Swiss watchmaker Omega is celebrating femininity, independence and ambition in a new series starring some of its top ambassadors.
The Omega My Choice campaign features seven of the watchmaker’s women ambassadors: actresses Nicole Kidman, Zoë Kravitz, So-hee Han and Dongyu Zhou; models Kaia Gerber and Kiko Mizuhara; and Olympic champion Allyson Felix. In individual spots, the women discuss their careers and the value of being themselves.
“For a brand like Omega, who has a vast amount of watch models and collections to promote, getting more than a few designs featured inside a global campaign is a huge challenge,” said Daymon Bruck, chief creative officer at The O Group, New York.
“This new campaign manages to do that skillfully and much more,” he said. “This campaign direction is a smart way to connect Omega’s many designs with seven inspirational women, each selecting their unique watch design ‘choice’ to add a layer of curated connection to each women featured.”
Mr. Bruck is not affiliated with Omega Watches, but agreed to comment as an industry expert.
Seeing Stars
For a cohesive aesthetic, each spot was filmed in black-and-white, with Omega’s brand ambassadors dressed elegantly in all black. Windowboxing-style borders on the edge of the frames add a timeless, vintage touch to the campaigns.
The ambassadors narrate their own vignettes, lending authenticity with their personable insights. The wardrobe choices also reflect the individual’s personality, however, and the featured timepieces are shot in color for contrast against the black-and-white.
“To truly be yourself, you have to respect your past, be free to make choices,” Ms. Kravitz says in her voiceover, as she holds a vintage camera in reference to her career in Hollywood. She wears a De Ville Mini Trésor with a red floral print strap.
Wearing a gold Constellation master chronometer, Ms. Gerber admits in her vignette that “being yourself is complicated.”
Ms. Kidman discusses her acting career, taking off her power jacket to reveal a more relaxed outfit – reflecting the versatility and whimsy of her performances.
Nicole Kidman has been an Omega ambassador since 2005
“I get to be powerful, playful, try on moods, looks, eras, styles,” the Oscar winner says. “But at the heart of it all is me.”
Chinese actress Ms. Zhou speaks in her native language in her spot, translated with subtitles. She wears platinum and gold Constellation.
“In many cases, it’s best just to be yourself,” Ms. Zhou says. “Let everyone see your uniqueness.”
Model Ms. Mizuhara echoes those themes in her vignette, speaking in Japanese.
“To truly be yourself, you must be willing to change and grow,” she says. “Time will reveal all – in the meantime, let’s embrace every possibility.”
Like Ms. Kidman, Korean actress Ms. Han also reflects on her career in her spot.
“It’s fun to play a variety of characters through my work,” she says in a voiceover, while flashing her Constellation watch. “But I never forget the real me.
“I know who I am, where I came from and where I’m going – at all times.”
Track-and-field icon Ms. Felix similarly ruminates on her ambitions, as she shows off her gold De Ville Trésor as well as her tattoo of the Olympic rings. She also gets into starting position for a race, looking elegant in a black gown and bare feet.
“I like to be open to possibilities – keep things moving,” Ms. Felix says. “Sure, I have my feet on the ground – but I’m not one for standing still.”
A hero film weaves together footage from the seven individual vignettes. No voiceover accompanies this montage, while the Omega ambassadors are shown side-by-side with their respective timepieces.
The Omega site also has a landing page dedicated to the campaign, with more portraits, quotes and details about the featured ambassadors. This allows site visitors to better learn and relate to the women, who come from diverse backgrounds and industries.
“Not only does this campaign adeptly select a global mix of inspiration women from different industries but it also captures each woman’s voiceover in their native languages – a very nice touch and often underused with international brand communications,” Mr. Bruck said.
The landing page also lists the seven watches spotlighted in the campaign, simplifying shoppers’ quest to find the timepieces that caught their eyes in the campaign.
Women Watch Lovers
Omega’s latest campaign features some of its newest ambassadors, as Ms. Kravitz, Ms. Felix and Ms. Han all began working with the watchmaker this May.
The brand is joining other watchmakers in appealing to female consumers with dedicated and emotive campaigns.
Last year, Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet drew a connection between haute couture and haute horology in a campaign for its women’s timepieces. In a behind-the-scenes featurette, photographer Harley Weir explained how the timepieces capture individuals’ personalities and her inspiration behind the campaign.
In another effort centered on female empowerment, Swiss watchmaker Zenith highlighted visionary, independent women to support a special collection of timepieces.
Zenith initially introduced the “Dreamhers” concept at the beginning of 2020 when it released its first collection exclusively for women. The brand aimed to express the modern femininity of the versatile collection in a campaign shining light on relatable, yet accomplished, women who have paved their own paths and inspire others to do the same.
“Luxury consumers have become increasing interested in brands that promote a path to self-expression and individual style,” Mr. Bruck said. “Omega is very aware of this trend in this campaign and uses almost every element – voiceover copy, unique and new watch designs, selection of ambassadors, etc. – to deliver a message that this brand understands their audience’s desire for personal and unique transformation.”
Original article published in Luxury Daily, June 2, 2022
