Genius or Gimmick: Uniqlo Singapore

A brand that has become synonymous with comfort and style, particularly amongst denizens of concrete jungles and cityscapes, Uniqlo is a storied brand that has earned the love of millions worldwide.

This collective adoration was precisely why members of the Superminted tribe were astounded when we noticed Uniqlo Singapore had archived all their past posts and wiped their Instagram page clean. Imagine your all-time favourite clothing brand disappearing, leaving you with a break-up note to the tune of:

We know, heartbreaking isn’t it? Not to sound like the victims of a toxic break-up, but it definitely took us a little while to recover from being ghosted like that.

After the moment passed, we went straight from the “feelings stage” to “solution oriented”. We put on our brand management hats and went into detective mode attempting to decipher what exactly was the purpose of such a bold move, and why would Uniqlo do this

Ever passionate to offer her insight, our Principal Brand Consultant and CEO Nadine Wu was quick to chime in with her thoughts:

Jokes aside, this is a pretty bold move that reflects Uniqlo’s yearning to make room for a renewed identity, one with a more intentional and curated narrative. It’s a statement by Uniqlo, that this is a fresh start and they’re entering their cool-girl-autumn phase.

While the latter half of that statement had us giggling, this also got us digging deeper. And so, we collectively staked out their IG page, we checked out their campaign, and we watched every video posted by Uniqlo – all to see if we could figure out what exactly was going on. Okay, maybe we’re a little obsessed but here’s what we found.

Not Actually Starting From Scratch

Historically speaking, the “Instagram Wipe” isn’t novel by any means. Fashion and luxury brands have been employing such tactics since as early as 2016. For example, Burberry archived their posts and pulled an IG Wipe as part of their rebranding campaign in 2023. The campaign saw a rollout of new brand collaterals and the unveiling of a revamped logo under newly appointed Chief Creative Officer Daniel Lee.

This brings about the question, was the IG wipe tacky or tactical? “Well, I think it’s a great move,” says Superminted’s Social Media Manager Aqilah Adriana. She believes that Gen Z and Millennial consumers are no longer receptive to traditional social media marketing tactics in which product USPs and promotions are plastered across screens.

Younger consumers are more likely to purchase from brands that they can identify with, that truly echo their beliefs. Brands such as Uniqlo should aim to reel their target audience in and anchor their messages around emotionally resonant narratives

All said and done, Uniqlo’s one-two punch of a campaign strategy is apparent: catch audiences by surprise with a completely unexpected social media wipe, before laying out the meat and potatoes of their campaign, food that serves to nourish the everyday consumer’s jaded soul.

This is Uniqlo Singapore’s bold solution to distinguish themselves, differentiating Uniqlo from fast-fashion labels and carving a unique place in the market for the brand.

The Nitty-Gritty of Content and Execution

Working under the assumption that Uniqlo Singapore understands the change in consumer tastes, and is aiming to put a new spin on its brand to make a case for why it’s different, we need only look at their content strategy and execution to inform us of how they intend to do this.

When examining the content Uniqlo has rolled out so far, one thing that jumps out at you is the big question “What Makes Life Better?” – a positively thought-provoking and relevant question for the modern day.

This question forms the basis of Uniqlo’s campaign strategy, and it is repeated across the brand’s social media account bios and even their microsite (which houses a manifesto, editorials, and videos)

These pieces of content, featuring Uniqlo’s brand ambassadors, offer various answers to the big question posed above. It all culminates in a line of clothing that Uniqlo dubs “LifeWear” – and it becomes a creative exercise for the audience to figure out if LifeWear is actually the be-all answer to “What Makes Life Better?”

Microsite

In the grand scheme of this campaign, the microsite is the beating heart that brings it to live. To get a better idea of how Uniqlo’s microsite performed, and whether it made an impact, we spoke to our Creative Strategist, Cherry Win, to get their take (and boy did they have a hot take).

“The social media wipe was kinda like a dramatic breakup text – great for hype, and the comments? Hilarious and relatable. But then I hit the microsite, and… total vibe shift. The serious tone clashed with the playful wipe and the whole thing felt flat. As a creative, I appreciated the manifesto and ambassador features, which were executed cleanly and tied it all together nicely. But the IG wipe definitely felt more like a flop than a glow-up. I mean, did the wipe really make a difference?”

Viewed as separate components, it’s clear both the IG wipe and microsite play their parts well. But put them together and suddenly you have oil and water – a combination that just doesn’t quite hit the mark, at least for the creative palettes of the Superminted tribe.

Campaign Videos

Earlier we discussed the notion of Uniqlo utilising this campaign to develop brand affinity with its target audience. To achieve that, Uniqlo utilised a series of interview videos that featured their brand ambassadors. Watching these, our tribe was decidedly split on how we felt and so we turned to Superminted’s Video Team Lead, Wesley Lim, for expert opinion.

You know how there are ‘Smiles’ and ‘Frown’ models? Uniqlo is a brand that should evoke joy, their models should be smiling and their tone should be lighthearted. That was completely missed in these videos. In the same way, the colour treatment of the videos just feels off-brand. They might have been going for a neutral flat tone but there’s no consistency when you compare this to the other videos. It feels unfinished and unpolished.”

At this point, we can see a pattern emerging: similar to the microsite, the intention behind this video is clear but it feels like the execution leaves a lot to be desired.

Social Media Rollout

And now we’ve gone full circle. The campaign kicked off with a social media wipe, are we even surprised that we end up back on socials? In today’s age, it’s safe to say that almost everyone gets their news online and social media is no exception.

Ultimately, this feeds into why Uniqlo Singapore would utilise Instagram as a way to both spark and fan the flames of their campaign. Weighing in on this particular notion, our resident Content Planner, Stacey Tay, had this to say:

“I appreciate the new minimalist aesthetic of their social media feed but I can’t help but wonder how they might adapt their content for a more localised audience. Their feed looks cohesive, but it doesn’t really feel uniquely connected to Singapore. Ideally, I would like to see a content balanced between their sleek global brand and the every lives of Singaporeans”

Once more, the discrepancy between intention and execution rears its ugly head. In theory, the minimalist feed and layout of Uniqlo Singapore’s social media page does elevate the brand’s appearance while tying it back to the global brand. But in doing so, the page loses some of its localised charm and part of what made the brand so relatable in the first place.

So... Genius or Gimmick?

Based on what we’ve seen thus far, we’d say this campaign is a little bit of column A and a little bit of column B. The strategy itself is inspired, made worse by a tonally dissimilar execution. If anything, this campaign serves as a reminder and lesson for brands, brand managers, and aspiring marketers everywhere – the strategy, content, and execution of campaigns must be tightly knit. A one degree deviation by any of the moving parts inevitably leads to an underwhelming and ultimately forgettable result.

Don’t Wipe Your Feed Just Yet!

Instead, leave the hard work to us! We’re your go-to brand management agency, specialising in the creation, nurturing and promotion of brands to increase traction and grow their market share. So hit us up, and let us know: what’s the mission?

Daryl is a Copy Editor at Superminted, fueled by a love for bringing emotionally engaging stories to life. With  carefully selected words and a smart turn of phrase, he is devoted to helping brands shape their unique voice.

‍