Brands in the watch industry have associated themselves with prominent personalities since the 18th century. The association could be as a patron, spokesperson, brand ambassador, a model featuring in advertisements or product placements in films. All these associations can be classified as celebrity endorsements. It is not just the prestige or premium brands that have taken this route; even brands in the fashion or mid-premium and mass segments have followed suit.

By Anil Prabhakar

Breguet leads the way
Breguet, a brand incorporated in 1775, was perhaps the first brand to use the names of its patrons in its publicity and communications. The fact that it had patrons like Queen Victoria, Napoleon and Churchill gave the brand a distinct positioning. Even today, these names connote prestige, heritage and exclusivity that are also the hallmarks of Breguet. Marie Antoinette, the queen of France, was the first brand ambassador for a watch brand. She promoted Breguet among kings, emperors, knights and diplomats. In 1792, she ordered a Breguet watch while still in prison. The special watch, No 160, was a tribute to her by A L Breguet. The watch was later stolen and the queen was not able to see it. It remains untraceable to date.

Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine too were regular clients of Breguet. Napoleon used to sport his watch as a symbol of his power and status in society. He wore it at all times during his journeys for purely practical reasons, as he needed a reliable, accurate and solid timepiece. Josephine, in the year 1798, even had a formal contract for promoting Breguet watches.

The Stars Shine Down
Longines boasts of legendary names such as Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn and Ingrid Bergman as its brand ambassadors. Hamilton, a mid-price watch brand from the Swatch group stable, is closely associated with Hollywood. Its love affair started in 1965 when Elvis Presley sported the Ventura model in the movie Blue Hawaii. Recently, Angelina Jolie sported the T-Touch watch from Tissot in the movie Lara Croft - Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. With shop shelves seeing a variety of commodities, celebrities help the brands to stand out of the crowd. They ensure brand prominence; they impart a distinct identity to the brands, create linkages with the star's personality and add new dimensions to the brand image, thereby creating media and promotion opportunities.

India's ambassadors
An Indian celebrity helps connect a foreign brand with the Indian consumer. After all, who can communicate more effectively with an Indian than a fellow Indian? The choice of the celebrity, thus, is very critical. The personality and the brand, both have to complement each other. According to a LVMH spokesperson, "The core values of the brand Tag Heuer are precision, pride, perfection and passion, which are similar to Shahrukh's. He, therefore, is the perfect brand ambassador for us."

Lisa Ray, associated with Rado in India as a brand ambassador for the last four years, feels that the characteristics of the brand are congruent to her personality traits. "Rado watches stand for innovation in design and materials, are unique, long lasting and out of the ordinary. Some of these characteristics best describe my career and me. In terms of longevity, I have had a fairly long career for someone who is a model. I do not consider myself mainstream and have also made several innovative and non-conformist choices in my career," says Lisa.

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