After an informal welcoming on the first floor of the five-star hotel, the audience sat down with tinkling glasses. Champagne was offered, but most of them were filled with iced water as this was on one of the really hot summer afternoons that have come to symbolize Geneva Watch Days. When the around 55 guests had arrived – mainly a mix of collectors, industry people, and media – Georges Kern and Anders Modig sat down on collapsable canvas safari chairs on a wooden stage.
“Reviving a brand is one of the most rewarding and the most complex challenges in business,” Georges Kern said, and the audience listened attentively.
Expanding on the opinion editorial he wrote for WorldTempus in July, Mr. Kern was queried about the dos and don’ts when it comes to brand revival, as recently experienced not only with Gallet, but also with Universal Geneve.
One of the guests was watch designer Thomas Funder who is currently consulting on a couple of brand revivals: “It was really interesting to hear Mr. Kern’s point of view on topics like how to position the very different brands Universal Genève and Gallet. I enjoyed the format of the Salon where there is also some room for challenging the guest. And I really like that people in the audience could interact and ask questions that journalists don’t always ask,” he said.
When the question about three best advice to revive a brand, the answer was however clear: There is no simple recipe on how to do it. But according to Georges Kern you need to make the new version of a brand relevant to both collectors and a broader, modern audience – which needs a clear vision that includes design-conscious and culturally aware messages and products. And you need both money and commitment; because you can’t do this kind of exercise half-way. According to Georges Kern, the real lesson is that “you are not reviving a brand’s legacy. You are creating the future that is worthy of it.”
After the talk all the guests walked a few meters along Quai de Bergues to Breitling café for a generous sunset apéro.
Follow WorldTempus to find out more about the next Salon WorldTempus planned for October.
