Context & Challenges
When Uniqlo launched its UT graphic t-shirt collection in the UK – featuring cult anime titles Bleach and Attack on Titan – the brand overlooked a critical consumer group: Chinese nationals living in the UK. This community of fashion-savvy students and young professionals are heavy social media users, influential within their peer networks, and highly motivated to shop both online and offline. Uniqlo needed to understand this audience, raise awareness, and convert interest into measurable sales.
Strategy & Execution
TONG designed a bespoke campaign to maximise Uniqlo’s presence across Chinese digital and social commerce platforms, including RED, Weibo, and WeChat.
We blended influencer storytelling with shopping-focused content on partner and affiliate accounts, ensuring a balance between aspirational visibility and direct purchase drivers. By activating a wide KOC network of lifestyle creators, student leaders, and anime enthusiasts, we connected Uniqlo with micro-communities that shaped authentic conversation.
At the same time, we ran direct promotions to WeChat ‘private traffic’ communities – highly engaged student groups and shopping accounts – turning awareness into immediate action. This approach allowed Uniqlo to drive interest and conversion at scale, with 50 community clusters identified and segmented into three key groups: fashion-forward students, anime fans, and active shopping hobbyists.
The omni-channel campaign delivered buzz across Chinese platforms, with bespoke content driving brand awareness while community-based promotions generated measurable traffic to both e-commerce and in-store locations.
Results
The campaign demonstrated the power of Chinese digital ecosystems for reaching overseas consumers, combining brand-building through influencers with tactical community engagement. By activating trusted voices and leveraging private traffic, TONG positioned Uniqlo’s UT launch at the centre of conversation for Chinese students in the UK — while also driving direct sales.
