S04.E04: Flex Watches

[Tara Ariano]

Quote

A California watch company with a commitment to charitable causes is plagued by an inefficient business plan, confusing branding and internal strife.

[Jamoche]

Their website is terrible. Auto-play video that restarts every time you go back to the home page. You can't see the watches on the home page, just the causes. The donation progress bars under each cause section doesn't reload when the website does, so you only get one chance to see how much they've raised. And those aren't normal hyperlinks, so there's no rollover text showing you the link. Even when it's a link on the same domain I have a habit of glancing at it - no rickrolls for me :)

[Primetimer]

And other not-quite-burning questions about the face of a charity-driven business?

View the full article

[Josiah Bounderby]

What a soggy, draggy episode.

Trevor is one of the worst reality show actors I have seen in a long time. (Producers, please, good hair and a pretty face do not a reality tv character make.)

And call me the Town Grouch, but "I had a family member who died" is not a sure-fire narrative. In fact, it isn't a narrative at all.

[Amarsir]

13 minutes ago, Jamoche said:

Their website is terrible. Auto-play video that restarts every time you go back to the home page. You can't see the watches on the home page, just the causes. The donation progress bars under each cause section doesn't reload when the website does, so you only get one chance to see how much they've raised. And those aren't normal hyperlinks, so there's no rollover text showing you the link. Even when it's a link on the same domain I have a habit of glancing at it - no rickrolls for me :)

Thanks for directing me there. Yeah, lots of problems. 

The biggest one for me is that it makes the watches seem like an afterthought. The front page does not have a single picture of a watch. Once you select a charity you do get a small picture from one angle. But no other information about it. Are these related to the original watches where you could remove the timepiece from the band? Or is there no "flex" left in Flex?

As a result, the overall impression it gives is that they aren't selling watches to raise money for charity, so much as using charities to make money for themselves. Not because there's anything wrong with the model, but purely because of the emphasis presented.

[Josiah Bounderby]

I am probably missing something, but what charities are the Flex partners? That isn't easy to find on the website. Are consumers giving to a charity or are they giving to "Military Veterans"? Trumpish Con Game! I call Trumpish Con!

[Jamoche]

1 hour ago, Josiah Bounderby said:

I am probably missing something, but what charities are the Flex partners? That isn't easy to find on the website. Are consumers giving to a charity or are they giving to "Military Veterans"? Trumpish Con Game! I call Trumpish Con!

Well, the Autism one is Autism Speaks, which is controversial - the puzzle pieces are their signature thing, and I'm pretty sure I saw the actual name once, but the website sucks so I can't find it again. The video tosses a bone to the anti-vax crowd, which isn't surprising given the "multiple theories on what causes Autism" blurb - that's a dog whistle if I ever saw one.

[selhars]

1) I really like the episode itself and how it was presented.

2) I love the premise of the business.

3) It's fascinating that, Travis, the guy's mom who died didn't see that the charity tie-in was THE company. I know he was hurting, but how could he NOT see that. I get want to expand and grow but he was waaay off in left field.

4) I thought it was, perhaps, a little disingenuous to fault the guy who "rushed" the first sales display. IF he only had a short time to come up with something because Marcus was only in town for a few days during the initial taping and had tho have something the next time Marcus came. You can't fault him for a rushed job when the time frame WAS INDEED tight.

5) I agree the website could be better. And I would feature the watches a bit more. I 'm thinking of Tom's shoes. I know they donate a pair or shoes for every pair they sell. BUT it's clear they're in the SHOE business. Sure there's the charity aspect, but you have to SELL the product first, in order to make the donation. 

6) It was a little different, I get that -- but Marcus said it was wrong to change the product because of what retailers (OK, A retailer)  wanted, that was a little "pot calling the kettle black." Because at that candle company invested in -- he changed the entire product and focus of the candle line in order to, IN HIS MIND, chase broader sales base.  When a) the existing candles were truly unques and could have been marketed MUCH better, and b) there are already a gazillion candle companies out there.

7) It amazes me there's a flip-flop store -- that only sells flip-flops. And the Flip flop guy seemed like he was on a bit of a high horse. I'm like -- guy -- you sell flip-flips, not one to talk about a product being a dime a dozen, or needing something "special." What's special about your flip-flips.

-----------------------

(Anyone else having a spacing issue, I can't tab down just one line, only double space.)

Edited September 14, 2016 by selhars

[ae2]

Next time on "Marcus Plays a Psychologist". 

Sorry. I'm terrible at naming things.

"The Heal"

"The Epiphany"

"Marcus Lemonis, Business Therapist"

My completely unsubstantiated theory is that after his mother's death, Travis began to feel guilty about using tragedy as a marketing hook. He started pulling away from the charity angle because he grew a conscience. Of course, Marcus has no such reservations and was able to convince him that tragedy sells. And the show had to present this from a good perspective, so they went with the angle of Travis finally "healing".

