Horological Meandering

Do You Think Celebrity Ambassadors Help Sell Watches? This is a question I've often pondered. Large brands can have marketing budgets in the seven figures. There is no doubt that a large portion of the expenses is designated to the cost of using a celebri...  

At least, it helps with the brand recognition. Do they affect my decision in buying my watches? Certainly not :)

I'd agree with brand recognition. What about when everyone already knows the brand like Rolex and Roger Federer?

... It's something else. Lange just finished up a Lake Como Mazarati showcase, JLC just highlighted their polo connection.. I don't know if ambassadors help sell watches but they give the marketing department something to play with. I'd say Richard Mille ... 

In marketing lingo, Richard Mille's celebrity endorsements could be considered to be a "qualitative" one. These celebrities endorse the product stating it is able to stand the rigors of tennis and motor racing. This is a physical strain on the movement si... 

Very good point that Richard Mille puts a lot of thought into his watch's ability relative to the ambassador. It attests to the comfort level of his watches even when swinging a racket or a club.

possess the qualities that are important to the brand. i think it's best when they do institutional ads rather than pairing off particular watches with celebs. i like those LV ads where they had Sean Connery and Angelina Jolie or the Coppollas, for exampl... 

...that's what they are designed to do, get your attention. I like those LV ads too. They seemed timeless and unexpected. Although they made me feel like I wanted to go on a safari more than buy the bag, lol.

And very well written. I suspect there are people who would buy a watch because some famous actor wore it in an ad. I have no issue with this as it serves a purpose of advertising and draws attention to a product that one might not have noticed. Is it a f... 

for certain ambassadors so I don't think they always get it right. But you are right, as said in a previous comment...when brands make the ambassadors relative to the function of the watch, then it makes complete sense. Thanks for your comments.

However, for many people who admire the sports and music industries it makes a world of difference whose name is attached to a particular model. In the pre-owned market, I am more inclined to buy a watch from a person who's personality, outlook on life, s... 

...sometimes these spokespeople do carry a great deal of responsibility when they represent a brand. All too often we hear about someone losing a sponsor due to controversial behavior.

IMO, this kind of marketing is targetting people who don't know watches, just to remind them that watches may be an important accessory / toy. For the rest, no, I don't see Ambassadors, at least these ones, useful. But there is another question: Aren't we...  

It might make more sense to select a certain basketball shoe or golf club based on these athletes recommendations but they are less likely to know much about watches.

... IMVHO..... Here in the forum are many those who have gone through the purchasing process and you will know (if not yet) what you like and want and expect from the watches.... So.... I must say I am with Nico on this.... The rhetorical question - does ... 

Well said Ken. If current owners would buy again, that's a big endorsement. If Watch Company X stated, "100% of our current owners are pleased with buying their perpetual calendars according to a survey done by Reputable Evaluation Company Y." That would ... 

To the public who only see watches as a lifestyle product or as a status of accomplishment, perhaps. It might be cool to some to be associated with the same products as these celebrities, and I know some people who like this. To the collectors and probabl... 

...so it has to have some effect on the price of the watches.

As they cannot afford these watches....I personally do not like to see the likes of Hublot all over Football giving watches to these overpaid so called stars who can afford to buy their own... Patek and Breguet have it right by sponsoring Culture and lett... 

I am sure you're right. It does encourage the production of fakes. The watch industry is ironically promoting the fake watches in a way they didn't realize. Good point!

...the quality and content of the watch as opposed to just surface characteristics. Thanks for pointing this out.

.. obviously the marketing department want to build a subtle link with the " aura" of a certain ambassador/ess; they try to link attributes, they want to be perveived as their core messages, I suspect.. And yes, for non-watch afficionados or non-collector... 

...many of us on here completely agree :)

Not among purists though :) but if not then there will be no more Ambassadors around Sincerely Damjan

...hiring these ambassadors worthwhile.

This is highly intriguing because the watch industry which cannot be really called innovative compared to other industry sectors, capitalizes largely on building an image. There are at least following points that come into my mind when we talk about the c... 

You bring up a lot of good points Abdullah! Watch companies would never consider Noam Chomsky because he's too polarizing (people either agree with him or don't agree with him). But they fail to realize that their celebrities can also be equally polarizin... 

Opinions and thoughts like yours are highly valued here and I thank you for taking the time to share them. Perhaps you should write an article as well :)

Large, market savvy organizations only do things repeatedly because they believe that it works. Luxury watch brands have chosen to do this for quite some time now. Horology is an amorphous and inaccessible subject for most potential clients with the means... 

You may not be in the minority alone. There may be quite a few people on PuristSPro whom agree with you. And lastly, the minority is not always wrong.

