Now for readers not familiar with American (i.e. not Association or Rugby or Australian) Football, take a quick moment to view the clip below before moving forward -
For those of you who want even more detail -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Liberty_play
In soccer (Association Football) you would probably compare it with the Cruyff Turn -
And for those of you unfamiliar wanting more background -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruyff_Turn
Essentially, it is a sleight of hand or misdirection to create an opportunity when your opponent is looking the other way.
So what do trick plays in sports have to do with what was the world's most important watch show?
Well, imagine if you will, a world where MCH (i.e. BaselWorld) realized that desperate times would require desperate measures. And then, imagine, if you will, a group that has not been as successful in recent times as it had in the past. A group that would say jump, and other groups, brands, retailers and pretty much every journalist in the world would ask - "How high?" that now is isolated and on its own. Switzerland is a pretty large Monopoly board, and even though logic would lead you to believe that the natural choice would be to head to Geneva, the reality is that Hall 1 could sufficiently host SWATCH and all of the other independent brands that have now been left behind.
This would, of course, be the ultimate Statue of Liberty play. It would require MCH to reach out to SWATCH and offer a true partnership. Now the obvious argument would be that without Patek, Rolex, and LVMH there is nothing left in the fair. Well, maybe yes and maybe no. Consider other groups (Festina, Movado) who left the fair in the past, that if the environment was a bit more inviting, and the associated fees more realistic, they might consider coming back. I have gone to a LOT of BaselWorld fairs. There have been a LOT of brands that have been in and out and in the fair again. A fair with just the folks left behind is not going to attract much of anyone, particularly if BaselWorld sticks to the proposed dates of January/February.
But, what if Hayek the younger has been sitting in Biel, quietly calculating just such a move? Stranger things have happened. And in truth? We passed strange globally about 6 weeks ago.
I realize it's a wild, hare-brained theory, but what if?
For those of you who want even more detail -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Liberty_play
In soccer (Association Football) you would probably compare it with the Cruyff Turn -
And for those of you unfamiliar wanting more background -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruyff_Turn
Essentially, it is a sleight of hand or misdirection to create an opportunity when your opponent is looking the other way.
So what do trick plays in sports have to do with what was the world's most important watch show?
Well, imagine if you will, a world where MCH (i.e. BaselWorld) realized that desperate times would require desperate measures. And then, imagine, if you will, a group that has not been as successful in recent times as it had in the past. A group that would say jump, and other groups, brands, retailers and pretty much every journalist in the world would ask - "How high?" that now is isolated and on its own. Switzerland is a pretty large Monopoly board, and even though logic would lead you to believe that the natural choice would be to head to Geneva, the reality is that Hall 1 could sufficiently host SWATCH and all of the other independent brands that have now been left behind.
This would, of course, be the ultimate Statue of Liberty play. It would require MCH to reach out to SWATCH and offer a true partnership. Now the obvious argument would be that without Patek, Rolex, and LVMH there is nothing left in the fair. Well, maybe yes and maybe no. Consider other groups (Festina, Movado) who left the fair in the past, that if the environment was a bit more inviting, and the associated fees more realistic, they might consider coming back. I have gone to a LOT of BaselWorld fairs. There have been a LOT of brands that have been in and out and in the fair again. A fair with just the folks left behind is not going to attract much of anyone, particularly if BaselWorld sticks to the proposed dates of January/February.
But, what if Hayek the younger has been sitting in Biel, quietly calculating just such a move? Stranger things have happened. And in truth? We passed strange globally about 6 weeks ago.
I realize it's a wild, hare-brained theory, but what if?
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