Introduction
With luxury goods, the marketing of the product must also incorporate the delivery of an excellent customer experience that the buyer will value as much as they appreciate the actual item. Rolex is a brand of luxury watches marketed as timeless classics, which means that these items are suitable for a very narrow category of customers and the company needs to position itself properly. The marketing of this watch manufacturer should be delivered considering the experience that the customers expect and receive, to uphold the reputation of the luxury brand. This paper will describe the specifics of the customer experience strategy for the Rolex company.
A Typical Customer of the Rolex Watch
Rolex watches are high-end goods, which means that a typical customer would be an individual with an above-average income. Moreover, this watch represents the status of the individual wearing it, which is why businesses men, top managers, or artists may choose this luxury accessory. The company offers to watch designs that can be worn by both male and female customers. It is important to note that Rolex’s recent campaigns show that this brand positions itself as a sign of excellence, which from the perspective of the target customers means that economically and socially successful people choose to buy Rolex’s watches.
Based on Rolex’s latest advertisement campaigns, one can also assume that this band also targets people who work in the arts or sports and who have achieved great results. Again, customer image aligns with the brand’s status as a sign of success and achievement.
How to Deliver a Positive Customer Experience?
A luxury brand has to offer not only an excellent quality product but also a top-level customer experience to satisfy the needs of the target audience. Prentice and Loureiro (2018) recommend using the consumer-focused approach and behavioral engagement strategies to address this issue.
Hence, identifying the needs of the consumer and addressing them is the main task of the marketing team. Since Rolex sells watches, the company should also provide the services associated with repairing or addressing any mechanical issues with the mechanisms with convenience to the customer. Therefore, Rolex should offer a fast repair service and help customers deliver the broken watches to their shops and receive them after the repairs. Also, since Rolex’s brand is built on the concept of timelessness, it is important to ensure that the initial quality of the watches corresponds to this expectation and that their designs are classical rather than trendy.
A part of the customer’s experience is linked to the perception and promotion of the brand and how it is perceived by the general public. Prentice and Loureiro (2018) note that with luxury brands, desire and social value are the factors that impact the customer’s loyalty and their intention to purchase. Hence, the perception of the brand becomes an element of the experience for the buyer since it shapes their expectations about the company and the products. With Rolex, the watches of this manufacturer demonstrate the social status of the person wearing them and their achievements. Hence, to continue delivering an excellent customer experience, Rolex should promote its brand image as a luxury watch manufacturer that creates products selectively and offers its customers a unique experience.
The pandemic and the development of communication technology have made the Internet presence of the brand an important element of the customer experience. The recommendation for Rolex is to reinforce its social media marketing strategy and use influencer marketing by partnering with successful individuals who have a following on social media platforms (Zhou et al., 2021).
The primary difference between the influencers and traditional advertisement campaigns is that the latter generate lesser engagement and trust from the audience. However, to support the image of the luxury brand as part of the customer’s experience of luxury watches, Rolex has to ensure that its name is seen on the major social media platforms. Moreover, this also implies that the consumers should be able to order their watches online through the brand’s website with ease.
Finally, since Rolex is an expensive product, the customer should be able to view it in person, which means that a part of the customer experience has to be the ability to walk into a brick-and-mortar store. This implies that Rolex needs to have stores in major cities where its target audience resides. The quality of the service, such as the personnel’s willingness to help the customer and their attention to their needs will also encompass the experience that these customers have.
Product and Product Positioning Statement
Rolex already has an established image that shapes the expectations of its customers. According to Barska (2018), “Rolex is one of those brands that could go centuries without changing because its image is built on being a reliable and timeless classic” (p. 16). Hence, this brand’s products are marketed as reliable and timeless classics. Table 1 shows the main properties of the Rolex brand and watches that are applicable to the targeting strategy. The main aspects of this brand’s image are the social desirability and the quality of this product.
The product, for example, Rolex’s Omega watch, is a simply designed hand watch worn mostly by men. The design is a classic and a representation of Rolex’s long history of making watches. Moreover, this product has a high price, which marks it as a sign of a person’s financial and social status and achievements. Therefore, the product’s positioning statement can be described as follows: “Omega is a timeless classic representing you.” This positioning statement emphasizes the idea that Rolex adds value to the image of the customer because it is both desirable and unattainable for the majority of the population.
Table 1. Product positioning (created by the author).
Conclusion
In summary, this paper addresses the questions of positioning, customer experience, and brand image of the luxury watchmaker. Rolex has to pay particular attention to the brand image and the social desirability of its products while upholding its reputation as a timeless classic. Its main customers are people over the age of 30, either businessmen or professionals in other fields with high economic status. The primary recommendations are to focus on the experience that the customers receive in-store and when repairing their items. Additionally, focusing on upholding the brand image and desirability of the product is also a part of the customer’s experience and Rolex’s positioning strategy.
References
Barska, Y. (2018). Marketing and innovation. Web.
Prentice, C., & Loureiro, S. M. C. (2018). Consumer-based approach to customer engagement – The case of luxury brands. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 43, 325–332. Web.
Zhou, S., Blazquez, M., McCormick, H., & Barnes, L. (2021). How social media influencers’ narrative strategies benefit cultivating influencer marketing: Tackling issues of cultural barriers, commercialized content, and sponsorship disclosure. Journal of Business Research, 134, 122-142. Web.