Ad Campaigns, Slogans & Spokespeople

My latest obsession? Watches (and their ad campaigns). I'm a proud owner of a TAG Heuer blue Aquaracer chronograph watch. I love it. After having owned a Swiss Army model for 8 years, lasy May I found it high time to step into the world of luxury watches and bought the TAG. I recently saw a Lenscrafters ad that read something like, "Your watch tells you how far you've come in life, what do your glasses say?"

Maybe I'm converting into a materialistic individual, but as I continue to travel and become exposed to the "finer things in life" (think Roger Federer's custom-made white Nike Wimbledon sports blazer he wore at the beginning of each of his 2007 Wimbledon matches), I've had an increased desire to have a couple of nice "things."

Of course, I'm not talking about buying things I can't affort (yet) like a Rolex watch, but those items that are within in reach. For example, after having seen a Finnish brand TW Steel oversized-face watch (by the way, bigger faces are very popular right now) in a Karlsruhe jewelry store window, I knew I had to have it. I was able to see the price tag dangling from the black leather strap, 350€, ouch! The way the Euro is thrashing the USD (as of my writing it's 1.37197 USD/1 Euro), I knew I wasn't ready to throw down $480 on the watch. However, after looking online, I saw the same watch online for $330. Even though this company is a small, non-Swiss player in the market, I can already feel the power of their marketing. They have a jazzy online capability to view their catalog as if you were actually flipping through the actual catalog pages. But more than a cool webpage, I look at the spokespeople companies use to see if it's a brand I want to identify with.

Rolex, despite its overly complex webpage, has a great slogan and ad campaign. What grabs me most about their advertising are two things: their spokesperson (who better than #1 men's tennis player in the world, Roger Federer?) and Rolex's tagline, "A Crown for Every Achievement." After watching Federer's incredible 5 setter defeat of Nadal in this year's Wimbledon finals, and then having immediately watched a Rolex commercial and hearing its tagline and music, I could only imagine what it must feel like to own one of their watches and be wearing it at that precise moment. Right then, you know you're wearing the best watch in the world and feel like a champion. That sensation of winning, being on top of the world and being a champion - what a great feeling!

Getting back to TW Steel. I appreciate that they too go after a spokesperson who matches their perceived place in the world - amongst the best watchmakers in the world. Not the King, not # 1, but they believe they have a place at the top. Their spokesperson, Tommy Robredo, is a top-ten men's singles tennis palyer (ranked #7 in the world as of 7/27/07). On their catalog, it states: "One of the best professional tennis players in the world (Robredo)...He even wears his TW Steel during the heat of a match. Need we say more?" Mind you, not even Federer wears his Rolex during matches.

Here's a blurb on TW Steel's (marketing) philosophy:

TW Steel, Big in Oversized Watches.

Since its inception, TW Steel has been completely specializing in the manufacture of big watches. Distinguishing design combined with reliable technology are the pillars the company's philosophy is based upon. The two dots in the TW Steel logo are the graphic representation of the philosophy. Partly as a result of this, TW Steel has succeeded in obtaining a leadership position worldwide in the oversized watches market segment within a very short period.

The three very distinctive collections - based on top Swiss or Japanese technology - offer the modern man or woman plenty of possibility to find the right type of watch that best suits his or her personality. Whether it is a model from the Canteen Style, Goliath or Grandeur collection, with TW Steel on your wrist you will always XXXX admiration for your choice.

The Canteen Style collection is identifiable by the cases with the hook/crown cap and the leather straps with the two steel dots."

I'm trying to figure out which one Robredo wears the TW 4, TW 6, or TW 11.

I'm impressed by the vision behind this company. They've decided to pursue a niche market and have done incredibly well. All of the reviews I read online are from customers who are infatuated with their watches. Many of them are repeat customers.

Cinque or is it Fünf?

How can you not like Europe? Even after a disappointing shopping experience in Milan, I was pleasantly surprised with Karlsruhe's shopping possibilities. I had gone to Milan with the hopes of buying a nice Italian suit, but "only" came away with a slick pair of "fatte a mano," hand-made, shoes from Firenze (go figure!), a belt and a pair of Sisley slacks. Unlike Rome, Florence and Paris for that matter, Milan simply didn't offer the same type or number of small boutiques.

Back to Karlsruhe. The city offers a number of small boutiques, a couple of large, stand-alone department stores and a mall. Since I picked up a couple of items in Paris, I needed to buy a small carry-on sized suitcase. I never made it to the luggage store in the mall since I got caught at Peek & Cloppenburg. I tried on several suits and came close to buying a sleek, grey Hugo Boss. Just when I was ready to leave the store, the sales rep informed me that there were more suits on the top floor of the store.

