features


Breil: Don't touch my ad

June 2003




A fashion watch brand, the Italian Breil has a very large selection but is mainly oriented towards design watches, most of which are unisex and intended for leisure activities. The most recent past collections (the decisive re-launch was carried out ten years ago) had provocative names such as Wide, Runaway, Manta, Soon and Lander. They were equipped with Miyota Japanese movements (chronographs and various multifunctional modules), steel cases and bracelets with safety buckles and screw-in case backs for water-resistance.

An advertising phenomenon
This re-launch was accompanied by a vast advertising campaign in Italy that became a true fashion phenomenon, not only due to the presence of exceptional celebrities such as Monica Belluci, Shana, Carré Otis and Jane Campbell, but especially because of the suggestive eroticism of the images and the aggressive sensuality of the famous slogan, 'Take everything off but my Breil'.

This campaign enjoyed unprecedented success and allowed the brand to become a leader in the mid-range category with prices of 100 to 150 euros up to 250 euros.

Now, ten years later, this re-launch can be considered a crowning success, largely due to the strong presence in the Italian press and the spots on Italian TV that became small film cults in themselves.

This ambitious endeavour, supported by a large investment and a free creative rein, actually surpassed its own goals, which, in the beginning, were to give the brand a new image and create a strong recognition to a brand that was falling into oblivion.

Less transgressive
Today Breil is in a new phase, both in terms of its product and communication. Of course, this new operation must be carried out subtly, so as not to disrupt or radically change the incredible results it has accomplished over the last ten years.

The campaign has been softened while maintaining the strength, yet modifying slightly the most aggressive elements to give it an even more sensual image. The slogan is now 'Don't touch my Breil' (also used for the steel jewellery line that has been added to the watch collections). As for the product itself, the offer is attentive to design details and shapes in order to better identify the brand without radically altering its look or its characteristic features, such as the sporty functions. The use of steel, a distinctive sign of the brand, has been maintained.

The most recent new model is the Chross. It is a bold, stylized watch with a form that is both convex and domed, its case incorporating both rounded and square lines. Neither masculine nor unisex, but created above all for a feminine clientele, the new Bold collection is noticeable by its elliptical form and dials in fashion colours, such as lilac, chestnut and silver. The Ice collection is a case apart. Its amusing extravagance is intended to promote the Tribe brand and is one of Breil's diversifications targeting an even younger public. With their name and form of the glass, they are reminiscent of an igloo, while the overall look is very casual and relaxed.