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Cartier aims at New Yorkers via digital ad placement

July 13, 2012

Cartier Tank Anglais

French jeweler Cartier has decked out New York magazine’s The Cut Web site with advertisements for its new Tank Anglaise timepiece that link to its campaign microsite.

Cartier took out leaderboard, masthead, banner, side-panel and inter-text ads on the style blog to raise awareness for the digital Tank campaign in New York, the largest United States market. The ads link to content such as the Tank Anglaise video, an explanation of the history behind the timepiece and a collection gallery.

“The goal of the ads is to allow consumers to really understand the brand story behind this piece and what it stands for,” said Natalie Dold, business development executive at B Culture Media, Atlanta. “The ads do not take users directly to purchase, but Cartier has done a good job of entertaining its audience to get them to want to find out more.

“Selling a luxury product online is a relationship sell and Cartier is trying to start that on its site,” she said. “However, I do believe that it should test out several different destinations from the ads.

“If it directed a portion of the ad viewers to a social channel such as Facebook to experience the same video and message, they would be able to capture that audience and further measure the cross-channel affinity for that product.”

Ms. Dold is not affiliated with Cartier, but agreed to comment as an industry expert.

Cartier declined comment.

Ad takeover
Cartier’s Tank Anglaise ad that covers the leaderboard of TheCut.com shows a silver watch from the new collection on the left, the brand’s signature red box on the right and “discover the new Tank Anglaise watch” below the Cartier logo at the center.

Cartier Tank ads on The Cut

Other placements include a side-panel ad and squares ads within the text that show a short video of the silver watch, banner ads and a Cartier logo ad in the masthead.

Cartier Tank ads within text

All of the ads take consumers to Cartier’s Tank microsite at http://www.tank.cartier.us, which is now showing the Tank Anglaise video. A sidebar to the right of the screen shows historic Tank timepieces during the film.

Tank Anglaise video

When the video ends, consumers land at a page that shows a Tank Anglaise watch with a brief description of the Tank collection.

Cartier Tank microsite

Users can navigate the site via the four sections listed in the top toolbar that include Tank Movie, New Tank Anglaise, Tank Collection and History of the Style.

For instance, the Tank Collection page lets users browse timepieces in the seven Tank lines including the new one.

There are links to share content via Facebook throughout the site.

Other parts of the Tank Anglaise campaign include a Facebook application and direct mail catalog (see story).

“TheCut.com is a popular fashion blog with content updated frequently throughout the day and, as a result, readers may check back multiple times per day, giving Cartier the opportunity to catch the eyes of qualified consumers,” said Rachel Lewis, Fort Worth, TX-based senior marketing strategist at iProspect.

“Content on the blog covers everything from mass retailer initiatives to high-end luxury brand news, information and trends,” she said. “This high, low and everything-in-between mix will allow Cartier to reach high-end consumers familiar with the brand, and also aspirational shoppers looking to engage with the brand.

“The ad content seems to be geared towards new customers unfamiliar with the Cartier legacy, as the content on the microsite is focused on the history and heritage of the product.”

The big apple
Many luxury marketers place ads on New York magazine’s digital publication, likely because they will reach consumers in New York, the largest U.S. market.

In fact, Cartier targeted affluent brides in May via banner, takeover and sidebar ads on New York magazine homepage that linked to its engagement and wedding ring e-boutique.

Consumers could view ring collections, read about Cartier’s expertise and history, locate a boutique and make purchases based on availability (see story).

More specifically, The Cut blog reaches fashion-minded consumers that likely favor luxury brands, so ad placement sharpens the audience of the ads.

“Cartier is a brand that has a huge following and a valued tradition behind it and they chose a great site to communicate to an audience that would appreciate that,” said Brittany Mills, director of strategy and experience at B Culture Media, Atlanta. “Viewers of The Cut are not only aware of a brand such as Cartier, but are passionate about brands with such a strong presence.

“Cartier is creating awareness for a prestigious, luxury product – you have to either go all out or do not bother,” she said. “Also, this watch has a deep, rich history that has reached a global audience and its timing and synergy with content on TheCut.com could not be more aligned.”

A few luxury marketers have placed ads on The Cut this year, probably due to the multifaceted ad space that allows for interactive content.

For instance, Italian fashion brand Bottega Veneta flaunted its monogramming service through expandable banner ads on The Cut.

The leaderboard and side-panel ads showed the slogan, “When just your initials are enough.” Other components included a video and campaign images where consumers could monogram brand handbags (see story).

Furthermore, Cartier is not pushing ecommerce sales via these ads, but rather, it is focusing on the social aspects of the campaign. This could strengthen brand awareness to its target consumers.

“A well-executed, thematic and sharp digital campaign that embraces a video, Facebook application, and microsite should do the trick in creating buzz among luxury brand aficionados who rely on the Web to scout the latest fashion and styles,” said John Casey, founder of Freshfluff, New York.

“Cartier’s Tank Anglaise campaign hits all the right notes and provides visually stunning content as well as an opportunity to share the experience with other users,” he said. “The brand seems to understand how all of these elements work together and the production value of its branded digital contents is high, which mirrors the perception and quality of the brand.

“The campaign should attain its goal of capturing the attention of its online audience.”

Final Take
Tricia Carr, editorial assistant on Luxury Daily, New York

Tricia Carr is an editorial assistant on Luxury Daily. Her beats are apparel and accessories, arts and entertainment, education, food and beverage, fragrance and personal care, government, healthcare, home furnishings, jewelry, legal/privacy and nonprofits. Reach her at tricia@napean.com.