Store as brand space

This combines three things I'm pretty passionate about...

1. Innovation

2. Japan

3. Retail

Guess you could say the three fit together........just check out this great example from Adidas in Tokyo. Fantastic example of a brand that's using their retail space as an opportunity to provide a branded encounter. They've set up the store as a run club first, place-to-buy-stuff second. By doing so, they're creating a unique brand experience for Adidas that gives their fans another reason to stay loyal and keep returning over and over. Love it.

Full story + more pics here: http://weekenderjapan.com/?p=15968

Uniqlo Love

It's no secret that Uniqlo are headed our way. They're one of my favourite retailers - innovative, immersive branded experience creators. My first experience with them was in NYC back in '03 ...it was love at 'first shop'. They've just won another award for their '09 Lucky Switch Campaign (below). No surprises there.

Thought the above pic was cool - 580 people already signed up to "bring Uniqlo to Australia" on Facebook....(yes I'm one of them)

Talk about brand loyalty...this is brand love (and they haven't even arrived yet).

Cool.

Made in Japan

Incase you haven't caught on....Uniqlo....I love you.

..Simplicity, innovation, individual expression at its best. I still remember picking out my tshirt from Uniqlo in New York....there was this massive display of totally individualised tshirts designed by a host of different artists. Choosing one truly did feel special. Never has a tshirt felt so unique (to me at least). I love that I have a story to go with my shirt. People still ask about it.

The brand again got brought to my attention tonight in a fabulous article I was reading (written by the highly talented Chauncey Zalkin for Brand Channel).

Having worked previously on Japanese brand (Pigeon) I completely identify with all she writes about....particularly the following quotes extracted from the article:

"China might be the quickest in turnaround, but Japan is still the most meticulous"

"Products that exhibit the human touch and an understanding of the environment are what consumers - and society - demand now."

Source: Made In Japan: The Culture Behind the Brand, Chauncey Zalkin, http://www.brandchannel.com/

Chauncey also made some really interesting insights and connections between Japanese culture and their innovative, forward thinking work on developing environmentally friendly products.

Some of the specifics that I admire most about Japanese brands is this meticulous attention to deatil.

Pigeon (baby products brand) was (and is) a real demonstration of this....infact the tagline which we developed ("Big on little things") spoke directly to the care of children that each product offered as a result of their constant attention to (tiny) detail in product development.

It is this discipline and attention to detail which I love. I believe Japanese innovation comes from this dedication to paying attention to the small things. That, and their incredible group-based work ethos where everyone strives to better their best.

Japan (is) Curiosity At Its Best

I love Japan. I lived there for a short period in the early 1990s. This was before the advent of the Internet, when only snail mail and phonecalls connected you to the outside "western" world. It blew my mind...the culture, karaoke, zen gardens, sushi stores, japanese bakeries, vending machines, language, tea houses, nori making, ancient rites & traditions, everything.

I've since been lucky enough to go back and discovered a new love...Japanese retail concepts, packaging and Harajuku - the tiny little lane way that houses the extraordinary, weird and wonderful....in particular the "Harajuku" street fashion that symbolises true creativity and youthful rebellion at its best.

Japan rocks. It is an incredible hive of innovation, technology and leading edge brilliance. It vales beauty in design and pays attention to detail where others overlook.