Uniqlo defends a business model based on basic, timeless and economic lines.
The harshness and persistence of the economic crisis have disrupted all the schemes that the boom era imposed on consumption and have highlighted how some brands have chosen to appeal to their core values, those that make up their original DNA, so as not to fall into the mud or mud in the weakness of international markets.
The return to the basics and the essentials seems like an anti-crisis recipe that collides head-on with business strategies that succumb to temporal trends without spoiling their brands and without considering them for what they are: infinite assets with an endless multiplying capacity.
Something, however, that Tadashi Yanai, founder of the Japanese Uniqlo, has been able to identify. A name that already hints at the importance that its owner attaches to branding. Formed through the words unique and clothing, Uniqlo, whose meaning in Spanish is unique clothing, is characterized by that return to the basics that branding specialists have detected in the wake of the crisis.
The sobriety of its lines, the timelessness of its colors, the simplicity of its garments as well as its adaptability to all kinds of bodies and moments are evident signs that this Japanese society is the antithesis of textile empires like that of Amancio Ortega, visibly oriented to temporality and characterized by biased collections that have a clear expiration date on their labels.
The example of Uniqlo in the textile universe is, however, one of many, since the Japanese firm has not been the only one that has established in its business model the bases to adapt to the new economic reality, which it is dropping in a broken bag the taste for waste and consumer debauchery, prioritizing quality and simplicity.
Some luxury brands are others that have wanted to get on the back to basics bandwagon. Specifically watch brands such as Chopard, Rolex and even Swatch have recovered their original genes; the same ones that made them world famous.
So much so that in their strategies, these brands are recovering in current designs winks from mythical collections of 30 or 40 years ago, with more basic colors, such as black, with more traditional dials, straps and boxes with which the consumer of yesterday and today, and also tomorrow, identifies them.
The toy sector is another that has recovered the essence of its being by betting on dolls and stuffed animals of all life, despite the fact that in their designs they have incorporated technological elements typical of the 21st century. Of course, with points of sale that are also inspired by simplicity and sobriety.
This trend of a return to basics, simplicity and the priority of quality over quantity forms the essential points and guidelines of brands that have already moved away from the patterns that the era of fat cows made so fashion, also adapting to the new laws that the implacable economic crisis has wanted and known to dictate.
Laws that go through focusing on the great pillars that each brand has in its DNA and can recover. The objective? To grow the brand equity of each one leaning on different aspects.
To begin, branding consultants recommend clarifying the brand, that is, knowing what it is and especially what it is not, each brand to determine what areas of growth lie ahead.
Getting the positioning right is another of the elements that make up this useful guide for brands, whose objective is to develop and align said position so that it is sustainable over time.
Determining which customers each brand is targeting is another absolute necessity. Only in this way, each firm will know what the motivations and characteristics of the target audience are. This factor is also key for brands to stay true to their vision but now more than ever to adapt to the current needs of real and potential customers.
Lastly, we branding experts advise fostering initial business growth to focus on the areas where the brand moves best, that is, returning to the initial core business, where the influence of each brand is greater.
