OP #293: Rolex Marketing 🚀

Author

Darren Herman
April 02, 2025

Feels a little strange to get this OP Letter on a Wednesday, doesn’t it? I meant to hit send yesterday, especially after curating such a strong reading list over the past week. Highly recommend diving into the links below.

I’m en route back from a quick 24-hour trip to New York City. The Amtrak Acela has been a close friend of mine over the past few years. It might take 30 minutes longer than flying, but I get way more done on the train.

In recent OPs, I’ve mentioned a few things about watches—and this week, the biggest event in the industry is underway: Watches and Wonders in Geneva. This is the tradeshow for watchmaking, and brands like Rolex, Patek Philippe, and A. Lange & Söhne are showing off their latest releases.

As a marketer, I loved what Rolex pulled off. Their new release—the Land-Dweller—was "leaked" in photos of Roger Federer (a longtime Rolex ambassador) just ahead of the event. Then came a teaser video on YouTube. Very off-brand for Rolex, which made it even more compelling. The internet ran wild analyzing every blurry screenshot. It’s a good reminder for all of us running brands: sometimes stepping outside the comfort zone pays off.

Even better, Rolex gave the first exclusive look to Teddy Baldassarre, a younger, social-media-savvy voice in the watch world who also runs his own watch shop. Teddy posted videos of the new lineup before anyone else—and the floodgates opened. If you’re curious, here’s his post, along with a follow-up from Hodinkee.

Also worth checking out:

  • The ABCDE of Re-Invented Marketing by Rishad Tobaccowala – If you don’t know Rishad, he’s a former Publicis exec with an uncanny ability to simplify complexity. This piece on how marketing is evolving is sharp and spot-on.

  • Michael Karnjanaprakorn’s Newsletter – Michael, co-founder of Skillshare and Otis, is on sabbatical and sharing thoughtful, sporadic posts. I’ve known him since the early Otis days and always find his take worth the read.

  • Underdog Sports App Now Valued at $1.2B (Axios) – Shoutout to the team at Underdog. Proud to be a seed investor—it’s wild (and awesome) to see what they’ve built.

Lets get started with some quick links:

Thank you for subscribing and reading the OP. As always, if you have any questions or feedback, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Darren

Helping to Prevent In-School Gun Violence with Sandy Hook Promise

As many of you know, we started this little "group" called Silicon Alley Sports about 18 years ago. Eight of us who work in digital went to play a round of golf and eat lunch at Doral Arrowood in Purchase, NY. We knew of each other, but didn't really know each other. We had a blast. We did it again the next year and everyone invited a +1 that they vouched for. We did it again, and everyone invited another +1.

A few years later, we filled a golf course with folks who work in various capacities in the digital ecosystem. We now also fill pickleball courts and tennis courts.

Playing sport is the easy part. The even better part is that every single dollar we generate over the cost of hosting our events gets donated to an Impact Partner that we choose each year. This year, we're excited to announce that it's Sandy Hook Promise.

How did it get to be SHP? Well, fellow friend and SAS Community Member, Kevin Wassong, founder of mktg.ai, raised his hand for the past few years and we finally had the chance to collaborate with him. He's been an advocate of SHP and has led it's Media Advisory Board. To hear what Kevin and his team of volunteers/partners have done, is impressive. We look forward to sharing that story at our flagship Golf & Pickleball Invitational on May 5.

Why Sandy Hook Promise?

Sandy Hook Promise empowers youth and adults to recognize warning signs and intervene before violence occurs. Their Know the Signs programs and policy advocacy have demonstrably saved lives and supported mental health initiatives nationwide.

  • 31M+ trained to recognize warning signs

  • 700+ lives saved through early intervention

  • 18+ planned school shootings prevented

  • 6,000+ students helped through a mental health crisis

  • 280,000+ anonymous safety tips submitted via their Say Something system

If you are not yet signed up to participate in our flagship event on May 5, you can do so here. We are almost 30 days away and there are a limited number of spots left with some sports sold out. You do not have to play sports to join us - you can come as a Schmoozer and enjoy all the food, networking, and fun. Sign up here.

Play well, do good.

Below are a few articles I came across this past week that I found interesting. While I may not agree with everything in each one, I think they're worth a read. If you stumble upon an article you think I or the Operating Partner community would enjoy, feel free to share it with me. Of course, I reserve the right to decide what gets featured in the OP.

Thank you for reading and subscribing to the OP! I hope you enjoyed OP #293.

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