Tag Heuer’s chief executive Frédéric Arnault aims to grow the luxury watch brand into a $1 billion company. And with its latest multimillion-dollar advertising campaign featuring brand ambassador Ryan Gosling, it already has the mindset of a billion-dollar brand.
The LVMH-owned Swiss company, founded in 1860 by Edouard Heuer, has been under the direction of Arnault since the summer of 2020. He sees the brand as being “a marriage” between watchmaking history, iconic design and innovation, while reflecting the speed of sports such as motor racing, tennis and golf.
“We were one of the first brands to really care about branding, beyond watchmaking,” Arnault told Adweek. “And with very strong values around the notion of performance of sports, but not any sports—those of speed, racing and the notion of timing, because we were the leaders in stopwatches, and the timing chronograph is still something that’s very core and important to us.”
The new action-packed campaign features La La Land actor Ryan Gosling being chased because he is unwilling to hand back the Tag Heuer watch he’d been wearing on set. A high speed multi-vehicle car chase ensues.
The ad was created to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Tag Heuer Carrera range, with the 5 minute-plus film featuring several Easter eggs referencing the brand’s heritage. They include the hotel featured at the beginning being named after Carrera creator and longtime influential CEO Jack Heuer’s wife, Leonarda.
Created by DD Paris, the highly self-aware film is all about speed, featuring various vehicles being driven by the prop master trying to catch up with Gosling as he aims to get away with his prized possession. Its writing is smart and knowing, but it’s also an ad filled with charm rather than potential smugness.
And while it is a luxury brand in every aspect, Arnault sees Tag Heuer as being “accessible to everyone,” which the film attempts to convey.
We’re seeing a strong dynamic, strong growth in all the key markets in the world and a growing desirability for our watches.
Frédéric Arnault, CEO, Tag Heuer
