IWC continues to #B_Original for Skywriting campaign

Swiss watchmaker IWC Schaffhausen is taking communication to new heights as it promotes its pilot’s watches.

The Skywriter campaign allows users to write a message in the sky and share it with third parties. An interactive and social campaign will help attract a younger consumer segment to the brand while subtly offering an introduction to the brand’s latest watches.

“If you are talking to a Web clientele as a brand, you should be well aware that in the moment they see you they have hundreds of other possibilities to spend their time more wisely – so you have to manage to catch their attention, but also reward them for having spent time with you,” said Maurice Moitroux, department manager, digital marketing at IWC Schaffhausen Replica.

“The quality of IWC Skywriter lies in the strategic positioning of the tool: our goal was to create something which we call edutainment,” he said. “We entertain our audience by letting them create beautiful content. And while they play, we educate them about about the different product lines in our Pilot’s Watch collection. We introduce them to our Top Gun or Spitfire Pilot’s watches, but also to our classical Pilot’s Watches and our models which pay tribute to the French aviation pioneer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.”

Skywriters
The Skywriter campaign is the latest promotional step for IWC’s pilot’s Fake Watches collection, launched at SIHH in Geneva earlier this year. Users first select one of four vintage airplanes, each representing a different era, and can also select a watch

Meet The Original – The IWC Pilot’s Replica Watch Collection

The game uses the WebGL JavaScript API, which allows the game to run on all browsers and devices in full 3D without any plug-ins.

After the selection, users type out a message they want to spell in the sky and then engage in a short flight simulation. On desktop, players control the flight with the arrow keys, while tilting a phone or tablet will steer the plane on the mobile version.

Skywriting message

In the game, users fly the plane on the mapped out course to spell the message, which can then be shared on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, WhatsApp, Weibo and through email.

The site hosting the game is available in English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Korean, simplified Chinese and traditional Taiwanese. The variety of social networks for message sharing and languages are a testament to IWC’s efforts to reach a global audience.

Additionally, users can opt to “browse the pilot’s watch collection” after the flight, which will take the user directly to page showcasing the pilot’s watches on IWC’s ecommerce site.

The pilot’s watches are recognizable by their large faces, which help pilots to read displays quickly or at night. The large buttons and strap also make it easier for the watch to be handled when the wearer has gloves on and to be worn over flightsuits and jackets.

IWC Skywriter

The Skywriter game is the latest element in IWC’s #B_Original campaign focused on the digital promotion of IWC’s pilot Replica Watches. Gamification is therefore an effective tactic given IWC’s focus on a digitally native, younger audience.

“With its classic, but non-conformistic look, the Pilot’s Watch collection has always been an attractive choice, especially for a younger and extroverted audience,” Mr. Moitroux said. “So our first aim was to create a cool tool for our existing fan base; and by making it fun to share, our second aim was of course to naturally grow our fan base.”

Evidence of the campaign’s success, IWC’s video introducing the watches has been viewed nearly 3 million times. The #B_Original hashtag and sharable message will help the brand to reach new audiences as it continues to promote the replica watches.

Playing games
Gamification is becoming more common for IWC Replica.

The brand revealed the 10th annual timepiece created for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation in a puzzling way.

Before the brand shared information about the watch with its social media audience, it enabled them to get a sneak peek by solving a digital jigsaw puzzle. Giving some of its most avid fans the chance to preview the timepiece will help them feel more a part of IWC’s inner circle.

Other watchmakers have also embraced ties to aviation, incorporating it into their brand identity.

Swiss watchmaker Breitling recently celebrated its ties to aviation with a cheeky television commercial.

“Pit Stop” illustrates that its timepieces are “instruments for professionals” by showing a pit crew performing touchups on a jet mid-race. Forging this connection to speed racing also helped Breitling show off its precise timekeeping capabilities.

“IWC Skywriter is downright the core of what differentiates us from our competitors,” Mr. Moitroux said. “IWC aims to surprise and entertain in a cool, contemporary way.”