From Stadiums To Studios — Hublot’s Atypical Cultural Footprint

Hublot recently celebrated 10 years as the official timekeeper of the UEFA Champions League. To mark the occasion, the house released a special limited-edition Classic Fusion Chronograph. You may have noticed that we didn’t cover it on Fratello. Why? Well, because such sponsorships and co-branded watches tend not to interest our readers all that much. Such releases, viewed individually, may not be our bread and butter, but zooming out and seeing them in context is a lot more interesting.

Today, I would like to do just that. Hublot is an odd duck among big, high-end watchmakers. Few things showcase this as clearly as the brand’s atypical cultural footprint. Let’s dive in!

The holy trinity of horological branding

I have written about branding in the watch world before. My point, back then, was that we could clearly identify a holy trinity of horological branding. The vast majority of our beloved watch companies build their brands on these three elements — heritage, craftsmanship, and location.

“We have been around for 150 years, we do everything by hand, and we are located in the beautiful Vallée de Joux.” Most watch brands present themselves with a variation on this very theme. Throw in a splash of adventure (“Someone wore this watch on mountain X or Y”), and a pinch of exclusivity (“We craft only 2,000 watches per year”), and you have a pretty reliable recipe for a successful heritage watch brand.

I would love to make a word cloud of watch-branding terminology. I would bet a limb that terms like “savoir faire,” “craftsmanship,” “exclusivity,” “history,” “mountains,” “Switzerland,” and “heritage” would take prominent places.

A cultural footprint to match

So, what do I mean by a brand’s “cultural footprint”? I am referring to the range of activities and profiling outside of the product itself. Mostly, this would be sponsorships, corporate social responsibility efforts, events, and endorsements.

It is popular to scoff at this side of running a watch business. This is understandable, as it feels like a bunch of theatrics intended to influence our decisions. While this certainly rings true, there is a bit more to it. No, a Kylian Mbappé endorsement deal may not trigger you to buy a certain watch. Still, a brand’s cultural footprint as a whole might very well influence your view of said brand. The brand signals: “This is our world. If it overlaps with yours, perhaps we should be buddies!”

Most watch brands — keeping the holy trinity of horological branding in mind — profile themselves rather fancily. Sports? Sure, but make it golf, tennis, or racing. Collabs? Sure, but make it with a champagne brand or a luxury carmaker. Sponsorship deals? Sure, how about a yacht racing team? It’s all rather highbrow, isn’t it?

Hublot ambassador Kylian Mbappé

Hublot equals fusion

Hublot, meanwhile, takes its creed of “fusion” quite literally when considering its cultural footprint. The brand is perhaps best known for its close ties with football (soccer), as shown by the latest Champions League edition and Mbappé endorsement. Football is many things, but it isn’t highbrow. In fact, football represents the people’s sport in most regions.

Hublot ambassador Lang Lang

Hublot was also one of the first watch brands to embrace hip-hop. The US$5,000,000 one-off Beyoncé ordered for Jay-Z sparked a later collaboration with the rapper and entrepreneur. At the same time, staying within the realm of music, Hublot now has an endorsement deal with classical pianist Lang Lang. If that’s not fusion, I don’t know what is.

Hublot is active in the realms of tennis, American football, haute cuisine, art, and design. Think of this what you will, but it is hard to argue that this isn’t an atypical cultural footprint. The brand reverses legitimacy. Rather than getting its legitimacy from the traditional, it gets it from being in the heart of the here and now. I happen to find this crossover mentality rather refreshing.

Hublot ambassador Patrick Mahomes

The halo effect

You might argue that it goes against better marketing knowledge. After all, brands’ cultural footprints build on a cognitive bias known as the “halo effect.” Coined by Edward Thorndike, this term refers to people’s tendency to apply feelings about one aspect of a subject to the entirety of their experience.

In simple terms, you want the positive image of something external to rub off on your company. Organizing the “Brand X Concours of Violin Prodigies” would leave Brand X hoping that people perceive it as giving opportunities to talented young people within the fancy aura of classical music. We all do it. I know I tried to hang with the cool kids in high school, hoping to walk away with some of their elusive powers.

Traditionally, branding is about consistency and congruence. You want all cues to point in the same direction. That’s why classical music, polo, and champagne go well together, as do climbing, diving, and exploring. But Mbappé, Lang Lang, and Takashi Murakami? They don’t convey the same message, yet Hublot somehow sits right in the center as a logical binding agent.

Hublot ambassador Takashi Murakami

Hublot plays on the now

I am aware that both Hublot and branding are touchy subjects among watch enthusiasts. So, why am I so interested in Hublot’s branding activities? I am not sure, but they fascinate me. Honestly, I think Hublot captures the spirit of our times better than most highbrow watch brands. This fusion, bending of genres, and eclectic approach seem to be in line with how many people perceive culture in our globalized world.

I also think that it helps that Hublot’s products are so recognizable. They are expensive, modern, and audacious. You will recognize any Hublot watch from across the room, which is rare for relatively younger watch brands. Having such a strong and divisive identity at the core of such an eclectic broader footprint seems to be a recipe for success. We’re already seeing more traditional brands follow in Hublot’s footsteps, and I reckon more will follow.

What do you think of Hublot’s approach to branding? And which watch brands do you feel get it right? Let us know in the comments below.