Omega has launched the Hong Kong leg of its Asian watch advertising campaign featuring super model Cindy Crawford. The Swiss manufacturer's $4.9-million promotion is part of a $12.5-million campaign for the Constellation watch collection in China and Taiwan. An advertisement, featuring Crawford and Canadian model Yvon Carle, is airing on TVB Pearl and Jade and ATV World and Home. It will continue until the end of the year. The 30-second spot first aired in China in May and on satellite broadcaster STAR TV and CNN International last month. Omega is one of the top two selling brands in China and one of the top three in Hong Kong, according to the watchmaker. Asia accounts for more than 50 per cent of the company's global sales. Last year, sales were up 15 per cent in China and Hong Kong. In the territory, the company has about 350 models in its collection, with prices starting at $6,000. Kevin Rollenhagen, Omega's vice president for greater China, said the campaign would freshen the product's image. He said the public had perceived Omega as a company that produced watches that were for middle-aged consumers. 'Our products have been good but maybe our marketing wasn't really getting the message to consumers that we have up-to-date products,' Mr Rollenhagen said. 'Recently, we have done a lot of tie-ins with the James Bond film Goldeneye, the Omega [golf] tour, Cindy Crawford and [Formula One champion] Michael Schumacher and this has gone a long way to changing the type of people buying our watch; it is a younger crowd.' The campaign has been successful in Shanghai. Crawford's 30-hour visit to the city brought Omega 160 minutes of television coverage and resulted in more than 100 news articles. 'Advertising is effective, especially in China, but we definitely see better results when we link that with special events and promotions. The Cindy Crawford promotion was a big success,' Mr Rollenhagen said. 'About 10 days after her appearance, the Chinese Government called in [representatives of] the media and said too much attention to foreign personalities violated their objective of promoting market socialism and they didn't understand what she had to do with marketing or socialism. 'We might take her back to Beijing,' he said.