Submitted by YKONEAgency IPI Score 84/100

HM8 Mark 2, Retour au pays du rêve

Influencer Marketing

Seven digital artists used AI-assisted techniques to launch MB&F's HM8 Mark 2 watch, reporting 400K reach and 42.1K interactions.

400KTotal reach
200KTotal impressions
42.1KTotal interactions

About the campaign

Independent watchmaker MB&F needed launch content for the HM8 Mark 2, a 2023 piece with a Porsche 918 Spyder-derived body and Zagato-style double-bubble sapphire crystal, that could speak to a discerning enthusiast community quick to discount generic product promotion. YKONE's answer matched the brand's machine-as-art positioning with creators who already work at the intersection of digital art and technology, casting seven digital artists, @aaronbhall, @tomkahler, @marius_visualarts, @yomagick, @george_tyebcho, @fluentstudio, and @konji___, and briefing each to interpret MB&F's brand DNA through their own established aesthetic using AI-assisted techniques rather than a standardised template.

The logic was structural: creators with distinct visual identities produce work that sits coherently in their own feeds, avoiding the tonal discontinuity that signals paid promotion to experienced audiences, while a seven-artist roster delivered launch-scale volume without sacrificing variety. Under YKONE's creative direction and guidelines the artists published 42 posts across their Instagram channels with accompanying video on YouTube, all organic with no paid amplification reported.

YKONE reports a reach of 400,000 people, 200,000 impressions, and 42,100 interactions at a 21.05 percent engagement rate; all figures are agency self-reported, and the calculation methodology behind the unusually high engagement figure is not specified.

Case in 60 seconds

MB&F needed launch content for the HM8 Mark 2 that could communicate its technical and artistic ambition to watch enthusiasts without resorting to generic product promotion that would not resonate with the community.

MB&F's brand position as 'machine as art' gave digital artists substantial creative latitude. Watch enthusiasts respond to content that respects the craft dimension of a timepiece, and creators with established visual identities produce work that does not read as imposed paid promotion.

Match the watch's art-machine character with creators who already work at the intersection of digital art and technology, briefing each to interpret MB&F's brand DNA through their own aesthetic voice rather than a standardised template.

YKONE cast seven digital artists — @aaronbhall, @tomkahler, @marius_visualarts, @yomagick, @george_tyebcho, @fluentstudio, and @konji___ — each producing AI-assisted content under creative direction and artistic guidelines supplied by the agency, resulting in 42 posts on the creators' Instagram channels and accompanying video on YouTube.

According to YKONE's own reporting, the campaign reached 400K people, generated 200K impressions, and 42.1K interactions. All figures are self-reported and have not been independently verified.

Strategy Breakdown

The primary strategy-learning section — interpretation, not a press-release summary.

Global watch enthusiasts and luxury consumers, reached through the organic followings of seven digital artists selected for their existing credibility within design and technology communities, rather than through lifestyle influencers or traditional watch-media channels.
Luxury watch launches typically rely on heritage imagery and authoritative editorial coverage. For a technically complex, art-oriented piece like the HM8 Mark 2, that conventional approach risks flattening the watch's experimental character into familiar marketing language that enthusiasts have learned to discount.
Watch-enthusiast audiences are discerning and resistant to content that prioritises brand messaging over genuine creative perspective. Producing 42 pieces of content at launch volume without sacrificing variety or credibility required a structural solution rather than a single-creator engagement.
MB&F's own positioning as a maker of 'machines inspired by art' provided a natural brief for digital artists: the watch itself, with its Porsche 918 Spyder-derived body and Zagato double-bubble sapphire crystal, offered visual source material that was already designed to be interpreted rather than simply displayed.
Creators with a distinct and established aesthetic generate content that sits coherently in their feed, reducing the visual and tonal discontinuity that signals paid promotion to experienced audiences. Giving each artist a genuine creative brief, rather than a product shot and caption, produces posts that their existing followers engage with on artistic terms.

Creative & Execution System

Assets & channels

  • 42 Instagram posts across seven creator accounts
  • YouTube video content distributed through creator channels
  • AI-assisted digital art produced within MB&F brand DNA guidelines

Partners

  • YKONE (talent sourcing, artistic direction, creative briefing)
  • @aaronbhall (digital artist)
  • @tomkahler (digital artist)
  • @marius_visualarts (digital artist)
  • @yomagick (digital artist)
  • @george_tyebcho (digital artist)
  • @fluentstudio (digital artist)
  • @konji___ (digital artist)

Participation mechanic

  • Organic creator-led posting on individual Instagram accounts
  • No paid amplification reported

Creator role

  • Primary content producers: each creator interpreted MB&F's brand DNA through their own established visual style using AI-assisted techniques
  • Creative direction and guidelines supplied by YKONE

Results & Evidence

MetricValueResult type
Total reach400,000 peopleReach
Total impressions200,000Impressions
Total interactions42,100Engagement (interactions)

Why YKONE's strategy worked

  1. 1

    Matching creator type to product category matters. A technically complex, art-oriented watch benefits from digital artists rather than lifestyle influencers, as the former can engage with the watch's craft dimension on terms that enthusiast audiences find credible, per YKONE's rationale.

  2. 2

    Using multiple creators with distinct visual styles generates launch volume (42 posts across seven creators) while maintaining variety, reducing the repetition risk associated with relying on a single creator or a homogeneous group.

  3. 3

    AI-assisted content production can be applied within a tightly defined brand DNA. Providing creative guidelines rather than prescriptive briefs allowed each artist to produce work that sat coherently in their own feed while remaining consistent with MB&F's visual identity.

  4. 4

    Organic distribution through creator channels can achieve meaningful reach in a niche luxury category without paid amplification, provided the content quality is sufficient to earn engagement from the creators' existing audiences.

  5. 5

    A product designed with strong visual differentiation — the HM8 Mark 2's automotive body forms and sapphire crystal — provides digital artists with richer source material than a conventional watch design, enabling more original interpretive content.

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