Chapter 16 - Advertising, Public Relations and Sales Promotion

Successful companies always have exclusive commercial tactics, impeccable strategies and creativity for their products. Social media is the most direct pathway to convey messages to the market and customers. In this chapter, we are introduced to the advertisement domain. Media impacts our lives every day; you can never go past a day without observing ads. Cartier has been awarded as 2012 Luxury Marketer of the year, and they use of multichannel campaigns that keep up its mystique in the eyes of consumers.

The first time while I watched the Cartier film which was released in March 2012, “L’Odyssee de Cartier “, it was absolutely stunning and jaw-dropping. In three and half minutes, they tell Cartier’s history that started out as jeweler to European royalty by delve into an imaginary world that is inhabited by its designs including the famed Cartier Panther, Tutti Frutti, the Santos watch and the dazzling jewelry of the maharajas. Cartier spent $5.3 million and two years at this elaboration. The film was spread via Cartier’s web site, online magazine and social media, and its highly reviewed in YouTube.

Cartier also took a multichannel approach to raise awareness for the release of the new Tank Anglaise watch this year. Cartier showed the history of its iconic Tank timepieces in a video and Facebook experience that launched at June, 22. With a focus on heritage and craft, Cartier released a 70-second video called “Never Stop Tank” that showcases the Tank watch model alongside the evolution of the arts.

Apple products are profoundly involved in our daily lives; Cartier has used the tendency to engage customers through their applications. You can simply go to iTunes, the media player and media library application developed by Apple company, and download “Cartier Art Magazine”, “Cartier Fine Watchmaking”, “Cartier Bridal for iPad” and “Rouge Cartier E-Magazine”. Those are all free and international available. The latest launch was the “Cartier Art Magazine” on August 8, 2013. Cartier’ E-Magazine is a prestigious art and culture magazine created in 2001 and published three times a year: February, June and October. Born of a desire to offer new ways of looking at art and the art of living, each issue focuses on a different theme, addressing subjects like design, gemstones, seduction, and ornaments.


When we think of Cartier and celebrities, we can never forget how gorgeous Princess Diana’s iconic style in her life with her jewelry, she had a Tank watch and a gold Tank Francaise. When she passed away in 1997, the royal legend is that Prince William asked for the Tank watch on a leather strap, because she had taught him how to tell time using it. First lady Michelle Obama posed for her first official White House portrait in pearls and her stainless steel Tank Francaise. Angelina Jolie, the named Hollywood’s highest-paid actress has worn both the Cartier Tank on a leather strap and the gold Tank Francaise, and also a Love Bracelet fan.

The downside about Cartier is they seldom have discount promotion, and they always have a stable solid price. The company more focuses on the quality instead of the marketing price. As I always say, Cartier is not made for everyone.

Chapter 14 - Marketing Channels and Retailing

In this chapter, we learned about the pipeline of completing merchandise through a channel to the ultimate consumer. The company Cartier has a big advantage at finance and resource because of its wealthy business chains all over the world. This surplus of wealth allows Cartier to design, manufacture, distribute, and retail their products. It’s recognized as a direct channel for business and industrial products.

The Cartier Resource Incorporated is an exploration company focusing its work in the Abitibi Gold Belt in Quebec. They have several projects in mining. Their mines include Chimo mine, Benoist mine, Fenton mine, Cadillac Extension mine, and Dollier mine. The company announced the mining project to the media early this year. From 1964 to 1977, Chimo Mine produced 379,000 ounces of gold. High-grade gold zones were reported close to the historical sites.

Cartier has five facilities in Switzerland. The manufacturers are located at a central Swiss city called La Chaux-de-Fonds, and everything from Cartier is made there in one way or another. The Cartier Manufacturer is one of very few facilities with the capacity to design, produce, and service its own watches, whether they are simple or complicated. It is the largest fully integrated production facility in Switzerland. Dominated by the peaks of the Jura Mountains, by looking at the pictures from their website, I can see the precious glass edifice is a transparent masterpiece and it’s absolutely breathtaking. The manufacturer extends over an area of 30,000 square miles and seamlessly blends into the surrounding pines and pastures.

