WHO TO FOLLOW: @Laetitia_hirschy and the Watch Femme community she is helping to build
Ricardo SimeWatch brands aren’t always the best communicators. After creating what many would consider works of art for the wrist, there sometimes exists a disconnect. “Why am I trying to sell this? It sells itself.” It’s in these moments that a good public relations firm can bridge the gap, helping a potential customer understand why that brand is right for them. A good PR firm can also help tap into a market that has been continuously underserved. @Laetitia_hirschy is at the forefront of these conversations and it’s why she is our Who To Follow this week.
The first time I crossed paths with Laetitia was at WatchTime New York this past October. She was on a panel called “What is a women’s watch in 2021?”, where she and her fellow panellist nailed down some of the obstacles women face trying to get into this hobby. And how, at the end of the day, they want to be accorded the same respect as that of their male peers. Overall, the panel was amazing and opened my eyes to the challenges that female watch enthusiasts face.
With International Women’s Day approaching, I was reminded of this panel and wanted to know more about Laetitia and her history with this shared passion of ours.
Laetitia, how did you get into watches?
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“I was born and raised in Geneva.” she explains. “Growing up in the capital of watchmaking, surrounded by people with beautiful watches. I started developing a love for timepieces around 18.”
Wow. It must have been amazing living in the middle of all that. How did you find yourself making it across the pond and what was your experience here?
“I left for college in Boston and realized that in the US, the watchmaking culture I took for granted in Geneva didn’t really exist in the mainstream, only within niche pockets and mainly among men. Meanwhile, US luxury consumers especially women, were willing to spend thousands on handbags and shoes.”
That smells like an opportunity. What did you do?
“I started thinking that if watch brands were able to better target American consumers and grow overall awareness in the watch category, the potential among US consumers for the industry was huge and that is when I began to develop an interest in PR and communications. I really wanted to help transmit the watch bug to Americans. What followed was an internship in Cartier’s marketing department in NYC and a first job as Marketing & Communications Coordinator at Patek Philippe and I was officially hooked!”
That was more than 15 years ago. Since then, Laetitia “has conceptualized and managed impactful 360-degree marketing and PR campaigns with leading-edge media, for iconic clients such as Patek Philippe, Bulgari, Zenith, LVMH, Vinitaly and more”. In 2020, she decided to go out on her own and founded Kaaviar PR, a PR and marketing agency.
As all of this was happening, Laetitia never loss sight of one of her biggest goals. And that was creating a watch community where women felt welcomed. In early 2021, in the middle of the COVID 19 pandemic, she co-founded Watch Femme, “a community created to help strengthen and bring more female perspectives to fine watchmaking”. The community has since exploded, with many women finally finding a space to express their views and love for watches.
In her role as both Founder/CEO of a PR agency and Watch Femme co-founder, @Laetitia_hirschy has perfectly positioned herself to have a lasting influence on the industry. She is able to learn from a large group of women how it is they want to be approached and is in a position where she can directly communicate this to brands. So give her a follow because right now, she’s in the driver’s seat, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.