GENEVA — Snagging the top gong or the first step of the podium isn’t just about skill or dedication.
It’s about being “Designed to Win,” the motto of Tag Heuer‘s latest brand campaigned unveiled Tuesday to coincide with the opening of Watches and Wonders here.
For chief executive officer Antoine Pin, this new tagline is more than a marketing play — it’s about highlighting the Tag Heuer fundamentals, a need that stood out as soon as he took the position in July.
“We are in a world where there is a lot of dilution of brand messages and signifiers, due to many factors,” he told WWD. “So it was about returning to the essence of who we are, a very healthy move as it forces us to structure and clarify our message.”
That message, in a year where the Swiss watchmaker has returned as official timekeeper of Formula 1, is that it’s all about surpassing oneself and being more than the sum of one’s parts — humans and watches alike.
“It’s not just [in] sports,” Pin said. “That’s why it’s such a universal message. You can be the greatest actor on the planet as well. It’s just a matter of balance and hard work.”
Appearing in the black-and-white campaign are those who embody this ideal in the brand’s opinion, such as Ryan Gosling — who also narrates the campaign film; four-time Olympic medal winning hurdler, sprinter and world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone; Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh, who won three gold medals at the 2024 Paris Games, and champion golfer Tommy Fleetwood.
Tommy Fleetwood
Courtesy of Tag Heuer
There are also appearances by Formula 1 champions Ayrton Senna and Max Verstappen, two ace drivers some three decades apart but whose gazes carry a similar determination.
Another major inspiration for the campaign is Senna, revealed Tag Heuer’s chief marketing officer George Ciz.
“A famous quote of his is ‘I’m not designed to come third or second, I’m designed to win,’” the executive said. “This was really the motto Ayrton used to believe in and it struck a chord with us.”
Putting the late Formula 1 driver in a virtual face-off with current champion Verstappen also helps the campaign dovetail into the brand’s return as the motorsport’s official timekeeper from this year, as part of a 10-year deal with parent group LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.
“There are plenty of people who are asking if Tag Heuer will reach the billion-euro mark in sales. That’s not what interests me,” Pin said. “The Tag Heuer spirit is expressing what really takes us forward and if we express it well, if we know how to really carry that message, there is a big community of people who share these very universal values.”
Pin believes that once a brand has the attention of such a cohort, it can continue to touch them. “Results come when we are true in our expression of our work and life philosophy,” he said.
There is opportunity aplenty given the visibility afforded by Formula 1, which counts over 750 million fans worldwide, according to figures from Nielsen Sports last year. But the executive is wary of overreaching, reiterating Tag Heuer’s 100-year connection with sports, particularly chronometry for automobiles.
‘It’s not about seducing 100 percent of the audience of Formula 1,” said Pin. “It’s about really expressing our identity to speak to a community that shares our values, understand our product identity and who will want to invest.”
Yet, two races into the Formula 1 season and that’s already shaping into a win for Tag Heuer, “100 percent in every single aspect,” as Ciz put it.
Exhibit A: the traffic to Tag Heuer stores has seen “more than double-digit growth” since January, according to the CMO.
That’s on top of engagement that has been through the roof. On Instagram, the watchmaker has leaped from seventh place to third in 2023, before climbing to second position last year. Since January, it’s in pole position, ahead of competitors such as Rolex, whose fan base is over five times larger than Tag Heuer’s.
Ayrton Senna
Courtesy of Tag Heuer
“The excitement that we have seen, and the energy that we have seen both in the digital sphere as well as in physical presence in stores has been amazing,” Ciz said.
Rolled out across print and digital media as well as billboards, the campaign is about “inspiring people that really believe that every one of us has the ability to do amazing things,” he continued.
As such, it isn’t geared toward any particular demographic, a broad appeal that Ciz sees as an asset.
“Everyone at the moment is talking about younger generations and focusing on younger consumers. Clearly, we also looking for them, but we also know that our current customers are little bit older,” the CMO continued, noting it was in the 40-plus age range at present.
An audience Tag Heuer is keen to capture is young professionals, a demographic that has earning potential but also high motivation and a keen interest in burnishing every facet of it, from their professional tracks to their well-being and performance.
“And they care about authentic stories,” Ciz said. “We really believe that authenticity is the new currency of luxury.”
