Brand Building Begins With Respect
A conversation with one of the most influential creative directors of the past 50 years
In addition to my Brand Shift series, I occasionally share conversations with leading practitioners whose thinking has influenced how I see brand building today.
This week: John Jay, Global President of Creative at UNIQLO/Fast Retailing.
Inducted into the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame and named one of the top ten “Most influential art directors in the past 50 Years” by Graphic Design USA, John Jay is a legend, an icon, a giant.
John began his career in NYC in journalism, then lifestyle and fashion marketing as Creative Director for Bloomingdale’s, followed by 21 years at Wieden + Kennedy.
In 2014, John joined UNIQLO’s Founder and Chairman, Tadashi Yanai, as President of Global Creative to help the brand evolve into a global brand of leadership and influence.
Here’s my conversation with John about brand building and creativity.
The Importance of “The Question”
Rei Inamoto (Rei): Creativity is often seen as “all about talent,” but I believe it can be cultivated through learning and experience. What are your thoughts?
John Jay (John): I think it’s both. You need a “spark,” but developing it requires effort, focus, and commitment to continuous learning. I grew up in a modest environment with Chinese immigrant parents who had no college education. Yet that spark existed. I was always drawing as a child.
Rei: So your parents knew nothing about creative fields.
John: That’s right. They never told me to “go to a museum” or “see this exhibition.” That environment sparked my curiosity and passion for learning and meeting people.
I wasn’t an excellent art student in high school, but in college I encountered a program called “Visual Communication,” which became a turning point. I learned that business challenges arise from market, cultural, and social conditions, and can’t be solved without understanding that structure. Unfortunately, especially in Japan, creative settings often demand “answers” from the start. But what’s important is not rushing to answers—it’s understanding the question. Keep asking “What is the question?”
Rei: How did that experience translate after graduating?
John: My first job was at a small publishing house in New York. Starting my career in “editorial” was an experience of great significance.
In magazine work, the cover must attract readers and elevate abstract ideas into compelling visuals. Because my boss was an editor, the power of words was constantly emphasized. That’s when I learned storytelling and narrative structure.
Be Prepared and Take Leaps
Rei: That editorial foundation seems central to everything you did later. How did you make the leap into retail?
John: At that publishing house was Jimmy Traut, the son of Bloomingdale’s chairman. One day I asked, “Who handles Bloomingdale’s advertising and creative?”, he said, “I’ll introduce you to the Marketing Director, Gordon Cook,” and set up an interview. I remade my portfolio from scratch for that interview. To seize the best opportunity, always prepare “what’s appropriate for that moment”—this attitude has guided my career.
With no experience in fashion or marketing, I entered Bloomingdale’s. I’ve always crossed different fields, creating “crossovers.”
Rei: After that, you moved from Bloomingdale’s to Wieden+Kennedy.
John: Moving to Wieden+Kennedy was a good decision because I left New York and could truly test myself.
Creatives often tell clients to “take more risks.” But when looking at themselves, they’re often afraid to take risks. I didn’t want to be that person. So I chose to leap into new categories with higher standards—from a small magazine to a global retail company, and then to the world’s best advertising agency.
If you have a creative soul, you should crave new information and interesting people. But just meeting people and getting information isn’t enough—ultimately, you must create something from those experiences. I’m not a “talker,” I’m a “maker,” and I want people to remember what I’ve made.
Resources or Constraints
Rei: Could you share specific turning points in building your career?
John: The biggest turning point was when Wieden+Kennedy opened a Tokyo office and I became its leader. On my departure day, my boss told me, “I want you to create work in Tokyo that can’t be realized elsewhere.” He entrusted me to grow the small Tokyo office into a competitive advantage and produce outstanding creative work.
Rei: Did working in Japan significantly change your perspective?
John: I deeply respected Japanese culture, but relocating required a real shift in perspective. As an American, it was inevitable. Even now, I tell new team members: “To learn, first forget.”
Open your heart and let go of your beliefs. Be open to the possibility of another “truth” through the lens of another’s culture.
Moving to Japan forced me to fundamentally question my assumptions, including about marketing. For example, the idea that “individualism is always right.” But in reality, collective approaches also have great value. I think this is an important lesson for today’s world and America.
Rei: What do you do to promote and nurture creativity? What can Japanese management do to teach and learn about it?
