Famous brand ambassadors, are they really suitable for watch brands? (Video) – Resume

Celebrity Watch Brand Ambassadors have been featured by GaryG in Celebrity Ambassadors: Good Marketing Or Terrible Waste ?, and here Watch televisionMarc André Deschoux shares his thoughts on the brand’s ambassadors, starting with the Tudor / David Beckham association (which I envisioned in Tudor announces David Beckham as brand ambassador: another example of sharing with Breitling?).

Deschoux thinks that You sleep is a brand that is brimming with great design, vintage inspiration, good quality and great pricing structure. But he personally felt the association with Beckham was counterproductive and the announcement prompted him not to make a Tudor purchase he was leaning towards.

Maybe he was right, as Beckham showed up at Wimbledon 2017 wearing a Rolex Daytona instead of a model from his partner watch brand (see What the place ?! What watch did David Beckham wear at Wimbledon?).

On the other hand, HYT, now defunct, made a relatively good catch with Antoine Griezmann in Deschoux’s opinion. He is a young and talented sportsman playing for Atletico Madridwho was in fact already wearing an HYT watch.

Although Deschoux expresses doubts about this relationship, as Griezmann is a soccer player and cannot wear the watch while playing.

HYT Ambassador Antoine Griezmann

Deschoux cites the long-term engagement (or lack thereof) between brands and celebrities as a very important element, indicating that Omega is exemplary in this regard – so exemplary that ambassadors of this brand feel everything. simply legitimate.

But this positive example also begs the question: What kind of marketing impact remains if the brand ambassador is constantly hopping on brands?

Deschoux – and this is also my opinion – also finds Richard Mille’s ambassadors the most natural: they are sportsmen who actually wear the brand’s watches as they practice their extreme sports.

For two excellent examples, see Richard Mille RM 27-02 for Rafael Nadal: The Quintessential Sports Tourbillon and Olympic Gold Medalist And Richard Mille Ambassador Way by Van Niekerk Talks Watches And Competition.

Wayde van Niekerk wearing a Richard Mille as he sets a new world record in the 400-meter final at the Rio 2016 Olympics

“The real star is the watch itself,” says Deschoux.

Two thoughtful comments that I found on the Watches TV video on YouTube provide some interesting counterpoints.

G1234X writes: “Brand Ambassadors help raise awareness among the general public. Maybe some care about watchmaking and design history, maybe others don’t, maybe some will find their curiosity aroused. If a purist loves a watch for what it is, an ambassador shouldn’t influence a buying decision.

Nowadays, watches will disappear if they are not aimed at the younger generations.

Millennials will grow up disregarding nothing but a smartwatch other than brand ambassadors. Does the end of the games justify the means? Not always, but a significant part of “education” is currently done through online / visual media. The notoriety of watches among the general public is important.

And Flyingphoenix113 comments: “As a marketing and strategy consultant in the automotive industry, this is an issue facing both the premium sports car and watch markets. Millennials as a whole don’t like simplicity or history very much. This is why the “passionate” segment of the automotive and manual transmission industry is dying, and brilliant driver cars like the Alfa Romeo 4C just don’t sell.

Brand ambassadors have become a very important part of marketing campaigns. If you can’t make the consumer care about the product from a mechanical point of view, or even an aesthetic sense, please make the consumer care about the fashion sense and appeal to his emotions. If the product is historically considered “avant-garde,” “trendy” or “trendy,” it could be dog poop and people would buy it anyway.

Even companies like Mercedes AMG and Porsche, brand ambassadors (like Maria Sharapova, Lincoln Park, etc.) have become a sad reality. It has also become strongly one-sided in favor of the ambassador. It used to be an organic process.

Sinatra has already bought a Lamborghini Miura. Ferrucio Lamborghini would personally show his appreciation to Mr. Sinatra, and Frank Sinatra would effectively act as free publicity for a product Sinatra appreciated (and would have purchased otherwise, regardless of the partnership).

Today, modern artists expect a big commission (if not a totally free product) for their brand endorsement. Whether or not brand ambassadors are effective is a whole other question, but as sales of luxury goods and cottage industries decline, targeted marketing and effective advertising are going to play an important role in determining their success. future (or lack thereof).

* This article first appeared on April 8, 2018 on What’s The Deal With Celebrity Brand Ambassadors? Are they really suitable for watch brands?

You can also enjoy:

“Influencer“: is this the most overdone word in watchmaking?

Richard Mille RM 27-02 For Rafael Nadal: La Quintessence du Tourbillon Sportif

Olympic gold medalist and ambassador Richard Mille Wayde Van Niekerk talks watches and competition