The attendance recorded by the 19 exhibiting brands was up, as were the business volumes, the signs of a recovery that began at the turn of the year.
The Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) is now held in January, to the satisfaction of the 19 exhibiting brands, which as a result are better able to plan their production and deliveries over the whole year. This general sentiment thus corroborates the choice made last year to position this event at the beginning of the year - a choice that will be repeated in 2011.
While 2009 will be remembered above all as a year marked by a global economic crisis that did not spare Fine Watchmaking, the next twelve months are likely to be a completely different vintage. The increase in attendance recorded at the 2010 SIHH - despite greater selectiveness in extending invitations - is a very clear sign of this. The number of visitors was 10% up on last year at 12,500, 1,200 of whom were representatives of the international media.
The signals of recovery observed at the end of last year during the pre-Christmas sales period were also confirmed at this anniversary edition of the SIHH. At the end of a week devoted to the theme of Fine Watchmaking, the brands’ sales teams were openly optimistic that business would increase over the coming months.
After the arrival of Ralph Lauren Watch and Jewelry Co in 2009, this year it was the watchmaking firms Greubel Forsey and Richard Mille which joined the ranks of the SIHH exhibitors. The visitors made a point of welcoming their presence by showing a keen interest in these two watch houses, which were delighted to have joined the event, both for the image it conveys and for the business opportunities it creates.
This edition of the SIHH confirms - if this were necessary - the central role that Geneva plays in Fine Watchmaking. After the exuberance seen in recent years, watchmaking firms have today reverted to a form of classicism and fundamental values that have stood them well over the centuries. This approach has led, in particular, to a showcasing of creation, innovation and the art-related crafts, which were truly sublimated this year by some exceptional models presented by the different watchmaking firms.
The SIHH is organized by the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie under the aegis of the Exhibitors’ Committee, which guarantees its independence and ensures that its vocation of quality and excellence is preserved. Two imperative requirements to which the next edition of the SIHH - due to be held from January 17 to 21, 2011 - will remain loyal.
Under Blog Siege-One week after the SIHH ended, almost 2,000 blog articles had been published on the Internet. An analysis of the phenomenon and brands most publicized.
This twentieth edition of the SIHH was notably marked by the presence of a number of bloggers perusing the brands’ stands alongside journalists belonging to both broad and specialized press. Just a few years ago, these web editors would have had to wait for the magazine coverage to take place before being able to write their own articles and blogs providing their points of view on the new products. Today, certain bloggers are even invited by the brands themselves, certainly a sign of evolution within the PR machinery, which may now place more consideration on this new—and perhaps generational—type of communication. This is a tendency confirmed by Fabienne Lupo, director of the Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH), who confided to the website businessmontres.com, “The SIHH, like the entire industry, has profited from the Internet communication boom, which has provided a great deal of visibility, especially considering that this fair is a private one. The web journalists are of course less numerous, though they represent a constant progression: a few dozen in comparison to the more than 1,300 print journalists present at the show.”
Strong impact
Very independent because they do not generally have the direct pressure of paid advertisers, web editors and their daily postings oftentimes have a considerable impact on consumers, who like the industry as a whole, use the advantage of the Internet to inform themselves about watchmaking on a day-to-day basis.
“Watch brands are used to controlling what is said about them,” explains Ariel Adams, a prominent blogger present at the SIHH. “Brands will soon learn that the Internet is already the premiere location for people to learn about and research watches—even more than magazines. Bloggers will force brands to reevaluate their relationships with the media, and they won't have the traditional level of control. I hope that it will force them to improve not only their communication, but the thoughts behind their product marketing.”
From collector scene followers to professional journalists, collective blogging until January 31 had totaled about 2,000 articles on the nineteen brands exhibiting at the SIHH.
Purposeful relationships
Among the brands most visible on blogs were Van Cleef & Arpels and Cartier, between them occupying 25 percent of bloggers’ attention, with 280 and 274 articles respectively across all languages (see graphic). This represents an almost disproportionate amount of visibility for Van Cleef & Arpels, primarily a “ladies’ watch” brand. Clearly, Van Cleef & Arpels reaps the fruits of a special labor, as the brand’s marketing manager for watches, Louis de Meckenheim, reveals, “Van Cleef & Arpels recognizes the impact and influence that today’s blogger has on our watch world. As our creations continue to evolve from a poetic and technical perspective, it is important for us to develop and maintain strong relationships with key online journalists and bloggers who demonstrate the authority to spread our message and to create conversations in the digital media space about Van Cleef & Arpels timepieces. As a brand, we have made the decision on a worldwide level to pursue this communication medium and continue expanding our touch points with this new and incredible online audience. Bloggers are free souls motivated by passion, [and so] we have something in common with this community.”
Cartier president Bernard Fornas doesn’t find the resulting blog statistics odd. Largely mentioned in the online categories of business and finance, the interviews he gave to the international press were at times orchestrated to illustrate the signs of an industry on the mend, but also to spread the semester results of the Richemont group, which were announced parallel to the fair.
Positive echoes
For Jaeger-LeCoultre, Panerai, and Audemars Piguet, the number of articles published oscillated between 160 and 180, demonstrating a continuing strong interest in these brands, who can well be described as pillars of the world of haute horlogerie.
Vacheron Constantin and Piaget followed in the blog ranking, perhaps fueled by the obvious trend toward extra-flat models in a quasi retro style.
Baume & Mercier embarked on a pioneering path in the world of social media. Launching an innovative campaign on Facebook just days before the SIHH opened, the brand created a concept spotlighting an the heiress of the brand: Simone Gaudard, the granddaughter of company founder William Baume, who found her way back to the brand in order to invite consumers to take part in posting on the history of “their” Baume & Mercier watches.
A positive Internet echo bounced back to Richard Mille, who participated in the SIHH for the first time. About sixty articles confirmed the brand’s vitality and a tangible appreciation for its products.
“In the end, [the watch companies] need to realize that most watch bloggers are serious watch lovers … that only want them to succeed and release the best products possible,” Adams sums up.
No comments:
Post a Comment