Caso swatch

The Richard J. Fox School of Business & Management
Temple University, Philadelphia PA 19122, USA

Branding Time: Swatch and Global Brand Management 1
RAM MUDAMBI, 2005 [e-mail] Societe Suisse de Microelectronique et d’Horlogerie (SMH) was formed in 1983 by merging the two leading Swiss watch groups, SSIH and ASUAG. SMH and its main brand, Swatch, was the outcome of crisis for the Swiss watch industry. In a few short decades, foreign competitors with superior technology had all but eliminated the Swiss from a global industry that they dominated for centuries. The creation of Swatch is the extraordinary story of how the Swiss re-invented their watch industry. Recognizing the crucial role of brand intangibles to its future success, SMH changed its name to the Swatch Group in 1998. Now in the new millennium the Group needs to chart a strategy to preserve and enhance its stable of global brands. A brief history of time From the earliest periods man has used some form of time measurement, be it only the seasons of the year or phases of the moon. As people began to congregate in villages, and forms of religious ceremonies began, more refined methods of time measurement were needed. Civilization in early times was concentrated in areas where there was lots of sunshine and water aplenty for the then relatively small populations. Here time keeping was developed along two main lines - from the shadow stick, probably the earlier, and then the water clock. Sundials (first used in ancient Egypt, 1500-1300 BC) and water clocks (developed by the Greeks, 400BC) were eventually developed to give surprising accuracy. Various other methods were also used. Alfred the Great of England was reputed to use burning candles to measure time (980 AD) while burning incense was in use in China about the same time. By the 1400s mechanical clocks were built in Europe using a mainspring and balance wheel. In 1510 Peter Heinlein, a Nuremberg locksmith, introduced portability by