I've seen watches similar to their gen 1, not sure if they had the replaceable bands. Their gens 2 and 3 were awful. They screamed chintzy. Marcus nailed it when he said they look like any other watch you can by on a street corner. 

I think bold and bright colors are in right now, and companies with "purpose" are definitely in, so I expect this company will be doing a few million in sales in no time.

The biggest shock of the episode was that Marcus didn't ask them to make a smaller version of the watch for women. I know some people like expansive watches, but those would dwarf the wrist of someone with petite arms. I'll be looking for the women's version in the follow-up.

[BusyOctober]

That "Silent Salesman" display case looked like something I would have made for my toddler daughter's room. I'm guessing they went to Home Depot's closet storage section, grabbed two shoe shelf bins and glued them together.  Then they went next door to A.C. Moore to get some bright colored scrapbook paper (or maybe a roll of funky duct tape?) to jazz up the stark white particle board cabinets.  The only thing missing was a few "My Little Pony" stickers.  And the "redesigned" case wasn't much of an improvement.

As for the watch itself...meh.  Flip Flop Guy is right, I think it's a shrinking market.  I can't afford high end time pieces, but I'm sure there is a demand for those as a status symbol.  I haven't worn a watch in years.  I did own several Swatch watches back in the day, and that's what these Flex things look like to me.  Swatch even had the interchangeable bands (although a little different than Flex's).  They had cool Swatch Guards to protect the face from scratches!

There are over 200 Flip Flop Shops?  Worldwide?  Really?  I go to Target every spring to get a new pair (or 2).  I do not need a niche store to satisfy my need for seasonal plastic footwear. Nor do I need to pay marked up prices for them to help the store pay its overhead.  I never understood how stores that sell only hats or only sunglasses or only flip flops survive in malls.  Of course - I am not twenty-something, and I don't live in a beach community, and I don't wear flip flops year round.  I work in an office that requires shoes and specifically bans flip flops.

Edited September 14, 2016 by BusyOctober
computer malfunction

[Gregg247]

I've never liked these companies that try to do two things for the price of one, in this case, a watch company that "gives back" to different charities.  

Years ago, manufacturers tried making TV sets with built-in VCRs.  In order to have a price point that worked in the market, they had to cut a lot of corners, resulting in a TV with a grainy picture and a VCR that jammed constantly.  These products failed because people realized they'd be better off spending a little more money to buy a quality TV and a quality VCR separately.

A company that serves 2 masters fails both.

In this case, you're spending $35 to buy a cheap plastic (IMO, ugly) $5 watch and donate a tiny amount of money to some charity; What charity is it?  Is it a real charity?  What % of the money will go to actual research and/or people in need?  These are important questions.  Also, will the watch tell time correctly for more than a week?

If I want to buy a $35 watch (the kind I wear right now), I want to buy a decent $35 watch.  When I want to donate money to charity, I want to donate a decent amount to the charity of MY choice.  

I was surprised that Marcus was pushing the charity angle; I assumed he'd be pushing for quality watches and expanding nationally, as is his norm.  After the first 3 seasons of this show, I thought I had Marcus pegged, but between this cheap watch episode, the "t-shirt designer guy" a couple of weeks ago, and trying to do business with that jerk who ran the soup store, I think Marcus is going off on a tangent (or maybe he's being led by the TV production schedule rather than his own business advice).

[toodles]

Ugh. I hate the Marcus fixes people episodes. This is not why I watch. No pun intended.

[Peanutbuttercup]

That storyboard thing they did was just off-putting. Very self-centered and entitled. No one cares if you grew up near the beach and went skiing at Mammoth.  And they were so hurt that people didn't just fall all over themselves at how awesome it, and they, were. Get over yourselves and tell me about the damn watch (and the charity . . . although I'm cynical on that front and tend to think those business-tied charitable efforts are useless or offensive, like Tom's Shoes or the Susan Komen Foundation's pink ribbons and pink-wrapped products for sale in October).

[Cranky One]

My husband loves watches and has a ton of them, but I'm not sure if he is still wearing one every day now. I'll have to look when he comes home from work.

With today's smart watches and wearable fitness trackers that tell the time, I can see why the watch industry is a dying breed.

p.s. Swatches were so fun back in the '80s when they came out!

[Josiah Bounderby]

Yes! "Marcus fixes people" is The Profit when it is the least entertaining and the least informative. It always pulls me out of the ep.

This isn't Marcus' fault...he is people-smart and kind and emotionally grounded. He understands how interpersonal dynamics impact businesses. But these brief "therapy sessions" out on the sidewalk with traffic whizzing by? Really weak reality tv.

