On November 24, 2010, Bernie Ecclestone and his young girlfriend were robbed while walking the streets of London at night. Ecclestone suffered injuries from the beating, including bad bruising to his right eye. Reportedly, they were robbed of $314,000 worth of jewelry, including Ecclestone's Hublot.
In envisioning possible billboards/advertisements, marketers brainstorm ideas leading to advertisements that work best for their purpose. While walking down the street, I have become more aware of such lucrative ads as the current Manhattan Mini Storage advertisement plastered on their 17th street location. The ad reads "If you don't like gay marriage, don't get gay married". Consumers can take offense to such a advertisement, or can laugh at it. Either way, they accomplished their goal - the consumer stopped and looked at the advertisement, while making an impression. Hublot/F1's advertisement and Manhattan Mini Storage have something in common.
The Hublot/F1 advertisement features a picture of the battered Ecclestone with the line "See what people will do for a Hublot". They achieved their goal in making an ad that catches your attention while flipping through the pages of WatchTime magazine, or at a Hublot Authorized Dealer.
How can this particular ad be interpreted? Are you telling me that if someone sees me with a Hublot that I'm going to get jumped? Is it safe for me to purchase such a watch that catches the attention of those with malicious thinking? Kudos to Ecclestone for turning an unfortunate situation into a marketing ploy for Hublot & F1, but I'm not the consumer that sees the ad and is aroused by Hublot's popularity among the general public, possibly leading to a situation of my own similar to Ecclestone's. Sure, the ad is meant to be interpreted as - Hublot is an amazing brand, everyone wants it, so you should too.
Hublot has gained enormous popularity over the past 6 years after the introduction of the original Big Bang. They've done an amazing job taking the company from virtually unknown to what it is now. But while I like Rolex and most brands well known to the general public, I like to feel comfortable knowing that I'm wearing a product of quality, but one that will not be stripped from my wrist walking the streets of NY.
