We recently had the opportunity to get in contact with the top marketing people at Seiko and rather than simply present a creds and capabilities deck, we at Last Exit thought to apply some initial thinking via a campaign idea. Not something we normally advise doing because of our limited knowledge of Seiko’s plans/strategies etc. However, in this case because of our love of technology, good design and watches, we dared to be so bold.

Our understanding of Seiko’s positioning in the market is that the vast majority of its competition is Swiss. This comes from both established brands such as TAG Heuer and Tissot, to relative new entrants such as Victorinox / Swiss Army and Wenger. The Swiss heritage evokes reliability, precision and craftsmanship. However what is lacking from the Swiss seems to be innovation. Precious metals and craftsmanship are in the context of old technology not new. Seiko’s heritage is one of continual innovation - its watch technology eclipses any other within its price position and beyond. We felt this angle is worth exploring.

Our cultural reference is from the Orson Welles Film, The Third Man. His character, Harry Lime, gives a deft historical description of the lack of Swiss innovation at a time when humanity was going through unprecedented technological advancement.The attached visual shows a proposed context for this quote with a watch that demonstrates Seiko’s key point of difference - it’s product innovation. Our strapline “It’s About Time” deliberately introduces ambiguity, to suggest that Seiko is about innovation, and that it is time this was more widely known relative to comparable brnds.