[Whimsy]

4 hours ago, BusyOctober said:

There are over 200 Flip Flop Shops?  Worldwide?  Really?  I go to Target every spring to get a new pair (or 2). 

I wait for the Old Navy $1 sale and buy about 6 pairs every year.

I can't remember the last time I wore a watch.  I wear my fitbit- when I remember.  I would never buy an actual watch that only does watch-like things.

[selhars]

Quote

A company that serves 2 masters fails both.

Except there are companies that ARE doing both.

Quote

If I want to buy a $35 watch (the kind I wear right now), I want to buy a decent $35 watch.  When I want to donate money to charity, I want to donate a decent amount to the charity of MY choice.  

We don't' know that their watch isn''t decent."

Quote

 useless or offensive, like Tom's Shoes or the Susan Komen Foundation's pink ribbons and pink-wrapped products for sale in October).

Hasn't each raised  millions for their causes…hardly useless.

Travis was the only one who wanted to move toward the lifestyle crap. The other two did want to focus on the origin mission.

Edited September 14, 2016 by selhars

[PBSLover]

8 hours ago, ae2 said:

Of course, Marcus has no such reservations and was able to convince him that tragedy sells. And the show had to present this from a good perspective, so they went with the angle of Travis finally "healing".

I disagree with this statement.  Travis’s mom was inspiration for the company before she became sick.  And the company prospered with their original concept.  Then they lost their way, specifically in the product design.  Marcus pointed out the company did well originally because it had a purpose and the watches were inexpensive and well designed to support the cause.  His comment (I’m paraphrasing), “Flex is not a fashion brand. It is a brand with a purpose” was key in the marketing of the company.  

I loved this episode.  What a fucking mess this company was.  To hear the guys talk about what the company is was so confusing. Marcus cut through the morass of crap and showed them how to fix it.  It may not be perfect, yet, but I loved how he saw the problems and his ideas on how to fix the company were smart.  I don’t even wear watches like these and I thought they were nice.  Better than Swatches, in my opinion. 

[Jesse]

I don't buy Tom's shoes because I'm not crazy about the product or the price point OR the charitable angle (the people they give the shoes to don't necessarily want or need those shoes). I do buy Warby Parker glasses, because the glasses are great at a great price. Apparently they also do donations, but that's not their whole marketing angle or appeal. I would have suggested these dudes should be more like Warby Parker. 

That's really funny about the website colors/design, @Sarah D. Bunting!

[Amarsir]

4 hours ago, PBSLover said:

 I don’t even wear watches like these and I thought they were nice.  Better than Swatches, in my opinion. 

Of course that might be the problem. In the Venn diagram for Flex, the circles "Likes our look" and "Wears watches" have to overlap. :)

Personally I think the original design looked fine, but like "$10-20 fine". And I do wear watches. But I have a Fitbit Surge for kicking around and more classic looks for other occasions. I don't have a need for orange plastic.

Also maybe this is just me, but I think some of the patterns Marcus wanted to "add value" are kind of ugly. Does this dalmation watch look like something you'd want to wear?

Spoiler

[PBSLover]

Ha! It’s cute!

[Lola16]

Quote

10 Colors - 10 Causes - 10% Donation

10% of your purchase is donated towards a cause to make an impact.  To get started, pick the cause that means the most to you, and then we'll show you how simple it is to make a difference!

Why not 12? And have them in a clock formation. Website sucks. The partners were meh. Designer guy was designing what he liked. Ops guy was just rushing through everything.  No focus. No plan. All rush and reactionary.  And that storyboard?  Agency was right - it was a teen boy's vision boy - surf's up!  They are lucky Marcus came along.

Oh, here are the watches. Buried down at the bottom of the page is a link to view collections.

https://flexwatches.com/collections

[Lola16]

Ugh - the ugly cheap gold link band watch is still there. Maybe they are clearing out inventory?

https://flexwatches.com/collections/all-interchangeable-watches/products/gold-steel-watch

And they have a plain purple one for "cancer".  Purple is the color for domestic violence.

[Jamoche]

4 hours ago, Lola16 said:

Why not 12? And have them in a clock formation. Website sucks. The partners were meh. Designer guy was designing what he liked. Ops guy was just rushing through everything.  No focus. No plan. All rush and reactionary.  And that storyboard?  Agency was right - it was a teen boy's vision boy - surf's up!  They are lucky Marcus came along.

Oh, here are the watches. Buried down at the bottom of the page is a link to view collections.

https://flexwatches.com/collections

The "Hunger" one with the watermelon - ok, yes, if you're putting things at 3/6/9/12, usually the biggest thing goes at 12, but since you also read things clockwise it looks really weird for a watermelon slice to go from uneaten to eaten.

