Russia is not one of Omega’s top markets, but Omega President Stephen
Urquhart expects the Olympics to boost brand awareness and provide a
sales bump in the coming years. “The Olympics, up until a few months ago, hasn’t had any effect (on our
business),” he said. “You need to get into the actual event for the
effect to take hold. We feel the last couple of months a little more
hype with our Olympic (marketing). Not just for the brand, but even for
the sales.”
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Urquhart said China is a much bigger market for the Swiss brand, but he
anticipates the effect of the Sochi Games, in terms of raising Omega’s
brand awareness and boosting sales in Russia, to be similar to what it
witnessed in China following the 2008 Beijing Games. Urquhart said the key to Omega’s sales success in Russia would be the
way the market develops in the coming years. The middle class in Russia
is small and still evolving. “This will develop, and the fact that we’re associated with these fantastic Games here can be really positive,” Urquhart said. Omega is using the Olympics to raise its brand awareness in Russia’s
largest cities, namely St. Petersburg and Moscow. It set up countdown
clocks in nine cities a year prior to the Games, and it is running an ad
promoting its co-axial timing system across Russia. It will host an
event to promote its ladies watches in Moscow next month called “Time
for Women.”
OLYMPIC SHOWCASE: In Sochi, the company built its first showcase pavilion in an Olympic
Park since the Beijing Games. The two-story, temporary silver building
sits in the shadow of Fisht Stadium, which hosted the Opening Ceremony.
There is red Omega signage on the exterior and a red Omega-brande
d
bobsled in front of it. Downstairs there is an exhibit detailing the evolution of the
time-keeping products Omega has used at the Olympics. Upstairs there is a
bar, a lounge, a dining area and a veranda that overlooks Olympic Park. Urquhart said it was a “great location” and the perfect place to host
six waves of guests from Russia, North America, Asia and Europe. He said
the brand looked at renting space in town, as it had in London with its
SoHo-based Omega House, but opted for the Park. “In Sochi, where do you go?” Urquhart asked. “There’s nowhere to go. You
could go down to the seaport but you’re away from this, an hour away.
Here, we’re right in the middle of the whole activity. It’s a big
investment, but I think it’s worth it.”
NUMB TO SPORTS: In addition to its efforts in Russia, Omega bought advertising with NBC
that highlights its co-axial system. During the London Games, Omega’s ad
featured The Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up” and showed swimmers and
sprinters on the starting block. But for Sochi, Urquhart said that the
brand shifted the focus of its advertising from Olympic sports and
endorsers, like Michael Phelps, to its co-axial system because he felt
viewers get numb to sports during the Games. “There’s no point in showing an Olympic ad,” Urquhart said. “Everyone
knows what skiers do. We’re there to have a watch with a fabulous story
behind it. To have this ad there is fantastic for the Games.”
