Role
Art Direction · Experience Strategy
Client
Financial Times × Zenith Watches
Project
A Forgotten Treasure — branded content campaign celebrating the 50th anniversary of the El Primero
chronograph (1969).
Illustrator
Award-winning Swiss cartoonist Cosey
Context
Developed to mark a milestone moment in watchmaking history, the campaign reframed Zenith’s El Primero
as
both a historic achievement and a contemporary symbol of innovation, precision, and enduring
relevance.
Objective
Reignite excitement and renewed consideration for the El Primero by positioning it not only as an icon
of
heritage, but as a benchmark of timeless engineering and craftsmanship.
Audience
HNWI audiences, HTSI luxury and lifestyle readers, and global watch enthusiasts.
Deliverables
A bespoke, responsive one-page scrolling digital experience featuring cinematic transitions and
scroll-led
animation inspired by original print artworks created for the campaign. Supported by a coordinated
rollout
of ft.com display advertising and social media assets to sustain momentum post-launch.
Results
The campaign significantly outperformed expectations, delivering record-breaking engagement for a
Financial
Times Brand Suite. It drove strong brand lift, sustained attention, and meaningful downstream action
across
Zenith’s owned channels.
Key outcomes:
53K+ page views (exceeding the 51K target),
highest-ever FT Brand Suite engagement with average attention
times of 91 seconds, 3.7M+ marketing impressions delivered to FT and LVMH-aligned audiences, a 48%
uplift in
brand familiarity among exposed users, and 33% of readers visiting the Zenith website.
Early experience mapping defined the strategic balance between heritage
and contemporary relevance, shaping a refined digital narrative, interaction model, and content
hierarchy.
The campaign launched with an editorial-led, immersive hero experience,
positioning El Primero’s 50-year legacy as a living continuum of innovation, craftsmanship, and
design.
Key historical moments were brought to life through cinematic transitions
and illustrated storytelling, guiding users through El Primero’s most defining eras.
Original illustrations were integrated into a vertical timeline, allowing
users to scroll through decades of brand history while maintaining narrative clarity and
momentum.
The campaign ecosystem extended beyond storytelling, integrating product
discovery and long-form audio content within a single, cohesive editorial hub.
Designed mobile-first, the experience preserved narrative depth,
interaction quality, and visual impact across smaller screens.
The digital narrative was reinforced through print executions,
translating the illustrated language and storytelling into a high-impact editorial
advertisement.
