Horological Meandering

The inauguration party of the Breitling boutique, rue de la Paix in Paris

 

After several weeks of work, Breitling has reopened its boutique located at the number 10 of the rue de la Paix. In fact, Breitling had hardly left the place during the works since the temporary boutique was located in the same street, on the same side and a few steps from the Place Vendôme.

The reopening of this important boutique for the brand is interesting in many ways. First because of the nature of the inauguration party and then because of the architectural codes and the interior layout used to renovate it. These elements say a lot about Breitling's communication strategy. The opening night was indeed a real "red carpet" event worthy of the beautiful Cannes evenings with an impressive presence of stars without forgetting, obviously, the influencers having contractual relations with Breitling. Undeniably, Georges Kern wants to put the overdrive in terms of visibility and conquest in notoriety with a public different from that of the usual customers of the brand. The choice of stars was not left to chance. Almost all areas were covered, sports, the entertainment world, cinema, people ... Influencers did their job well by relaying the event (Breitling is perhaps the brand that requires the biggest commitment from its influencers what is a good point: at least they work what is not the case everywhere!). This inauguration was thus one of the most covered watch-related event on social networks.

It is the interior architecture and layout that give a very clear indication of the brand's change of direction. We can therefore forget the old decoration very marked by aviation, pin-ups and a very assumed comics style. The new boutique is much more cozy and luxurious with a "New York loft" style that works pretty well and that allows to highlight several commitments and partnerships of Breitling. Between surfboard and bike, the decorative elements send us a very clear message: Breitling is not just aviation.

This strategy has been clearly outlined by Georges Kern for more than two years. So there is no surprise: the plan is declined and nothing is left to chance. In our minds, Breitling is obviously closely linked to aviation. But personally I think that the brand was locked in this universe with a communication that looked like more than we were expecting from an air meetings organizers than that of a watch brand. And then there was the paradox of the sales figures: the most successful collection  has been the Super Ocean during the last months.


In a way, we can regret that Breitling abandoned its unique decoration that made the boutique so original in the context of the rue de la Paix. The boutique loses its relaxed and dynamic side but it was inconceivable to keep such an architecture given the new strategy. And then, it is clear that the result of the renovation is very convincing. The boutique is beautiful, welcoming and fully takes advantage of the mezzanine. There are fewer displays and it is also a good approach: to give the impression that the collection is narrower is more rewarding for the products.

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