Uniqlo brand management, Study notes of Brand Management

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UNIQLO’S BRAND

IDENTITY PRISM

Subject: Fashion Brand Management

Submitted to: Dr. Shikha

Gupta

Submitted by: Dhwani Doshi

(MFM/21/215)

1. About the Brand

In 1972, Tadashi Yanai inherited his father’s chain of 22 men’s tailoring stores, Ogori Shoji in Ube, Yamaguchi. Shortly after becoming company president in 1984, he opened a new store in Hiroshima – Unique Clothing Warehouse, which was later shortened to Uniqlo. By 1998, he had successfully opened more than 300 Uniqlo stores across Japan. However, one of the main challenges faced was consumer perception of the brand – it was perceived to be a discount retailer selling cheap and low-quality apparel to the suburbs. This perception completely changed when the brand launched the Global Quality Declaration in 2004, a pledge to stop making low-priced, low-quality garments. Since then, people started noticing Uniqlo for its high-quality fleece jackets. The brand perception instantly shifted from being cheap and low-quality, to being affordable but high-quality. Today, Uniqlo is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fast Retailing Company Limited and it is known for providing high-quality private-label casualwear at low prices. As of September 2019, the brand has grown to more than 2,250 stores in 25 countries across Asia, Europe, and US in just a matter of 22 years. It is the biggest apparel chain in Asia with over 800 retail stores in Japan alone.

1. Brand Prism

An idea first introduced by J. Kapferer way back in 1986, the brand identity prism, sometimes called the Kapferer Brand Identity Prism, is a concept for describing a brand’s identity through its characteristics.

1.1 Uniqlo Brand Identity Prism

UNIQLO brand identity shows their casual personality and innovation brand business. The fancy feeling visually from store and the innovation of UT (UNIQLO t-shirt) and other collections are all increased customer loyalty.

2. Personality The brand’s character and personality traits include Comfortable, Casual, Revolution and Easy to match outfits. The apparels at the brand mostly have a solid color palette with minimal or no prints, giving brand a very casual and easy- going personality. Contrary to its name “Uniqlo”, its clothes are simple, essential yet universal, enabling the wearers to blend them with their individualistic style. For Uniqlo, the most important attributes it looks for in its brand ambassadors are great resilience and strong character to overcome adversity. Uniqlo currently has 6 Global Ambassadors:  Swiss professional tennis champion Roger Federer  Japanese global tennis medalist Kei Nishikori  Australian world-class pro golfer Adam Scott  Japanese international snowboarder Ayumu Hirano  Scottish international wheelchair tennis champion Gordon Reid  Japanese international wheelchair tennis champion Shingo Kunieda
3. Culture Culture is a brand’s origin story. Japanese elements can be seen in every trait of the brand from their logo to their employee culture to the technology they use to produce their apparels. Tadashi Yanai is fond of saying that “Uniqlo is not a

fashion company, it’s a technology company”. Technology is a big component that is at the core of Uniqlo. it's used not to cut corners or speed up processes, but to improve the product for the customer. Anyone who has worked retail or even shopped enough knows that each company has their own set of rituals and traditions. UNIQLO’s organizational culture is majorly customer oriented. Staff training is a huge priority for the company as each new employee is trained for a remarkable 3 months – way above global industry average. Every activity undertaken by its employees are recorded and analyzed – from apparel folding technique, to the way retail staff returns credit cards to customers with both hands and full eye contact. Employees are also taught to interact with shoppers using six standard phrases including “Did you find everything you were looking for?” and all customers are welcomed with “Welcome to Uniqlo!”.

4. Relationship Relationship is the engagement between a brand and consumers. Uniqlo’s relationship with its customers can be determined by four factors i.e., Durable, Affordable, Functional and Good brand loyalty and reputation. One of Uniqlo’s main brand communication methods is its in-store environment. Through its wide aisles, bright lights, neatly stacked shelves, and beautifully presented displays creating a comfortable and welcoming shopping experience, Uniqlo communicates its ideal of simplicity and essential basics. Uniqlo’s in-store experience stands out and contributes heavily to effective communication of its brand philosophy. Being one of the first brands to successfully launch the digital

6. Self-Image Self-image is how customers visualize their ideal selves. Self-image serves as aspirational for both the brand and the audience. An Uniqlo consumer has an image of being Urban, Confident, Independent and Free in lifestyle. Unlike its competitors who sell a large variety of trendy fashion inspired by the global runway, Uniqlo focuses on producing a few styles of urban practical basics. In line with its brand promise to highlight everyone’s unique individual style, Uniqlo collaborates with designers to create unique styles. Some notable collaborations that Uniqlo has done in recent years include, Jil Sander’s “+J”, Theory’s “T Down, Undercover’s “uu”, NIGO’s “UT”, Lemaire’s, “Uniqlo U” and Uniqlo x Marimekko.

Jil Sander’s “+J” Theory’s “T Down Uniqlo x Marimekko