The chaos at Swatch stores isn't poor planning – it's marketing genius working exactly as it should
If you're looking to snag the cheapest Audemars Piguet out there, you'll need to find an open Swatch store
Unless you've been living under a rock, you'll know that the Audemars Piguet x Swatch Royal Pop launched at the weekend. In fact, even if you didn't realise it, you probably still knew, with the news making international headlines.
The launch has had an overwhelming response, with many stores forced to close their shutters in the name of public safety. So, why is a £300 pocket watch causing such a fuss?
Well, it's all thanks to the magic of marketing. See, Swatch doesn't just allow anyone to buy one of these online, instead opting to sell them through a select group on in-person locations around the world.
The models launched on Saturday, and each store only had a very limited amount of watches in stock. Even with per person limits, there weren't enough to go around, leading to some pretty intense scenes.
Poor planning, you might think, but that's not the case at all. Swatch has done this before, remember – back when the MoonSwatch was first launched, similar scenes could be found.
This isn't to do with planning issues or having expectations too low, either. In my humble opinion, this is much simpler than that – a genius marketing tactic which has proven its value time and time again.
This morning, I heard on the radio about Swatch stores being closed over a pocket watch sale. It's also plastered all over major news sites like the BBC, The Guardian and the Financial Times.
That kind of widespread coverage simply doesn't happen for any other common or garden watch launch. It's obviously not the kind of strategy which could work for other brands in the same way, but when you're looking for the shock factor, this is proven to work.
I've seen other people online slating the brand over the actions of its customers but that feels like a ludicrous take to me. I've also seen many stating with conviction that "both brands had damaged their respective reputations."
Time will tell on that front, but personally, I don't see anything about the situation doing damage. All were seeing here is two powerhouses of the watchmaking world come together on a fun piece which has captured attention far beyond the usual watch-loving circles.
