Week 8-9: Brand Research - Rolex

BRAND HISTORY 

In year 1905, England, Alfred Davis and his brother-in-Law Hans Wilsdorf founded Wilsdorf and Davis which became Rolex SA. Commercial activity was to import Hermann Aegler's Swiss movements to England and placing them with high-quality watch cases made by Dennison and others. These early wristwatches were sold to jewellers, who then put their own names on the dial. The earliest watches from Wilsdorf and Davis were usually hallmarked "W&D" inside the caseback. Rolex was registered as a trademark in 1908 by Wilsdorf and La Chaux-de-Fonds office was opened in Switzerland. 

Now the brand is well known for high-quality and expensive watches. Main focus of the products are for business men.

BRAND IMAGERY

The name "Rolex" was just made up but in one story that was never confirmed by Wilsdorf, recounts that the name came from the French phrase horlogerie exquise, meaning "exquisite clockwork" or as a contraction of "horological excellence".

The company name "Rolex" was registered in 1915. The name was made up to be easily pronounceable in any language. Also it had to be sort to fit easily in the watch and clear.

In 1914 the brand image got better because of the certification of Class A precision certificate that was granted exclusively to marine chronometers.

 As of 2017 Rolex watches continue to have a reputation as status symbols. According to the 2017 Brand Z report, the brand value is estimated $8.053 billion.

HISTORICAL CAMPAIGNS

In 2013, Rolex had campaign: Highlighting Innovators And Rolex Wearers

This campaign advertisement shows 10 people everyone know - from Rolex ambassadors Tiger Woods and Roger Federer, to Marlon Brando, Robert DeNiro, Pablo Picasso, and Martin Luther King Jr, all wearing their Rolexes.

With these people who wore the watch in advertisement, did great actions and are great people. The idea behind this advertisement was just to focus on advertising brand but not one or few specific watches. That's what makes this special. To know that people who achieved something great, had this watch on their hands.

In the 1950s, Rolex began capitalizing commercially on the history its watches had been apart of. In this image which has text of "If you were climbing here tomorrow, you'd wear a Rolex" was an advertisement for first Mount Everest climbers. Climbers the summit with the Rolex watch in their wrists and advertised the Oyster Perpetual Explorer.

To sum it up, Rolex usually uses one to three watches in their advertisements and has some brilliant saying or phrase. Rolex is known for the high quality watches and for lasting long. Advertisements are yet simple and easy to understand.