Citizen: Chasing Horizons
Citizen wanted a campaign for their new Satellite Wave F100 watch. The brand needed to showcase its precise global timekeeping and rapid GPS sync to a tech-savvy audience. The challenge was to create a memorable demonstration that highlighted the watch's ability to track time across multiple zones, inspiring a sense of adventure and innovation. The desired outcome was increased awareness and desire for the F100, proving its global precision.
Creative Idea
Citizen sent a photographer chasing the sun, capturing multiple sunsets to prove the watch's global time precision.
Citizen Watch created a unique marketing campaign where a photographer literally "chased the sun" across different time zones, attempting to capture multiple sunsets in one night using their new Satellite Wave F100 watch. The campaign metaphorically demonstrated the watch's ability to track precise time across global time zones by having the photographer race against time and literally "steal a night" by capturing sunsets in multiple locations.
Racing the Earth at Eighty Degrees North
The Mathematics of Perpetual Twilight
To execute this mission, Wieden+Kennedy and production house Smuggler had to invent a flight path that did not exist. They consulted with ex - NATO pilot Jonathan Nicol to calculate a route at 80 degrees latitude, where the Earth’s linear rotation slows to 289.95 km/h. By flying a stripped - down aircraft at this exact speed against the planet's rotation, the team stayed in a fixed position relative to the sun. This allowed photographer Simon Roberts to capture 24 sunsets in 24 hours, snapping a photo at exactly 18:30 every time the Eco-Drive SATELLITE WAVE F100 synced to a new time zone - a feat that took the watch only three seconds to perform.
Arctic Survival and Frozen Sensors
The production faced extreme physical stakes in the Arctic Circle. During two rapid refueling stops, the crew battled temperatures so low they feared the camera sensors would shatter upon impact. Director Tristan Patterson captured the 5 - minute documentary under these high - pressure conditions, where the pilots had to rotate sleep shifts while grounded for mere minutes to avoid losing the "perpetual twilight" window.
A Global Pivot for Citizen
This project marked the first unified global campaign in Citizen’s 84-year history, moving away from fragmented regional marketing. The "Better Starts Now" philosophy resonated deeply, driving a 17% growth in North American sales and attracting 360 million online viewers. Beyond the numbers, it shifted the brand's perception from a legacy corporate entity to a visionary innovator, reaching 3.3 million mobile page views and successfully engaging a younger, tech - focused demographic.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
Citizen utilized its Satellite Wave F100 technology, which boasts the world's fastest signal reception speed, to demonstrate absolute temporal accuracy across the globe.
Category
The category typically relies on static lifestyle imagery or heritage-based storytelling, rarely proving technical GPS claims through extreme, real-time performance tests.
Customer
Modern globalists desire tools that empower them to conquer the limitations of geography and time, seeking proof that their gear can keep up with a borderless life.
Culture
The 'content as spectacle' era rewarded brands that staged authentic, high-stakes challenges, moving away from polished commercials toward documented, 'impossible' human feats.
Company
Citizen utilized its Satellite Wave F100 technology, which boasts the world's fastest signal reception speed, to demonstrate absolute temporal accuracy across the globe.
Category
The category typically relies on static lifestyle imagery or heritage-based storytelling, rarely proving technical GPS claims through extreme, real-time performance tests.
Strategy:
Demonstrate technical precision by literally outrunning time, turning a functional watch feature into a heroic, boundary-breaking adventure.
Customer
Modern globalists desire tools that empower them to conquer the limitations of geography and time, seeking proof that their gear can keep up with a borderless life.
Culture
The 'content as spectacle' era rewarded brands that staged authentic, high-stakes challenges, moving away from polished commercials toward documented, 'impossible' human feats.
Strategy:
Demonstrate technical precision by literally outrunning time, turning a functional watch feature into a heroic, boundary-breaking adventure.
Strategy Technique
Dramatize the Invisible Benefit
The campaign dramatically showcased the watch's precise global timekeeping and rapid GPS sync, benefits often unseen in daily use. By having a photographer chase the sun, it made these invisible capabilities exciting and tangible.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Push It to the Limit
The campaign literally pushed the Satellite Wave F100 watch to its extreme limits by attempting to capture multiple sunsets in one night across time zones. This demonstrated its precise global timekeeping and rapid GPS sync under real-world pressure.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
This campaign's craft is exceptional due to its masterful cinematography and editing, which combine to create a truly epic and emotionally resonant visual narrative.
The aerial shots of the sunset and cloudscapes are breathtaking, utilizing natural light and lens flares to create stunning, aspirational visuals that perfectly align with the 'Chasing Horizons' theme.
The editing skillfully weaves together shots of the photographer's intense focus, the pilots' technical work, and the magnificent aerial views, maintaining a dynamic pace and building narrative tension.
The orchestral score effectively amplifies the adventurous and awe-inspiring mood, guiding the emotional arc without overpowering the visuals or voiceover.
The subtle yet impactful sound design, including plane engine hums and radio chatter, immerses the viewer in the journey, adding a layer of authenticity and realism to the high-flying adventure.
The campaign's impact truly stems from the harmonious blend of epic cinematography, dynamic editing, and an inspiring soundtrack, all converging to tell a compelling story about human endeavor and technological precision.