As I described in the former post, Cartier is awarded by the Luxury Daily’s 2012 Luxury Marketer of the year, for the use of long-term retailing that keeps up its mystique in the eyes of truly affluent consumers, and lures those who aspire to be part of the brand’s world. “One word sums up Cartier’s marketing across all channels: class,” said Mickey Khan, editor-in-chief of Luxury Daily, New York. Every execution from Cartier is resoundingly rich and true to the brand’s values. The implementation is flawless, and the effect simply awe-inspiring.

Cartier operates more than 200 stores in 125 countries, with five flagship stores world-wide. The company maintains its headquarters in Paris, and is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA. The other flagship stores are in London, New York, Tokyo, and the latest one was opened in September 2008 in South Korea. Those are the major cities of the globe, and of course these cities are some of the most important finance centers in the world.

CHAPTER 6 - Consumer Decision Making

In retail fields, consumers are always the prior influence to the company. No matter how superior and extraordinary the firm's products are, the ultimate success is by attracting consumers to give up their money in order to obtain the products and meeting the need of that group's satisfaction, that is  Target Marketing.  What strategies does Cartier has implemented to define their customers’ decisions to purchase the high-priced Cartier products? We will reveal them soon after the studying of this company.

Cartier has established a prestigious top rank luxuriant jewelry brand. According to the Luxury Daily’s website, Cartier is crowned as the year for the use of multichannel campaigns that keep up its mystique in the eyes of truly affluent consumers and lure those who aspire to be part of the brand in 2012.

As we all known, pursuing fine jewelries has always been part of wealthy people and celebrities’ life. Whenever there are ceremonies or shows coming up, jewelry is always the main concern to them. In fact, it’s just presenting their personal wealthy elegant status to the public. However, those public figures’ money is either spending on Cartier, or the others. Cartier broke an abbreviated version of its “L’Odyssee de Cartier” film in March on primetime networks, likely to serve as an acquisition tool for aspirational consumers. It was not afraid to flaunt its history, traditions and craft through accessible channels to attract newer customers to the fold.

The campaign was also spread via Cartier’s Web site, online magazine and social media. In recent years, the internet media Facebook has been widespread all over the world. Cartier has published their official site on Facebook to the admirers. The page shows the company events, promotion photos from all different countries, even videos, and so on. As I see in their site, there are a lot of customers’ positive reviews and admirations toward the company.

CHAPTER 5 - Developing A Global Vision

Cartier hopes to leverage its heritage in India’s fast-growing luxury market. According to the Business Standard website, Cartier expected to grow almost twelve times by 2015 to a thirty billion dollar market. “Cartier has positioned itself as a pioneer, and sees this as an artistic advantage, rather than a trend it needs to adapt in order to stay ahead,” says Bernard Fornas, president and chief executive officer of Cartier International.

 

Fornas agrees that India’s luxury market can also grow exponentially. This is quite evident from the response we have seen from a sizeable number of Indians travelling around the globe and visiting our boutiques in Paris, London, New York, Tokyo and Los Angeles.

The chief executive officer also addressed that the India presence lags significantly behind China, where Cartier opened its first boutique in 1992 in Shanghai. Since then, it has grown to a network of thirty-two boutiques in over twenty cities. Cartier plans to have fifty-five boutiques within four years and expect China to be our biggest market in ten years.

Although the company had anticipated the development of a major luxury market in China, the rapid pace at which it’s growing is nonetheless surprising. Fornas said his best guess would be three to four years. China could become our first region in the world, pointing to Cartier's expansion into cities such as Tianjin, a northern port city near Beijing. Fornas added that Cartier was already the number one luxury brand in China.