David Beckham visits the Kuala Lumpur Breitling Boutique

[T Bone]

Unfortunately, Ms. Cochran is no longer with us, having passed over 30 years ago. But what a pioneer! One of the true greats, even legends of aviation.

As stated, no current military personnel are likely to be permitted to work as such (I DO recall seeing the Thunderbirds wearing Breitling Emergency's though). WRT Ms. Campbell (call sign "Killer Chick" which I remembered from the original article on her successful return with that shot to hell Warthog), both she and the aircraft did an awesome job on that one.

But when you think about it, it is unlikely for Breitling to ever choose a woman as an ambassador. Their primary lines are men's watches, and most famous women who wear the brand wear the men's lines. Just unlikely.

I would not mind seeing some of the many air racing and aerobatic competitors who regularly wear the brand used as ambassadors (I once walked the hangar line for the Detroit Red Bull Air Races, and about 2/3 of the pilots were wearing Breitling's). Of course those guys are known only to a narrow fan base (air race/air show enthusiasts) and Breitling already has good coverage sponsoring many of the major events. A "Celebrity" or movie star (particularly an action movie star) is really the perfect choice to aid brand recognition among the general public. And after all, marketing is what that is all about.

[Dienekes]

Agreed they should use real life ambassadors who have actually done great things. Unfortunately to the mass population that doesn't sell expensive watches.

[BlackNomad]

Agreed they should use real life ambassadors who have actually done great things. Unfortunately to the mass population that doesn't sell expensive watches.

That's right, you got it. I think it won't be too hard to find 100,000 young people who know David Beckham, how many young people from the same place, you think, know Ms. Cochran? The pitch here is quite simple Mr.X=success, Mr.X wears S-watch => S-watch=success. This scheme worked like a charm for decades. A company doesn't need the youth to be patriotic or supersmart, just smart enough to be able to recognize their logo. Of course i'm oversimplifying things and most of the companies (all of them?) are involved in youth development programmes, education and other forms of support.

A "Celebrity" or movie star (particularly an action movie star) is really the perfect choice to aid brand recognition among the general public. And after all, marketing is what that is all about.

And the fact that celebrities and movie stars, not war heroes become brands ambassadors is not peoples fault...

[M. Montaigne]

You're missing my point.

Breitling's entire brand image is that they make watches for aviators. They should on occasion support real aviators and not just random celebrities. One does not preclude the other.

[T Bone]

You're missing my point.

Breitling's entire brand image is that they make watches for aviators. They should on occasion support real aviators and not just random celebrities. One does not preclude the other.

Hence Travolta. He's a natural for them. The weight of the Scientology baggage aside, he's a household name and a very accomplished Aviator. Other things alluded to with him earlier in the thread I'd not heard of (but not much surprises me out of the Hollywood crowd).

Another good choice might be Harrison Ford (flies a lot more than just the Millennium Falcon). I believe he flies an Aviat Husky (one of my favorite non-warbird aircraft, and about the first I'd buy if I won the lottery). Don't know about the whole drunken/hellicopter thing, but again... see above.

[Nokie]

Love em or hate em, they know how to generate serious PR.