Jean-Claude Biver Case

As the top watch brand, Hublot is only 30 years old, it's not necessary to follow the old brand tradition.

"Our 50% marketing budget used on the global new media" Jean-Claude Biver said to the journalist of Successful Marketing.

It is hard to image that such action came from Swiss top wrist watch brand Hublot, which belongs to the global well-know luxury group LVMH.

Why Hublot can bravely put into new media? May be she is very young. Hublot is the youngest in several high-end wrist watch brands. Omega was born in Switzerland in 1848, and then Tag Heuer came after 12 years, even Zenith 5 years younger than Tag Heuer, but Hublot was born more than a century later in 1980. She is only 30 years old, not not necessary to follow the old brand tradition.

Hublot set up marketing position to charge of social network, and also seeking such kind of person in Chinese market.

Focus on New Media

It's very important to fix the right position for the young brand who wants to rapidly open the market. In 2004, Biver became the CEO of Hublot. As the marketing elite who saved two well-known watch brands Blanpain and Omega, Biver clearly understand, Hublot had to avoid competing for the market belongs to the old luxury well-know watch which had hundreds of years history, they had to open new market, so he chose the young entrepreneurs between 25-45 years old.

Compared with the past luxury wrist watch consumers, they are younger and prefer the design with future sense. Meanwhile, they also used to the internet, for instance of U.S market and China market, the U.S internet users' average age is 40, more than 50% of Chinese net users between 20-40 years old.

Hublot began to set up new media very early. In 2006, June, Biver built Hublot TV, which is the first online TV channel in the history of luxury brand. The TV station staff made kinds of news about brand and push it to the whole world.

After that, the spread of social net station changed the communication way between the brand and consumers. Biver turned his direction on this new platform, and specially set the marketing position to charge of social net. At present, Hublot has 210,000 funs on Facebook, and keep rapid growing trend. Biver said Hublot also planed to seek such kind of person in Chinese market.

"New media is a key strategy of our future marketing management, it's very important." said by Biver.

Not only Hublot realized the significance of new media, but also many high-end brands, they decided to sell clothing and bag directly to Chinese consumers by internet. Emporio Armani took the lead to try, opened internet sales business by his owned website. Gucci, Burberry Group PLC and Italy shoemaking businessman Tod's SpA all had plan to enter into Chinese online business.

Unrestrained Gambling

Swiss advanced wrist watch brands had passion for sponsoring sports events: Rolex had cooperated with Wimbledon for 42years, the spokesmen included classical musician and tennis player. Omega has been 22 times Olympic Games official appointed timekeeper in the hundreds years of Olympic history. And Mission hills golf game hold by Omega also had fame in the field. Jaeger-Le Coultre produced Reverso watch for polo sports.

However, football has never been sponsored by any luxury watch brands.

Hublot broke the tradition again. Hublot began to cooperate with Machester United and European Cup from 2005. In 2006 German World Cup, Hublot became the partner of Swiss Football