Behind the Brand: How Morveau Watches Built its Brand

All brands, big or small, all have a starting point.

When Luke Francis decided to build a company based on an innovative watch idea, he knew brand needed to be a strong asset in order to compete. He was entering a category flooded with mega-brands like Rolex, Fossil, Timex and thousands of others at the luxury, mid-market and economy levels, so he had his work cut out for him.

Luke’s idea was to create a watch from reclaimed aircraft-grade aluminum. The business strategy was focused on entering into a more premium watch category where, because of higher gross margin and market opportunity, he needed to elevate consumer perception of his product. Brand was key to making this leap: taking a product made with a durable, basic material, creating a minimalist design and infusing the brand with a cool, luxurious lifestyle. The consumer lifestyle had to be at the center of the brand and drive brand communication, design and media choices.

This strategy stemmed from a goal to find a higher class consumer who didn’t want to break the bank or didn’t fall into the mindset that a watch is merely another piece of jewelry. He wanted to connect to the man who has good taste and appreciates good functionality.

With this direction, the Morveau (pronounced “more-vo”) brand was established. The Morveau name, aside from sounding sophisticated and established, harkens back to the innovative material used in the watch design. Named after Louis-Bernard Guyton de Morveau, the chemist credited with producing the first systematic method of chemical nomenclature, which included the naming of Aluminum, the brand name establishes a clever connection with the product material, a key differentiator.

The brand connects to a male target audience obsessed with his lifestyle. The watch’s design adds to his overall style aesthetic, is flexible for casual and corporate settings, and fits into multiple facets of his daily life. The watch’s quality and design come together seamlessly with the brand personality to authentically communicate with its target audience. The connection of these aspects ties back to how well Morveau understands the audience and their wants and needs. Whatever their personal style may be, whether they are going to a boardroom or a beach, the Morveau’s brand message speaks to and inspires this lifestyle.

The connection of these aspects ties back how well Morveau understands its target audience and how it built a brand around their wants and needs. Whatever their personal style may be, and whether they are going from the boardroom to the beach, Morveau’s brand message speaks to and inspires that lifestyle.

In order to stand out, Morveau has unique signatures that make the product and brand distinct. The simple, sleek design, a strong cobalt blue accent color on the watch hands and fabric stitching, excellent lifestyle photography and an engaging and inspiring tone of voice create the feeling of a strong, established brand from day one.

In the same way that the material of this watch has a backstory, Morveau inspires its wearers to live a history worth retelling.

Where to find Morveau:

Website: http://www.morveau.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/morveauwatches
Indigogo:  https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/first-ever-aircraft-grade-aluminum-watch#/story

Addison Whitney is a global branding firm with a passion for building strong brands. 
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