do companies make sure they send one and the same message to both internal and external audiences?

Katsube argued that through organisational reform, all communication-related departments must be integrated as well: mass communications, PR development and web communications should become a single window through which customers see the company.

To catalyse change, Katsube said that one of the most important things Uniqlo did was to announce that “we will become the best in the world”. From then on, the company and its partners asked themselves “whether each and every job we do is world-class”. This has become the yardstick.

In closing, Katsube posed a question: in an economic downturn that happens once every century, what is the way forward? He said that for Uniqlo, the answer lies in social and regional aspects, self-actualisation and the environment.

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Spikes Asia is organised in conjunction with Haymarket Media. The full programme can be found at www.spikes.asia.