Here are some other highlights from the Kantar Media data:
• The greatest surge in spending last year came from a surprising place: the Swatch brand. In 2011 Swatch spent less than half a million ($454,000). In 2012, its ad buy grew by nearly 1,000 percent to $4.98 million, placing it at #17 in the ranking. Bulgari also made a major jump: a 733 percent increase to $4.14 million, bringing it to #22 on the list.
• Longines’ ad buy jumped 73 percent to $7.73 million, moving it from 17th place to #11.
• Bulova, which had come within striking distance of taking the #2 spot from Breitling in 2011, fell to sixth place in 2012. It spent $20.02 million, down 24.2 percent from the year before.
• Although Chanel had steadily been making its way up the ranks in recent years, it drastically cut back on watch ad spending in 2012. The French company spent $3.62 million last year, compared with a whopping $17.72 million the year before. As a result, Chanel slipped off the Top 25 list, coming in at #26 for the year.
• Citizen and Omega surpassed the $20-million mark for the first time. A total of six brands (those two, plus Rolex, Breitling, Bulova and Cartier) exceeded the $20 million mark, the most ever.
• Among the top 10 brands, the top four increased their ad buy. Cartier, Bulova, and TAG Heuer decreased theirs, falling (albeit slightly) in the ranks as a result. Movado, Montblanc, and Bell & Ross closed out the top 10 list, all with raised ad budgets (up 19.5 percent, 26.6 percent, and 1.9 percent, respectively).
• Leaving the Top 25 list last year were Baume & Mercier, Chanel, TechnoMarine, Tissot, and Victorinox Swiss Army. But, there were also new arrivals: Bulgari, David Yurman, Luminox, Rado, and Swatch.
Watch Brands That Spent More Than $1 Million in Advertising in 2012
(U.S. Market)
Rank Brand Amount ($ millions)
1. Rolex 52.14
2. Breitling 29.48
3. Omega 23.20
4. Citizen 21.62
5. Cartier 20.04
6. Bulova 20.02
7. TAG Heuer 15.96
8. Movado 15.11
9. Montblanc 8.19
10. Bell & Ross 7.92
11. Longines 7.73
12. Seiko 7.66
13. Raymond Weil 6.34
14. Patek Philippe 5.83
15. Ulysse Nardin 5.82
16. Luminox 4.98
17. Swatch 4.98
18. Dior 4.96
19. Ball Watch 4.61
20. Timex 4.48
21. Louis Vuitton 4.15
22. Bulgari 4.14
23. David Yurman 4.08
24. Rado 3.73
25. Casio 3.64
26. Chanel 3.62
27. Ralph Lauren 3.62
28. Armitron 3.61
29. Parmigiani 3.58
30. Hermès 3.48
31. Tissot 3.28
32. Vacheron Constantin 3.13
33. Victorinox Swiss Army 3.08
34. Corum 2.98
35. Graff 2.82
36. Panerai 2.63
37. Oris 2.59
38. Richard Mille 2.54
39. Zenith 2.53
40. Hublot 2.38
41. Fendi 2.35
42. Coach 2.24
43. Anne Klein 2.19
44. Guess 2.14
45. ESQ 2.04
46. MTM 2.02
47. Gucci 1.97
48. Burberry 1.94
49. TW Steel 1.91
50. Piaget 1.79
51. Carl F Bucherer 1.67
52. Glashütte Original 1.63
53. Frédérique Constant 1.55
54. Ebel 1.54
55. Baume & Mercier 1.40
56. Roger Dubuis 1.29
57. Van Cleef & Arpels 1.11
58. Dolce & Gabbana 1.07
59. Jaeger-LeCoultre 1.02
60. Philip Stein 1.01
(Source: Kantar Media)