Celebrity clutter forces Solvil to drop stars

<p>HONG KONG: Watch and eyewear brand Solvil et Titus has dropped </p><p>celebrities from its new campaign, citing the high celebrity clutter </p><p>factor. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Instead, the brand is taking an aspirational lifestyle approach and </p><p>contemporarising romance for the younger consumer segment, according to </p><p>the brand's agency, Hotdog Creative Workshop. The result is the "Follow </p><p>my own time" theme for Solvil's watch collection and "I see things my </p><p>way" for the company's eyewear products. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Cheung said the strategy gives Solvil et Titus a consistent but new </p><p>brand image, as well as the freedom to develop separate advertising </p><p>executions in the two categories. The campaign, which broke this month, </p><p>is print-focused but also has an outdoor element, with advertising in </p><p>the MTR. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Over the past decade, Hong Kong celebrities Anita Mui and Chow Yun Fat </p><p>and Manchester United star Ryan Giggs fronted Solvil's campaigns. </p><p>However, Hotdog creative consultant Ron Cheung said celebrity </p><p>endorsements had been worked to death, and were no longer desirable or </p><p>appealing. But the agency has retained the romance aspect of the brand, </p><p>which Cheung said was a traditional feature of the Solvil image, in the </p><p>new creative work. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Cheung commented: "We have to take the romance concept and redefine it </p><p>in a contemporary manner in order to appeal to the 21st century </p><p>consumer. To the new generation, romance is more short-term than a </p><p>lifetime commitment. There is also an emphasis on self and </p><p>independence." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Solvil's repositioning follows the change in its advertising agency. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Hotdog took the creative account off Ogilvy & Mather earlier in the </p><p>year, while BGX won the account management brief. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>