I am admittedly an accessory geek, but I love watches most of all. Digital, analog, chronograph, leather, stainless steel, titanium. It really doesn’t matter, as long as it looks right or appeals to me some way….
For the past 15-20 years, I’ve lusted after Festina watches. Festina was a long time sponsor of professional cycling, which is how I got to know the brand.
Festina has the dubious honor of being linked to the first major doping scandal in professional cycling- the 1998 Festina Affair. Regardless of this tainted association, Festina still managed to hold my attention for their beautifully crafted watches. They also remained involved with the sport of cycling and until a few years ago was still the official timekeeper of the Tour de France.
So anyway, I like the watches. However, the watches have always been too expensive for me to justify spending the money on. Thanks to the association with cycling, the US distributor allowed the watches to be sold through bike shops and shop employees were offered discounts on the watches. Still, the watches were too expensive for me. I was working in a bike shop, racing as much as possible and spending nearly all my money on parts or racing. An expensive Spanish watch wasn’t really in the cards. But still I lusted….
The cycling industry is notorious for not exactly paying a king’s ransom in salary. The main perk for most of us in the business is that we get to be around the simple, beautiful machines we love so much, we get to work with people we really enjoy, we get great friendships and get to talk about bikes and cycling all day every day. But big salaries are not typically a part of the package.
Instead, I get to ride my bike every day at lunch for an hour or so. Anyway, the point is that I’ve never really made the kind of money that has put me in a position to comfortably slap down the money (or the plastic) to buy one of my beloved Festina watches.
A few weeks ago, I was drawn to the watch counter at the mall (as usual). Glimmering under the glass and calling my name sat a Tour de France edition Festina watch with unique yellow/gold face. It even says “Chrono Bike” on the face. Cycling and a gorgeous timepiece merged together in one shimmering jewel.
So… yes, I bought the damn watch. After so many years of wanting (needing) this watch, I finally bought it. Yes, it was on sale with a huge discount and was still the most expensive watch I’ve ever purchased. But after nearly 25 years of being a cyclist and being in the bike industry, I felt I had earned it (at least that is the story I gave my wife).
What does all of this have to do with marketing? Well, simple- tap into the hearts and passions of people, draw that emotional connection, and you will have them for life. I mean, I waited for 20 years to buy this watch. It held a place in my imagaination for all that time and remained a symbol of my passion and achievement. Connect to your customer and find out what they are passionately dreaming of and you can be a part of their lives for a very long time.
It is similar to the passionate people who are emotionally attached to the bikes I sell. I try to enable their passions and connect to those passions. It helps that I share that very same passion, but you don’t have to be that close to the topic to be able to relate to people’s passions.
I certainly hope that I have this watch for a very long time to come. There are more expensive watches out there that I want, but this particular one is a part of my life and my life’s passion so I hope to have it with me for at least the next 20 years.
Shouldn’t we all want to have such enthusiastic and passionate users?
“Shouldn’t we all want to have such enthusiastic and passionate users?”
Yes! But in your case, what is the catalyst for that passion? Is it simply the association with cycling?
man, why you do not shave your arm?
anyway great watch. you are definitely right when say about the emotional connection. i have the same thing for the ellsworth bike and you can understand me. hope to get one earlier than 20 years.
Tim,
Passion and emotional connections, in your case cycling, are two of the experiential drivers we marketers attempt to create for our clients products and services (brand really).
My hope for Festina, however, is that desire and value (emotional connectors) drive customers to purchase sooner and faster than the common sense approach taken by “Tim the accessory geek.”
Most businesses can’t afford years before selling product to their A List passionate and emotionally connected customers.
Have a great ride today, Tim.
Cam- Yes, it was the connection to cycling that introduced me to the brand and that emotional attachment began. I have always been a big fan of companies, especially the ones outside of cycling, who have supported cycling. Through their sponsorship of cyclilng, they connected to me and then tied their marketing, for a number of years, to that connection. It was aimed directly at ME, but at all of the people like me.
