Dear Tag Heuer,
First time letter from a long-time fan! I bought my first Tag Heuer (a red and green F1) in the summer of 1990. Later that December I was given another stainless steel Tag Heuer when I completed my studies at the University of Oregon.
I have followed your growth and development with interest and always enjoyed the latest offerings. In particular, the Carrera and the McQueen Monaco have always been my favorites!
Like any brand, I know that you need to stir things up to keep them fresh, and I appreciate that it is a fine line to walk when courting "edginess". Your latest brand ambassador (Cara DELEVINGNE)
fits the bill quite well in terms of helping you connect to a younger, emerging market.
But...
First time letter from a long-time fan! I bought my first Tag Heuer (a red and green F1) in the summer of 1990. Later that December I was given another stainless steel Tag Heuer when I completed my studies at the University of Oregon.
I have followed your growth and development with interest and always enjoyed the latest offerings. In particular, the Carrera and the McQueen Monaco have always been my favorites!
Like any brand, I know that you need to stir things up to keep them fresh, and I appreciate that it is a fine line to walk when courting "edginess". Your latest brand ambassador (Cara DELEVINGNE)
fits the bill quite well in terms of helping you connect to a younger, emerging market.
But...
The video and print campaign that features a baby lion with the ambassador cuddling and playing with it was perhaps not the best informed choice that your marketing and PR teams could have made. To put it plainly - the lion cub had to come from somewhere. Or to put it more basically, mother lions are not really equipped to make the same sort of choices that "stage moms" in the US are. What this means is that a young lion was taken - not by choice - from its family. So why is this a big deal?
Well...
The "Wildlife Petting" industry in Africa is a tragic cycle where young lions are taken away from their mothers to "petting zoos" where the cubs are treated like house pets. That is, until they get too old to pet. Then they are off to the wildlife equivalent of Gladiator. Only the lions aren't armed. Wealthy Americans, Europeans and others pay a fee to get within 3 or 4 meters in a fenced in area and blast away at a lion who is now too familiar with people to suspect anything, and certainly unable to evade the hunters or defend itself. These "brave hunters" then pose for a "selfie" with the dead "canned lion" on Facebook.
Needless to say, the lions in these situations are going to "crack under pressure".
But I see a great opportunity here - one of your more notable celebrity ambassadors is deeply involved in wildlife conservation. Mr. DiCaprio could speak far more eloquently than I on the perils of canned lion hunting. I would encourage you to reach out to him and get some feedback. You could then work with him, his other "lion loving" friends like Tobey Maguire, who knows, maybe even Bono! It could be the Product RED of the watch world ; )
I realize that this might feel like unwanted pressure, or criticism for your choices. That is only human, and this is certainly not the most important thing to take away from the current pr situation you find yourself in. We praise you when you do something exciting, edgy and cool - and we should. But please know that a good friend is also one who let's you know when maybe you have made a misstep.
But... I also appreciate and respect that it is your company, and you have to make, and live with your decisions.
Sincerely,
James Henderson