I believe it also takes away from their credibility. True watch connoisseurs don't take them as seriously.

I suppose Neil Armstrong made me think of buying thr Omega Speedmaster... :) Is he a celebrity?

.. but the fact the Speedmaster was used as a tool watch on the moon probably made you think of buying one ... and the looks of the watch ! :-) Filip

He's a celebrity and an icon of history. A historical celebrity.

[Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke] . . . right out of my mouth ;-) . . . ...  

I've talked to a guy wearing a Hublot by Ayrton Senna and that was the main talking point of that particular watch, he also had a lot of Rolex watches which implies he is also a watch aficionado ... I've was talking to a friend lately (a true Ferrari and ... 

I'm not surprised at the answers so far. Undoubtedly, celebrities bring awareness to brands, otherwise brands would not spend money doing this. No doubt, the worst of these forced marriages weaken the offending brands' credibility in Purists' eyes. Very f... 

....they are not getting paid directly (maybe they get certain perks) but in general they are fans too like us and that can be appreciated and taken into account.

A representative whose values I admire improves my feelings toward the company, while a representative whose values I dislike does the opposite. Generally, I skew toward the dislike side, and am more interested in having the companies support cultural pur... 

...that our perceptions of different ambassadors will prompt different responses. Brands do have to choose wisely then. this is also made evident when companies withdraw sponsorship and ambassadorship when celebrities get into trouble or involve themselve... 

Celebrity Ambassadors are a double edged sword. And impaling yourself on either side doesn't hurt less. Sword side one. On one end, you align the company with the views of that celebrity ambassador. And it's implied your values are consistent with that ce... 

for the thoughtful response. You make some excellent points and I love the "lessons" that you list at the end. Especially - not to take things at face value. I find that I try to have this outlook on life in general. You simply never know what the real st... 

Always a pleasure. Thank you for reading. And there were a great multitude of thoughtful responses. Thank you for the interesting topic!

There are certainly athletes out there I despise and therefore would never own anything related to them. But I would also never buy just because of them. I mean, if AP makes a green #33 Larry Bird edition I might break down, but otherwise it has no bearin... 

I have liked a watch, THEN seen a celebrity endorsement, and been turned off of the brand entirely. George Clooney for Omega has consistently turned me away, Leo Decaprio for Tag, and all the hip hop associations with AP... total turn off. Other ambassado... 

Ping, thanks for a good, refreshing topic! Thinking about it, anyone who's read any of my relatively few posts knows that I'm basically a grumpy old contrarian (in a much younger body - or so I'd like to think). So it'll come as no surprise that I'm prett... 

That IWC "Men" stuff was just awful. So desperate, it was like they were clinging on straws. Who came up with that? Internal? PR/advertising company? Other? That was just awful. Did you know some brand ambassadors aren't paid? For instance, Rolex ambassad... 

I guess if the watch is meant for the mass market, then it is appropriate to engage an ambassador with mass appeal. Personally, I love the fact that De Bethune does not bother with marketing at all, but are all the more precious for it... (",) Vive la dif... 

... well, you mentioned LDC in your post, but I missed this hilarious picture: Regarding your question: Yes, the right ambassadors can help increasing the sales. Just look at the various special interest magazines, which are dedicating a major share of th...  

That just looks ridiculous to just hold the watch like that. I guess it's proof that celebrities should not be ambassadors, lol. The Ebel campaign was very well executed as you mentioned. Unfortunately I think the public is not sophisticated enough to app... 

I really did want to find out how people personally felt and the reasons.

'Do pictures of famous people sell watches?' may be a rhetorical question, in that so many brands do it that I assume that someone, somewhere, has shown reasonably well that the tactic works. (Maybe I'm wrong and it's just a great sales job by the agents ... 

If it wouldn't help, they wouldn't be paid. Simple. Strong example: if some certain actor from some certain film based upon a novelle about some certain secret agent didn't wear a NATO strap on his Rolex nobody (maybe apart from soldiers) would wear a Sub... 

not telling

Celebrities are all about vanity and short-sighted marketing than real impact. Sure, it gives the brands something to talk about other than the watches. And it's possible that certain categories (athletes) might increase brand awareness. But has Audemars ... 

... because these are no longer celebrity endorsements, but rather watch companies endorsing celebrities. I still notice the advertisements, but I have no faith that the particular 'celebrity' either loves the watch on his/her wrist or supports the brand ... 

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Sometimes the simplest answer is the best answer, of course they do, otherwise why would all those companies spend so much money on celebrities. They must have done focus group studies, case studies, and whatnot before spending the money. I don't think it...