Digital media’s the new black for some

GUESS? Watches™ needed a true digital agency to guide their first big dive into the digital world for the 2010 fall watch launch into 50+ countries. The initiative needed to be handled in an innovative, sexy, yet careful way.

GUESS?™ is synonymous with fashion throughout the world since it launched in 1981. Described by many marketing industry pro’s as an image-focused brand, one could imagine how scary the World Wide Web could be. Embracing the digital world of online advertising and social media sites like Facebook and Twitter can feel like an anxiety-ridden-outer-body experience for some brand stakeholders.

When the Guess Watches team from Timex subsidiary, Sequel International, reached out to us to help them launch the fall watch line internationally, we were ecstatic. For starters many of us grew up with the brand and we knew that they are an incredible force in fashion globally. Many of us were wearing our Guess Watches’ when the first call came in. It also helped that the brief said that they were ready to go digital, which is sort of our forte.

Moving fashion forward

In the past launching a watch line consisted of a combination of distributor/dealer conferences, fashion expos, traditional media buys, print catalogs and POP displays; but not this year. This year, Digital Surgeons partnered to create a one of a kind dynamic e-catalog for each of the four new lines of watches. Print catalogs and POP display stayed in the plan, but we added QR-Codes that took the viewer to a dynamic interactive catalog where they could see all of the watches, watch details, buy/locate a dealer and utilize social sharing features.

Social Media doesn’t make the brand…but it sure does help

The POP pieces were beautifully designed, fitted with proper calls-to-action, and offered both digitally and in print. The new goal was to set the stage for the launch by building awareness and exciting all of the distributors, retailers and general public alike.

Communicating to both the distributors and retailers required before, during and after presentations of the plan. This required particular attention; we needed to excite while balancing the use of technology and social media that varied from country to country.

We added a Facebook application with the new catalogs to the Facebook page so users could experience and share the new lines. We planned and placed an entire media campaign using advanced and dynamic online ad-targeting techniques so we could get the most bang for our client’s buck. We crossed a small amount of high-profile-publishers impressions (mostly to satisfy the brand gods) with some social ads then sprinkled in some targeted/retargeted impressions through one of the ad exchanges.

The result

Organic brand searches spiked 20% for six straight months. Distribution of the media plan was well spread throughout the 50 target countries. The Facebook insights and Google Analytics numbers represented that fact well. Overall the Facebook audience grew by 15,000%. The brand received a combination of 300+MM paid and earned impressions globally. Netting them well north of 200,000 catalog views over three months. Each visitor we touched through the integrated digital campaigned spent 65% more time on the site than the average GUESS Watches visitor.

When compared to years prior, online sales were up 20% in the first four weeks. Internationally distributors and retailers were thrilled and it showed through showcase upgrades and increases in co-op advertising dollars.

See a video of the Guess Watches Interactive site in action