Fossil taps celebrities in new smartwatch campaign

By

Cassidy Mantor

Published
Apr 26, 2017

In the race to keep up with wearables, Fossil has tapped celebrity endorsement for its new hybrid and touchscreen watch campaign.

The campaign, "Fossil Firsts," is designed to cultivate nostalgia for the brand as a heritage fashion watch brand in the face of smartwatch market domination.

Actresses Kristen Bell and Yara Shahidi, join musicians Leslie Odom Jr. and Austin Mahone to tell intimate stories of their first experience with Fossil watches back in the day. The stories told in the campaign touch on both personal and professional milestones that each celebrity reached while wearing a Fossil watch.

Fossil said it needs to keep up with technology to remain relevant to a new generation of consumers.

"We know that this is a pivotal moment in the watch industry, and Fossil is leading the revolution to reinvent the traditional watch through the innovative design and technology found in our Hybrid Smartwatches,” said Jill Elliott, Chief Creative Officer.

In respect to the choice of celebrities, Fossil explained in an official statement that Bell and Odom Jr. "embody the watch wearer that has grown up with Fossil and has seen the brand, much like themselves, evolve over the years."

Shahidi and Mahone are young stars who were selected based on their ability to speak to the new generation of Fossil customers buying their first Fossil smartwatch.

The Fossil hybrid smartwatch will launch with four styles for men and women this summer. The Q Accomplice, Q Activist, Q Venture and Q Explorist will roll out during fall and into the holiday season.

The watches operate on a touchscreen platform powered by Android Wear technology that connects the watch to a smartphone.