There is a saying in China that "a piece of plum blossom is passed on for three generations", what kind of history and story is that, and how did Titoni create such a brand image in China?

"A piece of 'Plum Blossom' has been passed down for three generations". The Swiss Plum Blossom watch, which has entered the Chinese market for more than 50 years, has been able to have three generations of loyal consumers in China and become a "family heirloom" for many families to pass on their emotions and trusts, which is not common in China's watch market where famous brands are gathered. Plum Blossom is a typical Swiss watchmaker founded in 1919 in Glinken, Switzerland; it is still owned and operated by the Schlopp family, and is one of the few independent family-owned watchmaking enterprises nowadays. The Manufacture specializes in the production of mechanical watches, and all parts are assembled in the Manufacture.

Plain marketing wins the market

At present, there are about 450 brands of watches starring in the Chinese market. In the highly competitive market environment, Meihua brand watches, however, still maintains its position in the top ten in sales. Over the past 15 years, its sales have continued to grow steadily, with an increase of more than 15% in the last two years. It is commendable that the sales growth of Plum Blossom watches in the Chinese market is so fast, which is not realized by relying on a strong market offensive. It is understood that Plum's advertising investment in the market is minimal, and its marketing style is very down-to-earth and even a bit low-key.

So, in the increasingly fierce competition in China's watch market, how does Meihua win the favor and loyalty of consumers and keep its brand charm?

Recently, a collection of consumer essays ---- "80 Stories Tell a Secret: Brands Influence Life" displayed in the sales counters of Plum Blossom watches and presented to customers reveals some aspects of Plum Blossom's "sustainable management". The secret of "sustainable management" is revealed in some aspects.

In late 2005, when the Swiss watch company Plum Blossom was celebrating the 50th anniversary of its sales in the Chinese market, the website of Plum Blossom Watches released a call for essays announcement, soliciting stories of Plum Blossom Watches from consumers.

Once the announcement was published, it received a warm response from consumers. In just two months, the number of essays from all over the country reached more than 600. More than 600 consumers told the touching stories of Meihua watches with true experiences and full of feelings. Although their stories are different, they all express the same sentiment ---- Plum Blossom watches make them experience the taste of life. Consumers' stories also reflect a concept: brands influence life.

Plum Blossom watches are precisely with the brand charm built with great care, influencing and attracting several generations of consumers.

Innovation is in the work

How does a brand influence life? According to Daniel Schlopp, president of Plum Watch, the value of a good watch is usually a very personal concept, and it is precious because it not only indicates the time for the wearer, but also links the wearer's style, hobbies and taste. Therefore, the watch brand not only model style to have personality, but also the quality and craftsmanship of the connotation.

To this end, the core competitiveness that Plum Watch strives to maintain is its exquisite traditional manufacturing process of mechanical watches; no matter how much the market trend changes, the style that must be firmly maintained is elegance, modesty and taste; whether it is in the era of economic shortages or in the face of the price war of the competition, meticulously maintaining the quality of taste and credibility, Plum Watch grasps the market, and is the key to a secure victory.

In terms of brand philosophy, Daniel Shlopp, who holds a master's degree in business administration and law in the U.S., advocates the principle of "quality and integrity". He said, his heart Plum Blossom watch is: handmade Swiss quality products, customer first, value forever. He is not opposed to high-profile marketing, but he believes that in order to maintain the sustainability of the enterprise, it is more important to work on the inner workings, and to work hard on the craftsmanship of the products.

He advocates that watches be treated "with the spirit of a work of art". Despite ultra-automated production, there was a focus on the art of craftsmanship, and watchmakers were fitted with personalized workbenches to facilitate small batch production and innovative personalization.

He insisted that competition in the market should be based on products rather than price wars, and that those competing with low quality and low prices were self-destructive branding moves. He believes that the credibility of a brand is the integrity of consumers, why should consumers with 6,000 yuan can buy things but go to spend more than 10,000 yuan to buy it? Focusing only on the brand's momentum investment without focusing on its product quality and production will only increase the burden on consumers.

Therefore, the mid-range price and high-grade taste has been the positioning that Meihua watches insist on in the Chinese market, and also the impression that Meihua watches have in the minds of consumers. This is also a kind of satisfaction, trust and pride that consumers generally express in the essay stories.

Holding on to the Positioning

Plum Blossom Watch has built its brand charm with a down-to-earth mentality, and has also maintained its longevity with a coherent business philosophy, clear goals and long-term strategies for nearly a century.

The Plum Blossom Manufacture, located in the town of Glinken, Switzerland, was founded in 1919 by the Schlopp family, and has been passed down for three generations, and is still owned and operated by the Schlopp family, making it one of the few independent family-owned watchmaking enterprises in the world today. Glinken is the cradle of the Swiss precision watchmaking industry, from which many famous Swiss watchmakers have gone global, and Plum Blossom is one of the successful ones.

Plum Blossom has experienced three great difficulties during the 25 years after its foundation ---- the economic recession in the 1920s, the threat of the Second World War, and the impact of Japanese electronic watches on the Swiss mechanical watch manufacturing industry in the 1970s and 1980s. The impact of Japanese electronic watches on the Swiss mechanical watch manufacturing industry in the 1970s and 1980s. But every time it faced a crisis, Plum Blossom Watches was able to get through it unscathed, thanks to its firm philosophy of playing up its traditional spirit and its confidence in the future.

Particularly in the face of the impact of Japanese quartz watches, many Swiss mechanical watch factories either switched to quartz watches or went out of business, resulting in few mechanical watch manufacturers left. However, Plum is convinced that consumers are looking for something real and valuable, and the market will not abandon the automatic mechanical watches with long-lasting functions.

Plum Blossom Watch is devoted to the production of mechanical watches, and has gathered a group of highly skilled watch craftsmen and technicians, establishing and accumulating its own core competitive advantages in the field of mechanical watch making.

Opportunity always favors those who are prepared.

With the development of the market, the original judgment of Meihua Watch was indeed correct. When quartz watches filled the market and simple quartz watch technology was adopted in large quantities, mechanical watches with fully automatic functions especially won the favor of the market and returned to the dominant position in the watch market, and became more and more sought after by consumers.