• by Tameka Kee , November 16, 2007

Swiss luxury watchmaker Tag Heuer has launched its first major online initiative, a rich media ad campaign timed for the holidays that features athletes Tiger Woods, Maria Sharapova and Jeff Gordon reprising their roles as campaign spokespersons.

The campaign features a standard rich media leaderboard paired with a smaller, square banner that's nestled in the editorial content, and the message jumps between both units. With the Tiger Woods ad, for example, the main banner features Woods on a mesh golf course, ready to take a swing. After he hits the ball, it actually bursts through mock editorial copy in the smaller unit.

Chicago-based Bagby and Co. handled the creative, with WPP's MediaCom behind the media strategy.

This banner-centric creative furthers Tag Heuer's "What Are You Made Of?" brand philosophy--a tagline launched in 2003 via TV and print. It also complements recent product placement spots in movies like Universal Pictures' "The Bourne Ultimatum" and Warner Bros' "The Brave One" that feature tough, resilient protagonists.

Clicking on the ad takes users to a landing page featuring the athlete, and copy referencing past experiences they have had with overcoming hardships--essentially defining "what they were made of." There is also information on the specific watch each spokesperson wears, as well as links to the rest of the Tag Heuer site and authorized watch retailers.

For an initial investment of $1 million, Tag Heuer's message will be conveyed via more than 26 million impressions across sites like CondéNet's Style.com, PGA.com, CNNMoney, and Yahoo--establishing parent company Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey's most costly single-brand online presence to date.

But the banners are just Tag Heuer's initial campaign launch in North America. The company plans to use digital ads for future product introductions.

"We already have one of the broadest and most innovative marketing strategies in the luxury watch world," says Jenna Fagnan, VP/marketing for Tag Heuer, North America. "The digital initiative adds the next layer and enables us to reach these consumers where they are spending an average of three hours a day--online."