p12,13 TIMEX PROFILE 6/16/08 12:28 PM Page 12
PROFILE - Sports Retail SGB
Sports and Outdoor
www.sgb-sports.com
Timex
T5K220
Timex owns one of the most famous names in performances watches with its IronMan
range, but there's a lot more to them than that, as Jon Bruford found out in
conversation with Herbie Calves, Timex's Vice President, Sports Marketing.
A
s brand recognition goes, Timex are up there SGB: In terms of performance wrist wear, there are some about heart rate-based training, they’re more of a
with the 'superbrands'; everyone knows really good standards out there, the competition is fierce 'wellness' consumer, and they really don’t want a 5K once
what they do, everyone knows the name, with Polar, Suunto… a year, they’re not intimidated by the Timex brand. It’s a
from the average consumer right through to HC: When you step back outside of performance and big opportunity for us, and it’s a big opportunity for the
triathletes and runners, and outdoors enthusiasts. So outdoor sports and look at the Timex brand and its market as events and sports participation continues to
where does a brand go when it has such a well-known strength, and you compare that to the competition, you grow, and on the outdoor side as environmental
name? Herbie Calves explains, with a little help from realise how Timex is differentiated from those brands. awareness and outdoor activities continue to grow.
UK Marketing Manager Claire Cosgrove. First of all brand awareness is around 80 per cent in the
UK on all levels both with leading athletes and amateur SGB: One of Timex's strengths is undoubtedly brand
SGB: Timex is obviously a well-known brand but in the athletes. recognition; could that be any kind of an impediment, as
short- to medium-term, what are the plans for Timex? In addition to that, what Timex stands for as far as we're talking about an entirely different consumer for a top-
HC: Short to medium term, one of the biggest objectives quality, the price value relationship as well, it’s a brand end sports watch, or Expedition watch.
for the brand is to reinforce the authenticity of the brand, that brings product within reach of the mass consumer. HC: With that consumer awareness comes positives and
both on the IronMan side, performance sports, and on Timex was the first brand to really offer like the Model T negatives. Sometimes it can bring with it some luggage
the Expedition brand side for outdoor sports. One of the was for cars, but for watches. It’s continued that way, it but there’s the opportunity to become more
ways to achieve that is through not only offering the brings style and technology within reach. When you look approachable as a brand.
products that we offer in timing, but also offering some at these areas and you take that Timex equity that applies The biggest investment you can make on a brand is
technical products as well. The technical products that to all Timex businesses and apply that into the sports trying to increase your consumer awareness, that’s the
we’re really focusing on are fitness measurement segments, we were the first ones to offer the true most costly thing to do, with millions of dollars in
products for IronMan; heart rate monitors, some performance watches with the IronMan watch, and advertising, so we have to take that awareness and make
functionalities, some of it is already offered by some of sponsoring events going back to 1983, the first IronMan sure we are providing authenticity. In many countries
our competition but it’s not done in our way, which uses event. where we are doing that already, like sponsoring the
better quality standards and accuracy, and improved We’re trying to improve our performance with heart London Marathon, we are tying it back to events and
design. rate monitoring and fitness measurement, but if we can having athletes wear our products.
On the expedition side we're also introducing some do that successfully we also then bring an opportunity for It’s a constant challenge; you sell watches in Argos and
more technical products with improved sensors for both many retailers and many consumers to bring a well- at Wal-Mart in the US, but you don’t want to just become
altitude, barometer, temperature, compass, and GPS, known and trusted brand to the masses. At point of sale, an Argos/ Wal-Mart brand, so you have to offset that by
speed and distance for navigation. somebody who’s heard about interval training, heard making sure you’re also selling in sports specialty shops
12 JUNE 2008
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