On the eve of the 2016 BAFTA weekend, WatchPro speaks to Anais Leconte, marketing director of 88 Rue Du Rhone, the official watch and timing partner of the BAFTA Film Awards.
Having only launched in 2012, 88RDR is firmly establishing itself within key watch purchasing markets worldwide – in terms of your marketing strategy can you explain your approach in terms of communicating the key USPs of the Brand ?
The brand being still young, what is important is to create a recognisable DNA around the brand and its key products. In terms of communication, this is essential for us to convey a strong message: quality timepieces, Swiss knowledge, watchmaking family heritage, refined design, all at an accessible price point. We focus our communication efforts on key models showing these elements.
You have entered an interesting price sector where there are only a handful of strong competitors, however the category is now growing – how does your marketing and communication strategies differ from your competitors in this price point?
We focus on the Swiss quality and watchmaking heritage. Our founders are the grandsons of the renowned watchmaker Raymond Weil. With their family, they have more than hundred years of knowledge and experience. In our price point, you will find a lot of sportive or fashion brands, on our side, we emphasize our classic and refined design for an elegant and dynamic target.
You have associated the brand with highly prestigious brand partnerships in film over the course of the past 4 years – please explain this strategy?
Our co-founders are fans of the cinema universe and the values it conveys. We share a lot of common points; creating a watch is also a way to tell a story. Actors reflect the story of a movie as our clients represent our brand around the world.
Please highlight any key campaigns executed since the brand’s creation that were the most successful for the brand in terms of visibility and sales?
Our campaigns around film events were very successful. BAFTA and the Miami Film Festival were two special campaigns that brought a lot to the brand in terms of visibility and sales.
In terms of online verses offline strategies – what have been the brand’s biggest successes to date?
The market is changing in the luxury sector. In our price point, online becomes more and more attractive for customers. However most of them still like to go in-store, discuss with sales people and try the watch on their wrist.
Social media is becoming key to all brands – what type of strategy/ platforms are you adopting?
We are obviously on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google +. We focus more and more our efforts on Instagram as users really like to share special moments of their lives such as when they are receiving a watch as a present. “Time to” is also a big theme for Instagram users, they share the different moments of their lives through their watches.
How important is social media to the brand – is there a direct correlation between sales and campaigns?
Of course social media is very impactful for a brand like ours. We target young and dynamic people and they are very active on social media. There is a direct correlation between sales and campaigns. This is why our efforts are being directed to digital for the coming years.