John: Japan was in the bubble economy, with overflowing creativity and incredible energy. That explosion of creative power was unbelievable even in hindsight. Experiencing Japan during that era was a great fortune for me.
I admired Sony’s Akio Morita and devoured every English article about him. Consider Sony’s brand power back then. One of the best taglines is Nike’s “Just do it,” but another that shouldn’t be forgotten was “It’s a Sony.” There was confidence to declare, “It’s Sony, so there’s no mistake.” And Sony delivered products that backed that up.
Rei: In the 80s when you first visited Japan, the Japanese had strong confidence. For better or worse, Japan had economic wealth then. Japanese companies and people could spend money, leading to comfort and confidence. Beyond money, were there other factors for their boldness?
John: Money was a big factor. Those resources allowed them to leave the island nation and experience the world.
My creativity grew in a small, low-budget environment. I value “how creative can you be with a limited budget.” Without funds, originality is demanded, and you need to build networks. Not having money is the best opportunity to hone creative skills.
A Campaign That Changed Everything
Rei: If you had to choose one, what would be your best work?
John: UNIQLO’s fleece campaign. It changed so much for me, W+K, and UNIQLO. Its impact continues today.
In this campaign, we challenged ourselves to depict all kinds of people in Japanese society equally. A 14-year-old girl, a university professor, a construction worker—not a single celebrity. We kept the direction simple. Fixed camera, no flashy movements or music. Just questions on screen, and people talking about their lives. Different ages and occupations were given equal time to tell their own stories.
The key was respecting people and the product. Understanding and reflecting people before selling. In the 27-second footage, almost nothing is said about product features or price. Rather, it showed respect for the product.
The campaign exceeded sales targets, but we achieved something more important. We conveyed UNIQLO’s values—clothing for all people—intuitively through the imagery, not words.
Media experts said “a 15-second commercial that can run twice is better.” But I argued, “Do we need to repeat the same thing? Why not give time for deeper stories?”
My first principle is “always respect consumers’ intelligence.” Unfortunately, many marketers assume they’re smarter and create boring commercials. I believe showing respect for consumers is most important.
Listen to Part 1 of the full conversation on The Creative Mindset podcast:
Apple Podcast
Spotify
Three Principles of Creativity
Here are my three key takeaways from the conversation with John Jay.
1. The Starting Point of Creativity is “The Question”
John questions Japan’s tendency to rush to “answers” in creative settings, emphasizing the importance of deeply understanding “what the question is.” Challenges arise from market, cultural, and social backgrounds, so solutions require understanding that structure. Creativity doesn’t depend solely on talent but is cultivated by honing “the ability to ask questions” through learning and experience.
2. Preparation and Risk-Taking Open Career Paths
John has consistently chosen new challenges—from publishing to Bloomingdale’s, Wieden+Kennedy, and leading the Tokyo office. His actions stem from “preparation for the best opportunity” and “leaps without fear of risk.” The attitude that if creatives demand risk from clients, they must take risks becomes a universal lesson for connecting challenges to growth.
3. Respect for Consumers Strengthens Brands
John maintained in UNIQLO’s fleece campaign the principle of “respecting consumers’ intelligence.” By giving equal time to unknown people and reflecting UNIQLO’s values of “clothing for all people” through their stories, this approach improved sales and conveyed the brand’s fundamental values to society. Understanding consumers and showing respect create a brand’s lasting power.
I met John in 2010 or 2011 over lunch when he was the Global Executive Creative Director at Wieden + Kennedy. In 2014, after 21 years at the agency, John joined UNIQLO’s Founder and Chairman, Tadashi Yanai, to help the brand evolve into a global brand of leadership and influence.
A year later, while launching my company, I&CO, John introduced me to Mr. Yanai. UNIQLO became our founding client. Our decade-long partnership with Mr. Yanai, UNIQLO, Theory, and the rest of the Fast Retailing family continues today.
Thank you for your ongoing support and friendship, John.
Listen to Part 2 of the full conversation on The Creative Mindset podcast:
Apple Podcast
Spotify
Great interview , love hearing these type of backstories ! Love Uniqlo too
This was an incredibly valuable piece—packed with insight that wouldn’t have surfaced without John Jay, of course, but also without your ability to ask the right questions. Thank you for sharing this!