TAG Heuer and Marathons: An Alliance that Goes the Distance

La Chaux de Fonds, 03 November 2014. As part of its new strategy, TAG Heuer is going into sports marathons as partner and official timekeeper. The Manufacture is thus reaffirming its sporting roots and in doing so reaching almost 320 million people all over the world, making this an ideal platform to convey its new campaign message « Don’t Crack Under Pressure ».

TAG Heuer is partnering long-distance races :  New York (TCS New York City Marathon), Chicago (Bank Of America Chicago Marathon), Berlin (BMW Berlin Marathon) and Paris (Schneider electric Marathon de Paris), Oslo and Moscow. It means that TAG Heuer is going back to its origins and focusing once again on its core business, sports watches and chronographs, and on the sport, challenge, competition and desire to excel that are in its blood. 

Having a presence at marathon sporting events is a change of strategic direction for TAG Heuer : this new partnership - which does not signal the abandoning of its favourite territory, motor racing - enables the brand to extend the range of imagery that backs up the message encapsulated in its « Don’t Crack Under Pressure » campaign. Furthermore, this is a field that has as yet been little exploited by Swiss watchmakers, which only serves as further proof of the pioneering spirit TAG Heuer has constantly demonstrated since 1860.

This discipline was only for the initiated ten years ago but it is now becoming a more popular sport reaching an international public of all ages, comprising both regulars and new fans, all running marathons in search of self-realization, a personal records and adrenaline. According to the organizers, the major marathons have over 250,000 participants, the TCS New York City Marathon alone has over 50,000, and 2.5 million spectators gather along the edges of the route in the various cities. Marathons therefore represent a real opportunity for profile-raising and highly valuable sponsorship : the branding along the entire route, the media advertising, television, press, web, make an impact that goes well beyond the actual race. « We think marathons ensure very wide global visibility across all the communication media. Running a marathon requires great physical strength and even more mental strength, and this is even truer if you want to be one of the gallant marathon "finishers". We are proud that our « Don’t Crack Under Pressure » message is associated with this philosophy» said Stéphane Linder, President and CEO of the Swiss Manufacture.

TAG Heuer has always invested a large portion of its marketing budget in sponsorship, as it considers that being associated with a sports event not only ensures a higher profile with a specific target group but also enriches the brand's territory by providing content. The brand also has an opportunity to showcase all the values it shares with the world of sport.

TAG Heuer has had a close relationship with time measurement and control right from the beginning. Pushing back the limits of time is likewise the goal of the best marathon runners : the world long-distance record fell this year in Berlin.  Dennis Kimetto ran the 42.195 km in 2h02 mins 57secs – an incredible performance that seemed impossible a short while ago. This feat is expected to be repeated in the very near future. It was therefore natural for the boldest of watchmakers  to put its name to this type of partnership.

TAG Heuer: the Swiss Avant-Garde watchmaker since 1860. Its rich heritage is built on pushing boundaries and breaking rules: harnessing mental fortitude to overcome technology restraints and create daring watches and chronographs. Long-lasting partnerships with motor racing teams and charismatic ambassadors drive it to break with watchmaking conventions, and, as a consequence, master time with unparalleled precision. The brand's motor racing DNA, as well as the amazing athletes who belong to its dream team, reflect its core values of teamwork, mental strength, courage and ambition. Its slogan, DON’T CRACK UNDER PRESSURE, is far more than a claim--it is a mindset.