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The marketing maestros at Apple have kicked off the promotional campaign for the Apple Watch with a 12-page advertising spread in Vogue.
The campaign, appearing in the March issue of the glossy fashion magazine, features all three versions of the watch — the stainless-steel standard model, the sport version and the luxury 18-karat gold Edition, Apple confirmed.
Apple hopes to position the Apple Watch as a fashion accessory, not another freakish example of nerd chic (Google Glass, anyone?). The placement in Vogue’s Spring Fashion Blockbuster issue juxtaposes the device with the latest looks from high-end design houses.
As everyone knows, luxury doesn’t come cheap: A single-page ad in the magazine fetches $189,888, based on Vogue’s rate card. Oftentimes, advertisers can get a lower rate based on volume, so in this case, Apple’s deft negotiators were likely able to strike a better deal.
Neither Apple nor Vogue would comment on the advertising spend.
The Cupertino, Calif., technology giant has been strategically laying the groundwork for the April launch of the watch. Vogue published a lengthy profile of Apple’s chief designer, Jony Ive, under the headline “A Rare Look at Design Genius Jony Ive: The Man Behind the Apple Watch.” The New Yorker took another bite at the apple with its own Ive profile this week.
Back in October, the Apple Watch made its magazine cover debut with Vogue China, sported by model Liu Wen. More recently, Victoria’s Secret model Candice Swanepoel showed off the Sport version on the cover of Self magazine, which published an accompanying article on features of the device.
Such articles build an awareness of the device beyond the technology enthusiast crowd — an audience Apple will need to reach if its device is to become more successful than its predecessors. Researcher Canalys reports that 720,000 devices powered by Google’s Android Wear shipped in the last year.
Apparently, publishing in a glossy magazine doesn’t ensure chic. Google Glass was featured prominently in a 12-page spread in Vogue in 2013 headlined “The Final Frontier.”
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