I figured they would have a couple other varieties, but once I got there I was blown away with the vast number of suits available. The first sales rep, although she was cute, couldn't really speak English. So she passed me to her co-worker, Patrick, who turned out to be an extremely knowledgeable salesman, despite how young he was. I told him what I was looking for a slim-fitting suit in either a European 46 or 48 (a US 36 or 38). After having tried on about 10 different styles and brands, I selected 3 that I liked best - 2 Hugo Boss suits and 1 German designer suit with a brand name of "Cinque" (5 in Italian).

I ended up liking the "Cinque" suit the best. It's a solid black, slim fit suite sized 48. It features English vents, low-rise pants and a very slim silhouette. Since the store closed at 8, I didn't have time to go back to grab a skinny Joop tie. Joop is the last name of German designer, Wolfgang Joop, and his stuff is hot! I can't wait to find a place in NY that carries his stuff. I had previously known about his cologne, but never knew he carried such great suits.

Getting back to Cinque, here's a blurb I found online:

"Around 20 years ago two men got together with the aim of leading the rather dull world of German fashion down a new path. They were no longer ready to accept the German view that shellsuits constituted "leisure clothing" and that "business clothing" should be ripped off a soon as you return from the office - even if such views were understandable, given what was on offer. It was now time to look towards Italy for inspiration - and thus Cinque was born.

Cinque fashion provides material evidence that those apparent opposites in the Italian character, passion and coolness, are in fact close allies. Despite a passion for detailed finesse, there's no question of a Cinque collection ever stretching good fashion taste. Be it ladies‚ or men's off-the-peg clothing, leisure or business outfits, or accessories - the aesthetic of cool always takes pre-cedence. Nothing is too perfect, nothing too slick.

Mercedes stands for safety, Marlboro for cowboys. Yet few fashion labels have succeeded in penetrating the public conscious with a clearly defined brand image. The image Cinque wishes to evoke is the world of Italy. After all, what is Cinque if not the embodiment of Italian style? Inner passion and high emotion, forever with a smart appearance and cool air. Unaffected fashion creations which substantiate Cinque's claim to be the emissary of these Italian ideals."

Fashionably late in Germany? I think not...

I can't believe nearly two months have gone by since my last post. Maybe it's a good thing because it means I'm being active and away from my computer, but it also signifies so many good memories not (yet) recorded.

In any event, I'm preparing for my second international assignment of my summer internship wtih Pfizer. This time I'm heading to Karlsruhe, Germany, which is very close to where my good friend Anthony had his wedding in Achern. I was chatting with a fellow intern about some of the required understandings of cultural nuances in order to perform effectively while working abraod, which we've learned about at Thunderbird. I started reviewing the Cultural Navigator (http://www.culturalnavigator.com/), which provides in-depth perspectives of cultures from around the world.

Here's an example of Germany's Cultural Orientation Inventory:Each category on this cultural pinwheel describes precisely how the "stereotypical" German might react in particular circumstances. As I was reading about how German's perceive time (they are what is known as "fixed" as opposed to a more Latin "fluid"), I came across this description: "In German social situations, the expression "fashionably late" does not exist."

Then I thought, "well where did the phrase "fashionably late" come from?" No dice on Wiki. However, I found this blurb on a random post on Yahoo, which provides a contemporary tongue-in-cheek answer to the age-old question, how late is "fashionably late"?

That depends on the function. For weddings, church services, theater performances, and business functions, it's best to arrive on time. For holiday and cocktail parties, several etiquette guides agree on a half-hour window. For a late-night wingding, all bets are off. How do we know this? A Yahoo! Search on "fashionably late etiquette" resulted in a plethora of handy tutorials for the socially curious. At the top of the heap, columnist Elizabeth Wellington claims that being fashionably late is out of date -- "promptness is the latest trend at social gatherings these days."

But while it's impolite to show up late, it can be downright fatal to show up early. For business functions, the manly resource Ask Men advises to "never be early," but also notes that "thirty minutes late should represent a barrier you don't want to cross."

For more casual gatherings or parties that start "around 10-ish," arrival time comes down to personal preference. As this article from the USC college paper points out, you can show up late and look cool, or show up on time while there's still alcohol.

(Posted at http://ask.yahoo.com/20040719.html on Monday July 19, 2004)