Wednesday, December 8, 2010

007 – The License to Sell


Brad Pitt and George Clooney certainly put a sparkle in women’s eyes and Cindy Crawford makes guy’s hearts skip a beat. Even though the Swiss Watch manufacturers do not have an image problem, they often deem it beneficial to endorse famous ambassadors to promote their products.
This is nothing new though; James Bond was wearing a Rolex Submariner already in 1962 and has ever since appeared in 11 James Bond movies. Rolex has benefited a lot from the association with this personality that stands for masculinity, bravery and power.




Do you think that the physical appearance and the image of the ambassadors contribute to the watch manufacturers’ brand equity? What do you generally associate with Swiss watch houses and which brand ambassador could underline these qualities?

9 comments:

  1. I think that generally the image of the ambassadors contribute to a brand (there are some brands which i directly link to a celebrity because the association is very present). in my opinion, james bond was just perfect for that kind of industry!

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  2. I agree, the character James Bond and the respective actors who have played the role over the years fit perfectly the image for a masterpiece watch!
    I think when a celebrity testifies for a brand in terms of advertisement it always depends on the product itself and how the ad is presented. both above are a good example, that fits the product perfectly.

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  3. I'd rather take the man than the watch!

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  4. I agree with the comments above that ambassadors can contribute a lot to a brand. but what happens if this ambassodar switches brands - even within the same industry?! like the new james bond did...maybe some of you remember the scene where daniel craig ran into a watch store and was offered a rolex but he requested a omega! or what about negative spill over effects? for example tiger woods and tag heuer...?!

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  5. Tieing a brand to an ambassador can be dangerous - just as the previous poster said. Tiger Woods is one example and there are surely others too.
    But I think that's the price the business has to pay for making use of the stars, since they can fall down just as quickly as they rose.

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  6. Aishwarya Rai

    Elegance is an attitude

    Longines

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzCkfN7p4S0

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  7. as long as they want to sell social status and image with a product it does not adequately possess with its design the must is using an ambassador as a channel..
    and as a strategy it could be dangerous indeed..

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  8. If chosen well, then a celebrity clearly can clearly enhance a particular product or a brand; I do not think luxury watches are any exception to this particular rule.

    The fact that TAG Heuer is still able to use a long dead celebrity (Steve McQueen) to sell a a watch featured in a movie (Le Mans) released nearly 30 years ago, suggests that the right choice of celebrity can produce a 'timeless' result.

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  9. In today's time-poor society, when the need to keep tabs on those seconds is more essential than ever, it seems the concept of a wrist watch has become that of a status symbol rather than a practical chronometer.
    replica rolex watches

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