A Study Of Uniqlo’s Brand Communication Strategy From The Perspective Of Semiotics

With the development of economy and productivity,people’s consumption level is constantly rising and they have more and more choices for commodities.During consumption,consumers have obtained not only the material satisfaction of using commodities,but also the psychological satisfaction of the meaning of brands.In the cultural context of consumption society,a commodity or a brand is no longer a simple product,but a symbol with both "signifier" and "signified",which is rapidly socialized through mass communication media.From the perspective of semiotics,consumers identify with brands because the brand symbols can meet their needs of meaning consumption.Therefore,giving the brand an attractive connotation and shaping a distinctive brand personality are the effective ways to enhance the value of the brand symbol,which must rely on the brand communication strategies.The process of brand communication is also the process of signification and communication of the three symbols:perceptual symbol,textual symbol and designated symbol.Only through the process of brand communication can the brand symbolic connotation reach consumers and be understood.UNIQLO.a Japanese multinational clothing enterprise with a wider consumer market foundation,has extensive experience in brand symbol construction and communication in terms of brand naming,brand logo,video advertisement,and corporate philosophy and so on.Therefore,this study will take UNIQLO as the object,which is going to adopt literature analysis,semiotics analysis and case study analysis in the process of writing.The study attempts to summarize some successful experience through the analysis of UNIQLO’s brand communication from the perspective of semiotics.Most of the existing studies on UNIQLO’s brand communication focus on business management,business model and marketing strategy.This study is intended to analyze the construction of UNIQLO brand symbol from the perspective of three major types of symbols:perceptual symbol,designated symbol and textual symbol,as well as the co-branding symbol,and how UNIQLO creates its own brand symbol to gain consumers’ minds.In this thesis,the perceptual symbols of UNIQLO are analyzed in terms of video advertisement,display advertisement and brand endorsement symbols;the textual symbols are discussed in terms of brand name and"Lifewear" brand philosophy;the designated symbols are introduced from the perspective of location and scene;the construction and communication of UNIQLO’s co-branding symbols are analyzed from symbol construction,meaning and influence.After that,a SWOT analysis is conducted on the communication of UNIQLO brand symbols.The construction and communication of UNIQLO brand symbols are analyzed from four aspects:strengths,weaknesses,opportunities and threats.Then,some suggestions are made for Chinese clothing enterprises:to strengthen symbolic thinking and create brand symbols;to precise brand positioning and strengthen brand association;to integrate Chinese characteristics and enhance the influence of brand symbols;to be customer-oriented and meet users’ needs;and to choose suitable forms of cooperation and create marketing stimulation points.They will help Chinese clothing enterprises to create unique brand symbols,improve their own recognition,enhance their core competitiveness and further develop overseas markets.The construction and communication of UNIQLO’s brand symbols have enriched the brand connotation and manifested the brand personality,which has greatly increased the brand influence and gained more and more consumers’ love and acceptance.This thesis analyzes the construction of brand symbols and the great influence of brand symbols on the marketing and brand communication of the company from the perspective of semiotics,which has extensive theoretical and practical significance.The analysis of UNIQLO’s successful experience of brand symbol construction and communication not only enriches the relevant research theories of brand communication,but also provides ideas and experience for the construction and communication of brand symbols of some Chinese clothing enterprises,which has far-reaching significance for Chinese enterprises to go global and realize the "Chinese Creation".