Timex: Ticking through technology

By communicating the high-end technology aspects of Timex, the watchmaker is aiming to change perceptions rooted to its association with Titan

Engineering a U-turn in consumer perception is perhaps one of the biggest challenges any marketer can come up against. And US-based watchmaker Timex will vouch for that, at least in the Indian context. For, since the day Timex parted ways with Titan Industries in 1998, the brand has had a long, hard, uphill trek in the country.

"For the Indian consumer, Timex was - and to some extent, still is - the less expensive watch from Titan," explains Surajit Roy, vice-president and client services director, HTA. "The brand has phenomenal recall, in the sense that people have heard of Timex. But they still don't know enough about the brand. They don't know that Timex is the No. 1 watch brand in the US and Canada. That Timex is the frontrunner in integrating high-end technology into wristwatches."

These are things that Timex is now communicating through its advertising in the print and electronic media. For instance, its recent TV commercials are all about the brand's technology features - told in a human way. The commercial for Timex Datalink - a watch that reads off PCs and downloads schedules, which makes it a wrist-top secretary - shows how a baby and a dog try to con one another into being bathed.

Again, the ad for Timex Flix - a watch that incorporates next-generation Indiglo technology - shows how a lovey-dovey couple seated on a park bench at night are bothered by insects and bugs that are attracted to the illuminated watch dial. "Although the accent was on technology, the idea was not to show technology in the cold ‘steel' sort of way, but to humanize it," says Roy. "So we gave the communication a humorous spin."

In India, no watchmaker has really talked about technology, which comes in handy for Timex. Actually, Timex is the best equipped to talk tech. "Timex works closely with leading international technology players such as Microsoft and Motorola to introduce high technology into the watch sector," says Kapil Kapoor, managing director, Timex Watches Limited. "Timex has been a leading player in many markets around the world for more than 40 years. It has international stature. In contrast, Titan is a local brand."

In fact, one of the objectives of Timex's communication is to reposition the competition - which essentially means Titan. "Titan does not have a technology watch," Roy points out. "Titan falls into the dress watch and fancy watch segment, and I'd believe it has been boxed into that position. Timex, on the other hand, has the liberty to talk future."

Says Kapoor, "The future is about technology and convergence. And the most convenient place for technology to converge is the human wrist, since most people are already used to wearing a watch and don't need a new accessory to carry. One day, Timex may have an all-in-one watch. Others may have realized this potential too, but Timex is way ahead of its competitors in this regard. That is why the tag line ‘Technology that keeps you ticking'." And although not every Timex consumer will buy a Datalink or a Flix, a positive rub off from tech-speak is expected to fuel sales of non-tech watches.

In India, Timex has approximately 18-per cent share in the 10-to-11-million-units-per-annum organized watch market; Titan commands close to 50 per cent market share. "Our sales curve is definitely rising, particularly as we introduce more of our trendy watches from the international range, targeted at younger people with an attitude towards sports and technology," says Kapoor. "Timex is likely to grow rapidly, and most share increases will come at the expense of Titan."

Interestingly, the fact that Timex is the bestseller in North America has been kept out of the TV campaign. "It's deliberate, as it isn't a good enough ‘reason why' for the consumer," says Roy. "It is more a reassurance that helps solve the perception that Timex is inferior to Titan. So we are communicating this in print and at the showrooms."

Agency: HTA, Delhi

The Team:

Creative : Vipin Sood, Bhavna Gupta, Protyush Chatterjee

Servicing : Surajit Roy, Animesh Mishra, A. Kalyan

Filmmaker : Sanjeev Khangaonkar

Production House : Looking Glass

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