Watchpro to Watchmakers: Ditch T&A Instagram Posts

usa.watchpro.com spent the big bucks needed to purchase the Gartner L2 report Watches & Jewelry Global Optimizing Social Media Content — How to Stand Out on Saturated Social Media Channels. (Thanks guys.)  watchpro’s takeaway . . .

This is not a great era to be a model. With the woke generation seeing off the use of models at motor racing, boxing and almost all corporate exhibitions and events, you might think that the beautiful can at least rely on looking good in front of the camera for a living.

Even that view is being challenged as research suggests that, for watches at least, it is far better to post close up images that show the timepiece in all its glory on social media.

I think watchpro is spinning their story to sex-up their post. As far as I can tell, the L2 report doesn’t measure the impact of T&A (Tits & Ass) on Instagram posts featuring gorgeous gals or abtastic men because there aren’t any.

As someone who’s following more watchmakers than the IRS, I’d like to point out that I’ve seen one — count it one — Instagram post with T&A (Tits & Ass). A private individual posted it.

Anyway, this dearth of T&A-enhanced Instagram watch posts reflects the watchmakers’ understanding of their target market, a desire to avoid cheapening their brand, or a reflection of T&A pics’ inferiority to product shots.

The hard data we get from L2 via watchpro restricts itself to the efficacy of different types of Instagram product shots.

Full displays win! The more, um, “intimate” the product shot, the more reader engagement (defined a like or comment on an Instagram post) it garners.

Yes but — even the best full display post is only garnering 1.93 percent engagement. That’s the same sort of response direct mail used to generate (which is why you don’t get much junk mail anymore), and a lot less engagement that you get from email.

In my experience, the Instagram watch posts that stimulate discussion and/or admiration for a poster’s talent or taste get the most engagement. The “babes” of the Instagram watch world are watch fanatics — often watch dealers — who engage with their audience to create a following.

Instead of paying someone inside the company to actively engage with readers on Instagram, big time watchmakers are spending millions on “brand ambassadors” — creating images that appear in print, posters and point-of-sale. But not Instagram.

These marketing mavens are missing the boat. They’re neglecting the obvious play: pay proven influencers in the watch world to spread their message. Where’s the best place to hunt them down? @wristporn, of course.