Swiss watchmaker Rolex amplified its 30-year sponsorship of Wimbledon with a raft of digital content based around the world’s most famous tennis competition. This case study showed how Rolex used a ‘scorecard’ Facebook app, Twitter hashtags and video content to deeply embed its brand into the event experience.
Brand: Rolex | Sector: Luxury, Clothing| Country: UK | Objective: brand awareness, consideration and purchase | Format: Video, Social media
Swiss watchmaker Rolex amplified its 30-year sponsorship of Wimbledon with a raft of digital content based around the world’s most famous tennis competition. This case study showed how Rolex used a ‘scorecard’ Facebook app, Twitter hashtags and video content to deeply embed its brand into the event experience.
Rolex and Wimbledon have been teamed up since 1978. The high-quality watch company is widely known as the Official Timekeeper of the Wimbledon Championships.
The Rolex is known as a luxury watch, so its relationship with Wimbledon makes sense. The tournament and the sport are suited for an affluent crowd that targets the same audience.
However, this year, instead of merely dominating the arena with advertisements, Rolex Wimbledon 2013 saw Rolex start an online dialogue with consumers to show that the partnership extends beyond financial matters.
A major theme of the campaign illustrated how Wimbledon and Rolex embody similar principles.
The Facebook app includes options such as a live scoreboard, matches in progress, Wimbledon feeds and various videos including an interview with tennis-star Roger Federer and an exploration of what makes Wimbledon great. A key component to the app is the use of hash tags to coordinate user comments. Consumers can view other user comments directly on the app.
