Czapek & Cie crystalizes the brand’s uniqueness with a communication campaign whose tagline “We Collect Rare People”, combines various important elements of the Geneva-based maison. Notably, the ideas of ‘sharing passion’ and ‘community’ with ‘rarity’ and ‘identity’. “We Collect Rare People”, is a play on words, a sort of oxymoron, making people ask themselves about who is collecting, what, why and whether they would like to join the Czapek ‘club’.
Czapek collects rare people in many ways. First-of-all, Czapek collects rare supplying partners that provide the brand with rare savoir-faire, proud to be a piece of this project. Czapek also collects clients with a rare obsession for quality, on the quest for a unique product. In another sense, they too become partners. Czapek collects as well few yet outstanding retail partners across the globe. And last but not least, Czapek collects shareholders, fine watch lovers that have always dreamt of not only being customers, but owners of an haute horology venture, and their dream became true thanks to the crowdfunding equity campaign that made the revival of Czapek possible.
“Since the rebirth of the brand Czapek has been proud of its ‘family’,” explains Xavier de Roquemaurel, CEO of Czapek & Cie. “We never planned to create a community, it just emerged from our way of working. By opening the books during our fundraise, we became naturally transparent, by being transparent we became collaborative, by being open and collaborative we attracted hundreds of watch- lovers and made them become Ambassadors and created a Community. By collecting rare people, Czapek becomes stronger and more enticing.”
The campaign was conceived by Taylor/Yandell, a Bordeaux-based creative agency, that in turn became another ‘partner’ and part of the Czapek family.
“Our research has confirmed that there is no model ‘Czapek person’,” says Edward Taylor, partner at Taylor/Yandell. “Unlike other brands, it’s not Czapek that defines what sort of person you should be and what watch you should buy. Instead, the ‘bespoke’ or customisable potential of Czapek, combined with its inherent rarity and savoir-faire value is the number one pull-factor. In fact, the only thing you can safely determine about the identity of a Czapek owner is their great taste in watches!”
A series of short videos and visuals accompanying the campaign phrase will each highlight a different rare element of Czapek savoir-faire. The visual content aims to communicate the transmission between the ends of the Czapek ‘rare people’ spectrum - the artisan and the client.
The story is of a client who enters a Czapek boutique to acquire a watch, but the focus is on his ability to have access to rare savoir-faire unique to Czapek. From the moment he enters to the moment he leaves the boutique, he is transported from ‘real life’ directly into a Czapek partner’s atelier, where the craftsman is making a component for the client that will become part of his final watch. The client exits the Czapek boutique with the finished watch on his wrist, having acquired his rare object and become part of a family of rare people.
“We highlight rare savoir-faire, detail and precision, as well as the human ‘transmission’ between craftsman and client - the personal touch - where the finished watch is passed over by hand to the client,” explains Alex Yandell. “When you choose a Czapek, you are not just buying a watch. You gain access to rare experiences, customizable components and unique skills, and you become part of a family of rare people in your own way.” “Everyone has their own journey of how they got there, you’re never defining who the person is, just that they are confidently different to everyone else,” concludes Xavier de Roquemaurel.
Not later than tomorrow will you be able to admire the brand’s two new timepieces illustrating this “We Collect Rare People” concept. For now, you can take a look at the video below:
