I Could Do It Better Myself - PR/Media

So let's now have a look behind the velvet rope of brand PR and have an inside look at a day in the life of watch PR.

5:30 - Up to answer emails, and double-check the calendar.  

6:15 - Make sure the kids are up and dressed, it's dad's turn to take them to school, so for once you have time for your spin class - if you hustle!

7:45 - Following class you are on your way in, when your phone rings.  The personal assistant to the head of sales (Europe) calls to tell you that you need to stop to pick up Nespresso pods, milk, some snacks, etc., as he has very important meetings... the day after tomorrow.

8:30 - Safely at your desk, you double-check the press release that finally came back from the agency that you were forced to hire (old drinking buddy with the head of sales - UK), who you have discovered does not actually use the native language speakers that he promised that he did.  You know this for two reasons -
1.  The text in the English release is completely jacked-up.
2.  Your brother-in-law who studies languages in university answered a flyer posted in the university's student union looking for freelance/part-time translators, who then called to ask you about company x.

You hit send, and hold your breath.

9:25 - Influencer A who was supposed to be there at 9:00 is still nowhere to be seen, no call, no text, no nothing.

10:15 - Halfway through what was supposed to be a brief "check-in" meeting with the head of marketing, it becomes quite clear that the project that the entire company has been pushing with a partnership with movie star/philanthropist Z is about to be abruptly dumped in favor of a new brand ambassador campaign featuring a football star from a large, famous team in the UK.  You take note of the autographed photos of famous footballers on the walls of the head of marketing's office, and mentally accept that you and your team are about to embark on a "bromance" on behalf of a grown-assed man who will probably be working for a different brand inside of 9 months.

11:55 - Realizing that you might, for once, be able to enjoy your lunch on your own (i.e. no wining and dining of media or clients), you reach out to your friend who works nearby and make a reservation.

12:15 - Just as you are seated and about to order, your cell phone rings and it is a frantic front reception person back at the office.  Influencer A is there, spitting vitriol that he was not picked up at his hotel (which is in Zurich, and your office is, let's just say, a few hours away), and is clearly in no good mood.  

You apologize to your friend, dash to the car and double-time it back to the office.  You scan the front lobby where there is no sign of Influencer A. Your phone rings again and it is the CEO asking you to come to his office.  

And there, settled across from each other sipping Prosecco are the CEO and Influencer A.  The CEO lets you know that he and Influencer A are going to have lunch, and could you please book a table.  You call back the restaurant that you had abandoned just a short while ago, and explain the situation.  The restaurant manager is very familiar with the machinations of the CEO and a table is "created".  

While the CEO and Influencer A are out, you call each department to make sure that you can get him in.  You cancel the balance of your appointments for the rest of the afternoon, and you inhale a left-over sandwich from yesterday's meeting.  

14:15 - Returning a bit toasted and at least in a better mood, you begin the rounds ferrying Influencer A around.

15:25 - A journalist in North America who you have a good working relationship sends you a What's App message gently letting you know that your agency made a bit of a mess with the translation.  You make a note to speak again with the head of marketing to see if a change can be made with the translation agency.

16:30 - You greet Influencer A at the door, pass over a lavish goody bag which also includes the latest watch which he asked for (really, not-so-subtly demanded), place him in a taxi, and hand him the last of your cash to pay for his train ticket back to Zurich (you can submit the reimbursement tomorrow).

17:15 - Luckily, the kids spent the afternoon with Grandma, so you simply need to head there to pick them up.  As you are nearly out the door, the head of marketing pulls you aside to let you know that he might have "accidentally" told Influencer A that a car would take him from his hotel in Zurich to the factory this morning, and could you please arrange a bottle of champagne to be sent to Influencer A's room with a note saying how sorry you are that the car was not arranged?  This is more of a directive than a request, so you nod, and make the arrangements as you head to your car, and finally, home.

Tomorrow is another day!

cancan - the Upcycled Watch

Full credit, and thank you to Patrik-Philipp Huber for sharing this!



This has already been written about in Uhren Basel News, but in case you do not subscribe to that particular news outlet, allow me to acquaint you with the cancan watch.

Courtesy of cancan

Now I am a little jealous, the idea of a watch made from clearly re-purposed items like cans or even Nespresso capsules has always been something that has intrigued me.  So hats off to Robert H. Welfare.  He contrived of an idea to neatly and relatively simply take an existing can and form it into a watch case.

Courtesy of cancan

It is not self-winding, not a tourbillon, will not cure cancer and will certainly not make you younger or more attractive.  But it is, to my way of thinking anyway, a very powerful statement.  And it is really, really cool!

A beautifully simple idea, offered at a wonderfully fair and accessible price - CHF 149.00

Courtesy of cancan

And the pertinent are here, in their own words -

Housing : Aluminium can Recycled

Movement : ETA Quartz

Functions : Hours/minutes/seconds

Waterproof : 30 meters

Bracelet : Silicone

Packaging : Recycled cardboard

This is The Shit That Might Save Elvis - and the planet ; )

You can order yours here -

cancan boutique

Watches and Coffee!!! Blancier's Grand Cru

As a devoted Nespresso user with my own personal machine at the office as well as one at home, this is a watch that really and truly speaks to me!  And FYI - I do participate in the Nespresso Recylcing Program - BUT - I love this idea!  Well done Blancier! 

Here is the info, straight from the source!

Blancier creates watch from empty Nespresso cups Sustainabl​e watch 'upcycles' waste from popular coffee brand.

MANNHEIM – Blancier Handmade Watches has succeeded in making watches from empty Nespresso coffee capsules. A patented system is used to turn the cups into watch faces. In that way Blancier not only contributes to the recycling of used capsules of the popular coffee brand but also creates one of the most sustainable watches in the world.

Courtesy of Blancier

Blancier’s owner Willem Kamerman therefore uses the term ‘upcycling’ rather than ‘recycling’: "We don’t reuse the cups; we turn the waste into something more attractive and valuable. We move up the chain,” he explains.

The series of watches has been given the name of Grand Cru. The owner’s attention is constantly drawn to the sustainable nature of his watch. Literally, as Kamerman explains: “Every time you look at the watch you’re made aware that you don’t have to throw everything away.”The fact that they are mechanical and wound up by hand already makes Blancier’s handmade watches more sustainable than makes of watches powered by batteries. “More than a billion used watch batteries are thrown away every year,” says Kamerman. The Nespresso coffee capsules are made of anodised aluminium. That means the colours are wear-resistant and remain intact even if the capsule is flattened with a thousand-kilo weight. Because every watch face is formed differently from a cup, the resulting watches are exclusive.

Courtesy of Blancier

 The idea of developing this watch came to me while I was waiting to get a coffee at a Nespresso Boutique. I was struck by the fact that the Boutique employees, looking splendid in their smart corporate outfits and even matching shoes, were wearing their “own” watches. As a watch enthusiast I thought how great it would be if every employee also wore a matching watch that was also sustainable. Although Nespresso has a recycling programme, I know from experience that many people still don't use it. So I thought I would try to make a watch face from a used capsule. It looks simple but it isn't,” says Kamerman. It’s a creative product. People get enthusiastic as soon as they see it,” he says.To make the product fully sustainable, he has even found a way of stopping people throwing away the packaging. The watch is presented in a special booklet telling the story of the Blancier Grand Cru series, which people can put in their bookcase. More information: www.grandcruwatch.com or www.blancier.com