[Endorsed by Uniqlo's Tadashi Yanai] Global Creative Director Rei Inamoto Releases First Book, 'Brand Shift'

On May 20, Toyo Keizai Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President: Tetsuya Yamada) published 'Brand Shift,' the first book by Rei Inamoto, a co-founding partner of the global innovation firm I&CO.

Recommended by Tadashi Yanai, Chairman and President of Fast Retailing!

A brand is the company itself, and it is the employees themselves.
A book that reconsiders management from a brand perspective.

Nike, Uniqlo, Toyota, ASICS...
Distilling the insights of a leading expert who has been involved in the brand and growth strategies of world-leading Japanese and global companies.
An ultra-practical framework for generating sustainable growth!

Rei Inamoto
Co-founding Partner / Creative Director, I&CO

A creative director based in New York and active globally. He has been named one of the '50 Most Influential People in the World' by Creativity magazine and one of the '25 Most Creative People in the Advertising Industry' by Forbes.

After working at the major digital agency R/GA and the European and American digital agency AKQA, he has handled digital strategy and creative work for world-leading brands such as Nike, Audi, Xbox, and Google. In 2013 and 2019, he became the first Japanese person to be appointed as the jury president for multiple categories at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, including Mobile and Digital Craft. He launched I&CO in 2016 and opened the Tokyo office in July 2019.

From 'story' to 'trust.' Brand is 'differentiation through trust.'

So, what is a brand? Is it a story? Is it a world view? Or is it 'meaning' or 'value'? Partly, it could be said so. However, in modern society, where information is overflowing, changes are rapid, and there is unprecedented transparency, there is something even more important than these. That is 'trust.' And this trust is the biggest factor that differentiates services, products, and even companies and organizations.

Becoming a presence that continues to be chosen through trust—that way of being is a brand.
'Brand = differentiation through trust.' As this new definition of a brand, which is repeatedly returned to in this book, suggests, brand building is nothing more than 'designing trust.'

Designing trust: 'Flywheel-type brand building'

Checking word-of-mouth on SNS, confirming comparison sites, and sometimes even recognizing a brand after purchasing it.
Customer behavior in the digital age no longer obediently follows the single path prepared by companies.

Moving from traditional 'funnel-type marketing' with purchase as the goal to 'flywheel-type brand building' that circulates through differentiation by trust. This book explains specific methods for shifting from an 'era of buying meaning' to an 'era of being chosen through trust.'

■Main Table of Contents
Prologue: Japan's Future = Corporate Brand Power
Chapter 1: Brand Definition - From 'Story' to 'Trust'
Chapter 2: Brand Foundation - 6 Elements and 5 Conditions for Creating 'Differentiation Through Trust'
Chapter 3: The Relationship Between Technological Progress and Brand - How Information Transmission Technology Changes Brand Construction
Chapter 4: Brand Shift - Future Brand Strategy
Chapter 5: Practicing Brand Building - Practical Worksheets for Brand Building Thinking with a Flywheel
Epilogue: The Future of 'Brand Japan'

■Bibliographic Information
'Brand Shift'
Author: Rei Inamoto
Price: 2,420 yen (tax included)
Release Date: May 20, 2026
ISBN: 978-4-492-39680-3
Format: A5 / Paperback / 260 pages
Publisher: Toyo Keizai Inc.