And, more seriously, they really need to be more upfront about exactly which charities are involved.

ETA: Google to the rescue! I found a list on Groupon, of all places. It's out of date - there's no Autism.

Edited September 15, 2016 by Jamoche

[hurrrz]

This whole thing is super confusing. So they offer each design with a print and without? And you can change the bands? 

[speac]

16 hours ago, Lola16 said:

Ugh - the ugly cheap gold link band watch is still there. Maybe they are clearing out inventory?

https://flexwatches.com/collections/all-interchangeable-watches/products/gold-steel-watch

And they have a plain purple one for "cancer".  Purple is the color for domestic violence.

Every color out there has more than one cause associated with it.  Each cancer even has it's own color and some colors more than one cancer. 

I thought the many of the patterned dials and bands looked way too juvenile but the price tag was way too adult. 

[PBSLover]

16 hours ago, Lola16 said:

Why not 12? And have them in a clock formation.

Check out the big brain on LOLA16!!!!!!  That is so smart.

[Christina]

In my 40 years of life, the number of people who have looked at me and said, "What a fashion icon! I want to dress just like her." is exactly zero. That said, I have found every episode focused on fashion seriously lacking. I didn't see anything I liked at Courage.b, thought all the shoes at the shoe company were ugly, and people were posting on Twitter how uncomfortable they were, the handbags at that company, along with the lead designers wardrobe were certainly not worth the several hundred dollar asking prices, (edited: that may have been Cleveland Hustles) and wouldn't want one of these watches if it were given to me as a free gift. 

I also cannot think of anyone who wears a watch on a regular basis. For $150+, it needs to have an additional function to be competitive these days. I'm another person who doesn't care about the charity aspect, since many times I'm not supportive of the charity, so the fact you can choose the charity first is probably a good idea. It is sad that his mother died of cancer, but why would that make me want to purchase a watch? 

Sometimes, I just don't understand Marcus' thought processes. One of us is a billionaire; the other one is me.

Edited September 16, 2016 by Christina

[PBSLover]

A lot of people wear watches everyday.  Just sayin’.

[ae2]

33 minutes ago, PBSLover said:

A lot of people wear watches everyday.  Just sayin’.

Yes! This is very true. While the industry might be sagging a little, there are still 1.2 billion watches sold annually.

There were 36 million smart watches sold last year, compared to 6.8 million in 2014. So that sector is booming, but it's only 3% of the entire watch market right now.

(What I don't know is if the 1.2 billion includes the 36 million; and also, does something like a Fitbit count as a smart watch? It tells the time, but it has a single, limited purpose for tracking activity.)

[Amarsir]

4 hours ago, ae2 said:

(What I don't know is if the 1.2 billion includes the 36 million; and also, does something like a Fitbit count as a smart watch? It tells the time, but it has a single, limited purpose for tracking activity.)

Fitbit specifically markets as a "Smart Fitness Watch", not calling themselves a smartwatch. But whether that distiction mattered to the people who made your tally I don't know.

[tobeannounced]

On 9/13/2016 at 10:25 PM, Josiah Bounderby said:

Trevor is one of the worst reality show actors I have seen in a long time. (Producers, please, good hair and a pretty face do not a reality tv character make.)

I felt like the other two guys were just as bad.  The vibe I got was shameless promoters who will use anything (mom dead from breast cancer/charities) to promote and sell their product. Plus maybe Travis could get a modeling gig or a record deal out of it.  I would love to have been a fly on the wall when they were coming up with their pitch to get on the show.  Did not like these guys.  And Marcus with the constant harping about getting Travis to tell his story and unburden his soul and how critical it was to their success was just weird.

[fib]

On 9/19/2016 at 1:33 PM, tobeannounced said:

I felt like the other two guys were just as bad.

Yes... totally agree.  I specifically asked my so "which one is the asshole?" Midway through halfheartedly half watching.  They were all awful.  

[Kiss my mutt]

I just wanted to chop that lop of hair off of Travis.  He's like some 80s waver surfer throwback. 

[selhars]

I don't marvel about the price or design of the watches, people will buy anything in this world.

If they''ll by pet rocks, mood rings, Tamagachi virtual pets, anything with a Kardashian name on it, or pay 10K for an Hermes bag (I don't care WHAT kind of leather and workmanship it ism and how long it lasts  -- it's 10K for a handbag) They'll buy lost anything with the right promotion.  

So I have no doubt the watches can sell. Are they ever going to be Timex, Bulova, Rolenx  or Patek Philippe? No. But a big fish in a little pond can still get rich, and build quite a brand and business.

In this episode I have no issue with how Marcus hand;ed most issues.