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very proud of that,” says 15-year
veteran Adrienne Forrest, vice
president of corporate sales.
With the evolution of the
internet, “customers expect the
latest and greatest at their finger-
tips, and the customers at retail
are the same customers we’re
selling to in the corporate
world—the HR directors and
marketing people who are put-
ting these [incentive and recog-
nition] programs together,”
Forrest says. As a result, much of
the merchandise offered for cor-
porate recognition programs is
impersonal. It’s often another
gadget that has little meaning.
That’s why Bulova’s Gift in
Time Watch Experience stands
out. “What makes the experience
special is that recipients get to
choose their own gift. It’s also
that Bulova is a respected, trusted
brand name and [the recipient]
can see what the comparable
value is. And we have so many
styles. We have something that
will appeal to everybody and
every budget,” Forrest adds.
For each Gift in Time event,
Bulova works with the planner or
the distributor company to com-
pile as much demographic infor-
mation as possible to make sure
they propose the appropriate
selection of products from the
company’s four major brands. For
example, depending on the budg-
et and mix of recipients, they
might suggest strap watches,
bracelet watches, or products
with crystals or diamonds.
“We offer an optional service
where we can hire a jeweler to
come on-site and size the watches.
That’s something that really sets
us apart from the other product
categories, because not only are
we going to give the recipient
the opportunity to feel like
they’re shopping in a department
or jewelry store, they don’t have
to wait until they get home to go
to the kiosk in the mall and have
the links [in the watch band]
taken out,” Forrest says.
A wide variety of companies
have included the Bulova Gift in
Time Watch Experience in
incentive trips celebrating high-
achieving employees. Some of
the employees have been invited
on these trips repeatedly and
may have received a different gift
in previous years. “We had one
event last year where the gift
prior to the Bulova gift was a
tablet, and some of the com-
ments were that the recipient
really appreciated this so much
more because it was such a per-
sonal kind of gift, as opposed to
getting an electronic tablet. And
they liked the fact that they had
the choice to pick what they
wanted,” Forrest remembers.
Watches are a timeless acces-
sory item and many people enjoy
owning a multitude of styles.
Bulova’s Gift in Time program
offers the chance for recipients to
acquire their first watch—or add
to their collection. Recipients can
also choose a watch as a gift for
their significant other instead.
Forrest has long been pas-
sionate about watches. “It’s a
great category. No matter what
you want to spend, it’s still a
piece of jewelry that tells time.
And if you’re in a meeting or in
class and you want to know the
time, it’s frowned upon to look at
your cell phone, but you can
always look at your watch.”
Julie Richie is associate editor
for
PPB.
MAY 2016 •
PPB
• 13
BULOVA
Full Circle
To Famous
New Digs
BULOVA MOVED ITS HEAD-
QUARTERS
to the iconic
Empire State Building in
2015, the same year it cele-
brated its 140th anniversary.
Founder Joseph Bulova orig-
inally opened his store on
Manhattan’s Maiden Lane, at
the epicenter of the New
York jewelry industry, in
1875. The company relocat-
ed to two other Manhattan
locations before heading to
Queens in the 1950s. Now,
more than six decades later,
the company has come full
circle back to Manhattan.