Over the Moon for the Moonswatch: Let’s Talk About Its Success

Crowds gathered outside stores and people worked up into a frenzy, we’ve seen it all with the recent launch of the Omega x Swatch Moonswatch and the thousands excited to get their hands on the timepiece. While the Moonswatch isn't a limited edition piece, the widespread market excitement it created is something worth investigating. Let’s talk about elements which made this collaboration successful. 

1. The Power of Collaboration 

Collaborations can be a powerful and useful tool to increase brand awareness and engagement. In order to come up with a good collaboration, knowing your brand identity well and selecting brands which align with and complement yours well is imperative. Thinking about how your brand can provide value-addedness for your consumers through collaborations also helps to maximise the effectiveness of any tie-ups.

The Moonswatch is an unexpected and unprecedented collaboration between luxury brand Omega and street brand Swatch. While both brands traditionally target different audiences, their complementary collaboration has brought the Moonswatch to the masses. With the Omega Speedmaster Moonwatch costing upwards of $7000 SGD, the Moonswatch which retails for less than $400 SGD presents itself as an appealing and rare alternative for those looking for a taste of luxury without the hefty price tag. With both Omega and Swatch being well-established and well-loved brands, the tie-up has made the Moonswatch a unique timepiece which treads the line between luxury and street to appeal to a large audience. 

2. Compelling Angle

People love a good story and a compelling one can subtly influence their perception of your brand. Good branding tells a story. Take this iconic tagline for example, "You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation." This powerful phrase tells the story of a timepiece which has a noble and touching purpose. It evokes tender emotions associated with family and touches the hearts of consumers. With excellent branding grounded in an appealing angle, consumers will be motivated to interact with a brand that resonates with them.

Omega also tells compelling stories with its branding. Ever since the Omega Speedmaster Professional, also known as the Moonwatch, was worn on the moon, the Omega brand name has been closely associated with space and innovation. Omega has latched onto this compelling angle and fleshed out the concept of exploration through its collections ranging from “Planet Ocean” to “Dark Side of the Moon”. These have built up the foundation of the compelling association between Omega and space, exciting consumers who hold similar values of exploration and innovation close to their heart. With an Omega, or a Moonswatch, the consumer gets to be a part of something so much bigger than themselves. 

3. Alluring Mystery

Market excitement can be built up with a sense of mystery. Keeping consumers curious can make them more likely to keep an eye on your campaign. With the Moonswatch, its announced release in “selected stores” gave the watch an air of elusiveness which successfully drove up demand and anticipation. Based off the scarcity principle, consumers perceive things as more valuable when in shorter supply. This is a principle applied successfully by many brands such as Supreme with their limited edition Supreme x Louis Vuitton Malle Courier 90 Trunk of which only 3 pieces in the world exists. Limited edition items are naturally priced higher and resold for a higher price due to this principle.

The mystery that surrounded the Moonswatch’s availability caused some consumers to mistake it for a limited edition timepiece, causing great frenzy and anger when some were unable to get their hands on it at its launch. Eventually, a statement to reassure them that there were adequate stocks of the Moonswatch and that it was not a limited edition timepiece had to be issued by Swatch. Nevertheless, the strategy utilised in the Moonswatch’s marketing was one that brought great success and attention to it, with Swatch’s stocks going up in prices following its launch. 

Many elements go into the making of a successful campaign and collaboration. The Omega X Swatch collection is one of the many before it from various brands which have been equally successful. It may be difficult to predict the next big thing, but we can make use of pre-existing knowledge and marketing strategies to drive growth. 

At BCD, we engage our clients in creative and holistic ways. If you’re interested in learning how, feel free to contact us. At BCD, our focus is YOU.