G- I do understand the Ellsworth thing. Masi was like that for me too, so just imagine my joy at getting this job. (And I can’t quite get myself to shave my arms yet.)
You are so cool Tim, I have wanted to buy one of those watches for my husband for years. I’ve said before, he used to race. Did you ever ride El Tour de Tucson?
Anyway, I was thinking about passions alot recently. I wrote this poem: Misplaced Passion: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=123527540&blogID=196681641&MyToken=61a3e760-cd8b-493a-ac11-e5b042cae465
I put the link only because I didn’t want to clog up this page with my poetry.
Anyway, back to passions, Cars: I had a triumph spitfire in college.
Guitars: Oh to have an American blonde Telecaster!!
I am a brand snob even when it comes to household products. I know I should be more earth friendly but some products simply work better…Shout stain remover, BIZ bleach, Listerine…don’t get me started…I love Listerine
Maybe it’s a personality querk that makes some of us more brand loyal. Or we’re genetically designed to prefer a specific brand over another. Or my favorite reason; sentimental value!
My greatest passion now is my daughter!
I agree with Gianandrea…shave that arm dude, wax, laser?
Tammy- I’m glad you think I’m cool. Most people just think I’m a dork.
I haven’t done the El Tour yet, but I will one of these days. I’m hoping to get out that way in February for a couple of the early season races this year. One of the stage races starts with a street sprint event- perfect for me.
Brand loyalties come in all shapes and sizes; passion, emotional ties, performance, image, etc. Getting those loyalties established is every brand’s goal.
Lewis- I agree with you. With an established brand like mine (over 70 years old) or Festina, they are cultivating a long-time following. New brands need to do the same thing, but they need it right now. By finding a “hook” that taps into potential consumer’s passions, they can accelerate the process.
For example, if another watch maker came onto the scene, they’d buy my love pretty quickly by going after something cycling related just because that is “where I live”. Find out where the consumer lives and give them something based off of that. Another example- we designed a new model bike that I was confident would suit what people would do with the bike, not what I wanted them to do with the bike. I would love for all of my bikes to be raced, but I know they won’t all get raced. In fact, very few of them will. The bike in question is the ultimate fun bike for road geeks. (We’ve got three times as many of them sold as we have in stock.)
Now, if any watch companies are reading this- I can be bought! I am watch whore- call me…
I’m so glad you got your watch–and I dig the color. I fell in love with a watch once (a Movado). Had it for a decade…and lost it. So I’m glad yours finally found you.
Jeez! 20 years lusting after a Festina watch? I can’t imagine 2 years, really, but maybe I’m needy that way.
Either way, Festina obviously made the decision to mean something to a smaller market, rather than mean little to a larger market. Nice to see!
This must be why my next car will be an Aston Martin V12 Vanquish. (This will keep me in my Audi for a while, which is a very positive by-product of shooting high).
I completely, absolutely share your passion for watches. My next conquest (ah, watch lust) is a De Bethune.
My take is that aspirational brands get to be aspirational because we see them in places and on people who & where we want to be, usually at an early enough age that it just imprints on our DNA. Bond, sports, expensive hobbies and other things that just hit us as extremely cool (when we’re ten or so) stay with us. This is a great lesson *if* this is where your brand lives. Nothing wrong with selling container loads of product through Walmart if that’s your market.
But let’s face it. They don’t sell the really cool stuff there. I’m with you. Can’t wait for the Aston Martin.
CK and Paul- thank you both. I love the watch. It is my own personal symbol of “I made it” in the bike industry. I guess maybe I should aim higher, like a Rolex, Breitling or Tag-Hauer, but I like my Festina a lot.
“I guess maybe I should aim higher, like a Rolex, Breitling or Tag-Hauer, but I like my Festina a lot.”
This made me smile. Tell me which company would not want a customer to think like that. Generally companies have to woo the customers to buy their products. Now the whole dynamics changes when it is the other way around. We work bl&&dy hard to own a Rolex or Breitling or Tag-Hauer. May that is what I really would like to call “Brand Building”.