Breitling targets female, Asian and millennial consumers – and instead of ambassadors, the luxury watch brand has celebrity ‘squads’ with members like Brad Pitt, Charlize Theron and Adam Driver

STORYLeona Liu

Feb 6 , 2021

Yao Chen, Shini Park and Daniel Wu wearing Breitling. Photos: @yaochenofficial; @breitling/Instagram

Timepieces

CEO Georges Kern discusses the importance of China, sustainability, the casualisation of luxury and the need for storytelling to attract younger audience

The watch brand also launched new models of the classic Chronomat range

In the latest instalment in our series with luxury CEOs, we sat down with Breitling CEO George Kern

George Kerns, CEO of luxury watch brand Breitling. Photo: SCMP

Why did you add female Chinese celebrities to your ‘squads’?

The beauty of the squad is that it is a team. So first of all I believe a team is stronger than individuals. Secondly, you can differentiate from a visual point of view: most companies have individual ambassadors. Third, and most importantly, you can tell a totally different story.

Charlize Theron, Brad Pitt and Adam Driver are the faces of the Breitling Cinema Squad. Photo: Breitling

We have a Cinema Squad, for instance, with Brad Pitt, Charlize Theron and Adam Driver. But it’s not a Brad Pitt campaign. It’s not a Charlize Theron campaign. It’s a holistic story of great talents. And there is our Spotlight Squad, which includes Charlize Theron, an actress and producer, Misty Copeland, African American ballet dancer and Yao Chen, an Asian actress.

That tells a different story. So with three individuals, we tell a much more diverse story than we could working with individuals.

Breitling has a masculine image, so how do you engage with female consumers in this age, when they account for an important market?

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