This past year, Chanel re-issued its original Première watch, which was the first watch model the company ever created in 1987. The original Première was inspired by the octagonal shape of the No 5 perfume bottle’s stopper, which was originally inspired by the shape of Place Vendôme as seen below:
Place Vendôme, Paris, France
Expected from the luxury brand, the new Première watch looks classic, and chic – truly a Chanel creation. The proportions are slimmer and more delicate than the original, a stark contrast to the chunky, flashy watches other luxury brands offer. The watch also stands out from Chanel’s popular J12 unisex watch model. The Première’s product website beautifully showcases the design inspiration behind the 2 new basic models in steel (Chanel pearls) or yellow gold with black accents (black apparel, gold chain bag, gold jewelry, No 5 perfume), and the most coveted diamond-set version. Besides these models, the watch has up to 14 customized versions – a different look for each woman.
Before this campaign, Chanel’s watches were arguably in the plateau area of the maturity stage in the product life cycle. The re-designed watch effectively extends the product life cycle of the French couturière’s watches. The new Première watch increases the number of users by appealing to a much younger market and also increases the frequency of use by positioning itself as an everyday watch that could be worn to work and to a dinner party (as opposed to a jewelry watch). This line extension’s purpose to extend the product life cycle can be seen in the Première’s promotion video, which reveals gorgeous, fashionable young women sporting the watch doing quotidien things like grocery shopping or calling over a waiter.
This summer, luxury brand Yves Saint Laurent announced that it would be switching out its classic logo in favor of a new, minimalistic “Saint Laurent Paris” logo. Fans of YSL complained that there was no need to change the logo, and that it lacked the original’s elegance and famous interlocking letters. As the date gets closer and closer, loyal fans of the old logo are spending furiously in hopes of snatching up the remaining merchandise.
Brand renewal is a risky move for any company. It can have adverse affects on the brand positioning of the company if consumers don’t find the logo sexy or appealing. On brand renewal, Milton Pedraza of research and consulting firm the Luxury Institute says:
“If you run away from your classic product or reinterpret your classics […] too far away from the DNA of the brand, you will fail. Period.”
While I think that the new logo strayed too far from the original created by Cassandre, I don’t believe that YSL will “fail” like Pedraza warns. Top brands like YSL don’t change much in terms of brand positioning because they already has an established following. However, the demographics of its customers will likely expand to include younger consumers who are excited to be part of the “new”YSL Saint Laurent Paris (SLP?).
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Sydney Ren's Blog.
This summer, luxury brand Yves Saint Laurent announced that it would be switching out its classic logo in favor of a new, minimalistic “Saint Laurent Paris” logo.