The new Les Must collection from Cartier is a redo on an older Les Must collection from “back then.” I think it was from the early 80s. Not that the collection looks the same, but the name has been re-used. That is fine. I believe the collection is a little bit more ‘affordable’ than most new Cartier products, as a way of helping to hedge a large consumer neglect of luxury purchases – the recession really slammed the industry.
To get people excited about new products (or at least aware of then), watch makers need to advertise. This is clear. How they advertise varies greatly. Most of it in my opinion is rubbish. Never really does a good job of getting people excited about the products. At least not people like me. I prefer to see items in their “natural environment.” Otherwise watch makers actually do something that is really funny, or just plain odd. Which is amusing because they are typically so conservative. At least Cartier is. Well Cartier is gonna hate me for saying this, but I have a feeling that their new Panther ad for the Les Must collection made a big oops. I refer to the ad at the top.
I notice the cute looking panther cub and to it’s left Les Must watches with the panther skin pattern on the dial and for the strap. While I realize it is not real panther, I just can’t help but think in my mind that the ads says, “hey kitty, you are gonna end up a watch like your bother over there.” Animal fur items are pretty discouraged these days, but to place an item with even faux animal fur next to one of the actual animals is a bit sick in my mind. Maybe I am looking way too into this, but literally the first thing I considered when I saw this ad was, “really Cartier – is that the message you want to send?” I mean the panther is cute , really cute – but I don’t want to think about it being poached for its fur then “luxurized” into a watch strap. The lower ad at least takes the watch out of the image. I have a feeling all this is Photoshop anyway… but it would be great to think they had a real cub on the photography set.
Even worse, is the fact that some panther cubs lose their spots when they grow up. So for people in the know, the watch actually says “I am emulating baby panther fur.” While only some people are going to walk away with this message, if I was the one auditing Cartier ad copy, I would have pointed this out. What is the message? Either have the kitty or the fur style watch in an ad, just not both. Aside from that, I do like the Cartier ad campaign website. Jazzy music and nice graphics of a big cat walking around interesting in fancy jewelry. You can check it out here at Cartier’s Les Must collection mini-site.
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