The new Breitling boss finds the watch brand's commercials too misogynistic

Georges Kern was the head of IWC for many years and most recently head of the watch division of the luxury goods group Richemont. Just a few months after taking up his new top job, it was announced in mid-2017 that the sought-after manager was heading for Grenchen. Kern is not only the new CEO of the traditional Swiss company, but also serves as a co-owner and entrepreneur.

"Breitling is "not a restructuring case," he said in an interview with the SonntagsZeitung, referring to the "big, clunky and very masculine pilot's watches. The brand has a very loyal clientele and has grown even in the last two very difficult years for the watch industry.

Kern not only wants to make the watch brand one of the biggest in the world, but also to loosen and broaden its sole focus on aviation. For example, to the disappointment of many aviation fans, Breitling has not renewed its sponsorship agreement with the Basel-based Super Constellation Fylers Association, which operates one of the last airworthy examples of the legendary aircraft.

Back to the roots

In addition to aviation, to which the company will nevertheless remain committed, Kern says that the brand will now also be strengthened in other areas such as sports, entertainment and culture. The new boss assures us that the brand will not lose its profile, but rather return to its old roots - and reminds us that in the past Breitling was featured in James Bond films, enjoyed great popularity among jazz musicians and car racers, and once sponsored the Tour de France. "Nobody knows that, and that's what we have to tell now," Kern said.

"Set immediately"

The new direction will also make itself felt in advertising. When asked about the typical Breitling commercials, in which scantily clad ladies adore cool pilots, Kern shows his clear stance. "Immediately stopped" the campaigns, he reveals. "There are definitely customers who found this funny and good. But such commercials are definitely no longer in keeping with the times and do not reflect the values of today's society."

Women reduced to appearance, courting the favor of pilots: such commercials are a thing of the past under Georges Kern.

He had a déjà vu experience, he says, when he found the same letters of complaint at the reception desk at Breitling that he had received from IWC 15 years ago. The Schaffhausen watch brand polarized in the past with slogans like "Almost as complicated as a woman. But punctual."

The fact that Breitling wants to take a less men-focused path will not only be reflected in the new, "modern and contemporary" campaign that the company is launching next May. The new values will also influence the product range. The established and well-known pilot watches will be joined in the future by smaller models and those specifically for women, Kern reveals to the SonntagsZeitung.

Trade fairs must change

The innovations will be presented this year at the Baselworld watch and jewelry fair. Whether this communication channel will also be relied on in the future, however, is something the native German leaves open. "I think trade shows have to change - and not just watch fairs," he says. "There is no longer a need for sales fairs today, but for communication platforms." (hae)