Puneet Sewra, Marketing Director, TAG Heuer India talks about the brand’s latest campaign, Don’t Crack Under Pressure, signing on two brand ambassadors and how their four Ps differentiate them in the luxury market
BY SALONI DUTTA
Q] TAG Heuer recently revived its global ad campaign, Don’t Crack Under Pressure. How are you disseminating it in India?
The best way to disseminate the campaign in India is with two of the biggest names in Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan and Ranbir Kapoor. More than a campaign, it is TAG Heuer’s philosophy. The watch industry is all about precision, there are brands that come up with one hundredth of a second. We have ten thousandth of a second, the most precise and accurate chronograph. With severe competition in the market, everyone tends to follow the herd. We challenged the game, did things our way and did not crack under the pressure of competition. Watch ads are becoming repetitive in the sense that the brand ambassador is either seen wearing the watch or posing with it. We are to blame to a certain extent as we were the first ones to do it. Don’t Crack Under Pressure was first launched in the ‘90s and has been the most iconic campaign for TAG Heuer. Since we were changing the brand’s positioning, making it more young and dynamic, we re-launched the campaign while continuing with the brand’s 150-year-old inspiration, motorsports. To make the revived campaign relevant to today, we have ambassadors such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Maria Sharapova, who are constantly performing under pressure. We call them ‘time-changers’. The philosophy is that there are some people who succeed in their time and there are those who succeed in changing their time. In the Indian context, everyone is trying to be the hero by being the romantic lead. Shah Rukh Khan is the first one who began as an anti-hero and then became a star. It’s been 20 years and he is now the king of Bollywood. He did not crack under pressure and redefined his own role. Ranbir Kapoor fits in beautifully with this campaign as well.
Q] How will Shah Rukh Khan and Ranbir Kapoor contribute differently to build the brand in India?
Quite differently. They are both stars in their own right. It’s not about their career stage but about their work and fan following. I am yet to come across a person who does not like either of them. Their collective fan base combines the younger and older audience. Between the two, we’re targeting the entire universe.
Q] Which markets contribute greatly to the brand’s growth?
A significant chunk of business comes from Delhi. The Mumbai and Chennai markets are growing and show potential. We just opened a boutique in Kolkata, which is another market we are developing. The idea is to be strong in Delhi but develop other markets at the same time.
Q] How does TAG Heuer approach its marketing? Which medium receives a major chunk of your ad spends?
At TAG Heuer, we believe in coming up with breakthrough innovations in our marketing. For our recent event announcing Ranbir Kapoor as brand ambassador, we moved away from the conventional 5-star hotel and went to Budh International Circuit, which also links to our motorsports theme. We had high energy stunt performances with Volkswagen cars with whom we have an association. To top it, Ranbir made his entry with a parachute. Breakthrough marketing helps when you have a small media budget. To create noise, you need to create talking points, something that people can remember and relate to. We reach a selective audience and attempt to create a lasting memory by what we have done and not because they are seeing our ads 20 times a day.
The majority of our spends go to Print. It helps us reach the right audience by allowing us to segregate the markets we want to target. There is some wastage but it is less than TV. We also spend on Digital as it helps us measure the effectiveness of campaigns and is cost effective. Our Digital spends used to be almost negligible but now they have almost doubled year-on-year. We use OOH and TV selectively. When we do OOH, we do not take 20 hoardings in the same city, but just one landmark hoarding that people will not miss. India is the only country where TAG Heuer has two ambassadors. This shows the focus that TAG has for India and the kind of investments it is looking for. The investment pie is only going to go up.
Q] What are some of the innovations done to increase brand voice?
We place a lot of emphasis on PR and events. We want people to be seen wearing a TAG watch more than us simply advertising the brand. You cannot sell a TAG Heuer watch just by showing ads. You want people to believe it is premium and there is a certain prestige attached to it. PR is important in order to make people understand the art of watch-making. While browsing a magazine, how many ads would one remember? If there is an article that talks about the art of watch-making or the lineage of TAG Heuer, it engages the consumer. We don’t want people to buy a TAG Heuer watch for the sake of it. We want him to know why he is buying it. He needs to be passionate about motorsports, cars and racing. By doing cool events and sharing them on Digital, we want to engage the youth.
Q] What is the brand’s USP?
TAG Heuer’s USP lies in the 4 Ps: passion, precision, performance and prestige. In the luxury industry, you have to be passionate about your brand. It’s the reason brands command a certain premium. Precision, because it is a timing instrument. It is a performance brand represented best by time-changers, our global ambassadors, Cristiano Ronaldo and Maria Sharapova. Watches are the only accessory that most men wear, which is why prestige comes into play.
About the Brand
TAG Heuer, founded in 1860 by Edouard Heuer, has marked the history of luxury watch-making, especially in the fields of chronographs and ultimate precision. TAG Heuer is focused on its quest for innovation, excellence and performance. This ambition is reflected in its many motor racing partnerships which include the F1 Vodaphone McLaren Mercedes team and its World Champion Jenson Button, the Automobile Club of Monaco for the Monaco Grand Prix, and the FIA Formula E Championship. The Patrick Dempsey racing team has recently been added to this list. The brand also partners with Steve McQueen, who wore a Monaco in the film ‘Le Mans’, Cameron Diaz, Shah Rukh Khan, Chen Dao Ming, Cristiano Ronaldo and Maria Sharapova. All these partners feature in a new advertising campaign that boldly defends the view that success belongs to those who stand up to pressure.
FACTS
Creative Agency: BBDO (Don’t Crack Under Pressure)
Media Agency: ZenithOptimedia
Digital Agency: Zed Digital
Social Media: In-house
BTL/Activation agency: Project-based
PR Agency: The Communication Council
Marketing Tip
You need to know your audience and create your products and campaigns from the consumer’s point of view.
CMO File
Through various innovative marketing campaigns and associations, Puneet Sewra has successfully established TAG Heuer as an avant-garde brand in the consumer’s mindset in India. Prior to joining LVMH Watch & Jewellery, Sewra headed Marketing for Reebok in India. He is an avid photographer and loves to explore the world from behind the lens. A self-confessed automobile enthusiast and gadget freak, Sewra is an alumnus of Sydenham College, Mumbai University and a management graduate from IIM, Calcutta.
Feedback: saloni.dutta@exchange4media.com
