Hublot have once again looked to the world of sports to support their upcoming releases, continuing to drive the popularity of luxury Swiss watches in popular culture. Although the idea of brand ambassadors is nothing new, Hublot have really pioneered its use to thrust the Swiss watch industry back into the public eye.
Justin Rose, champion of the 2013 US Open, is the latest golfing superstar to be added to the legendary list of Hublot-sponsored personalities. Rose has already chalked up 17 titles worldwide, including six championships on the PGA tour. He is also the first professional golfer to partner with the luxury watch brand. We take a closer look at what it could mean for him.
The concept of big brands partnering with celebrities is nothing new; every day our screens are filled with the images of such partnerships, with sponsorships and product placements commonplace. There's no doubt either that it's a powerful strategy; the celebrity enjoys the financial rewards and higher visibility of a commercial association with a desirable product and the brand itself enjoys the association with a high-profile, much admired celebrity, boosting their sales as a result.
A powerful partnership
Hublot is a luxury Swiss watch manufacturer, and its link with Justin Rose is an interesting one, demonstrating just how popular golf is becoming with a wider and typically affluent or aspirational market.
So what will the deal mean for Rose? Well, as an ambassador he will be involved in a calendar of promotional events for Hublot. He will sport Hublot branded watches only and will appear at PR events, launches and in adverts. During his first week, he took part in a Hublot-sponsored charity event at San Diego's Torry Pines Driving Range.
Rose will be joining an extremely high powered list of other brand ambassadors that includes Dwyane Wade, Usain Bolt, Kobe Bryant and Pele. The brand selects its ambassadors very carefully; ensuring that they are congruent with the Hublot brand credentials. Incredible achievements, commitment to their field, perseverance and a reliable on-message nature are key attributes needed for the role. Above all, the brand ambassador must be able to inspire, suggesting of course that his or her success is intrinsically linked - or demonstrated - with a Hublot watch.
The ambassador must be reliable too - Rose has been chosen for his ability to speak fluently and persuasively to his fans and the broader audience, stay on-message and live in a positive, upstanding way. Such brands rely on celebrity associates that can be relied upon not to disgrace themselves publicly with bad behaviour; wrecking both their career and damaging the reputation of the sponsoring brand in the process. There is no doubt that there will have been months of assessment and negotiation with Rose before this offer was made.
Settling into the role
It seems that Rose is already picking up his new role extremely well, comparing his passion for golf and technical expertise to the mechanics of a Hublot watch in his media comments relating to the partnership announcement. At the same time, it is notable that Hublot shows a true dedication for growing its presence and role in the world of golf. Only recently it sponsored the Ray Allen Golf Classic, which raised an incredible $500,000 to fund research into diabetes. This demonstrates how such celebrity partnerships are not simply cynical marketing ploys as some would believe; the true and authentic passion of top sports people can also help big brands to evolve their corporate social responsibility agenda and understand more about how sponsorship and donation can boost their sales and market positioning, whilst doing genuine good.
In short, although the new sponsorship role is an exciting one for Rose, and marks just how far he has already come in his career, it is also superb news for Hublot, who will benefit from the passion, expertise, dedication and inspiration that this exciting golfer will bring to the table.