The coming holiday season and economic crisis as well as the Christmas advertising campaign kicked off by De Beers generated a series of publications dedicated to advertising of jewelry companies and commodities.
According to solitaireinternational.wordpress.com, Ya’akov Almor, joint communications director for CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, believes that jewelry occupies too little space in ads published by glossy magazines. Almor illustrates his opinion alluding to the October issue of “O” published by Oprah Winfrey. “After going through all of the 310 pages, I could not but conclude that advertising has become too expensive for jewelry companies! Apparently, only the Diamond Promotion Service, Graff Diamonds and Tiffany’s were able to afford to buy an ad with Oprah,” Almor says. In the last two issues of the “T” Magazine published by the International Herald Tribune, “Women’s Fashion” and “Men’s Fashion,” jewelry also performed poorly, in my view. Admittedly, Graff was there, as was Moussaieff and Mauboussin, but otherwise it was fashion, lots of bags and some of the high-end watch companies. Clearly, jewelry is competing with lots of other luxury products in the market and with the economy going south, the competition for the consumer’s discretionary dollar will only rise. What will jewelry companies do to keep the attention of the consumer – of the self-purchasing, independent woman, asks Almor, who hopes that the industry at large will address this issue, especially in these interesting, but trying times, solitaireinternational.wordpress.com says.
“With advertising pages in the fall fashion magazines bulking up the issues, it's crucial for jewelry brands to make sure it's their ad— and not their competitor's—that catches the attention of page-flipping readers,” National Jeweler writes. To lift one's ad from passé to attention-grabbing, advertising experts say brands should combine striking imagery with to-the-point text that hits viewers on various levels, all while being recognizable and true to the brand. “The most effective ads have characteristics that affect people on the cerebral level, emotionally, and in the gut—the feeling that 'I deserve this,'” says Peter Madden, founder and president of Philadelphia-based marketing and advertising agency AgileCat. After perusing a variety of ads, including spreads from H. Stern and David Yurman that have appeared in the fall women's magazines, Madden says he wishes more jewelry companies would take chances. “None of them seem to want to differentiate,” he says. “In the end, it's the same type and tone of ad.”
According to National Jewler, Andrew Sacks, president and chief executive officer of New York-based AgencySacks, which specializes in luxury brands and marketing to the affluent, says that when it comes to fashion advertising, first impressions are crucial. “You quickly get struck by the similarity and lack of ownable identity,” he says, looking through the ads. Sacks and Madden are both most impressed with Tiffany and Co., which is running ads featuring established model Shalom Harlow and two stars of the modeling world's Generation Y, Lily Cole and Sasha Pivovarova. The campaign can be seen in different formats, from a two-page spread of Harlow alone in InStyle, to a six-page spread of all three models in Vogue. “They know their brand,” Madden says of Tiffany. “You can look at these photos and make a pretty good guess and know it's Tiffany.”
In addition, through the styling and choice of models, it's clear that Tiffany is reaching out to a wide audience, National Jewler says. Pivovarova appears as a young debutante, clutching a vintage Leica camera and sporting stacked diamond bangles and rings. Cole speaks to a bohemian audience, her hair wild and her neck outfitted in a mélange of layered necklaces, one featuring a peace-sign pendant. Finally, Harlow rounds out the mix, and with her classic good looks and elegant demeanor, she is the perfect picture of Tiffany chic. “More than anything, I think it's the photography that's selected, and it makes me feel comfortable that their sense is more in line with the affluent consumer,” Sacks says. “It's more sophisticated than some of their work in the past.” When it comes to choosing models who are recognized faces versus those who are more unknown, Sacks says using top models can be a mark of status.
Although experts are critical of jewelry marketers for their commonality and dullness in advertising, some jewelry companies are displaying off-beat advertising approaches.
Thus, according to the RAPAPORT Agency, retailer Star Jewellers of Hatton Garden in London launched a competition leading up to Christmas 2008, providing the public with the chance to win a 1 carat, brilliant cut diamond. Contestants must guess the number of diamonds contained within the glass Star vessel, which is on display in the store at 70 Hatton Garden. A photo of the vessel is on the company website at www.starjewellers.com. Adrian Demondez, head of retail at Star Jewellers, said, “The idea is based on the old game ‘guess the number of jelly beans in the jar’ – except we’ve used diamonds instead of jelly beans!”
According to the www.idexonline.com portal, Indian company Tanishq’s latest marketing innovation uses the cover of the October issue of Femina, one of India’s most popular women’s magazines, to promote its Aleya collection. The cover features an oval-shaped mirror with a photo of a necklace from the collection across it. When looking at the cover, readers will see their reflection wearing the necklace. “The innovation puts every woman on the cover of the magazine - she can ‘see’ herself looking like a cover girl, wearing gorgeous Tanishq jewelry,” Alpana Parida, head of marketing and merchandising at Tanishq, said. This latest marketing effort by Tanishq, already known for its strong and creative advertising, was applauded by media and advertising analysts across the subcontinent. Parida noted that this strategy cuts through the advertising clutter during the peak Diwali season while simultaneously getting women to ‘try’ on the jewelry and see how they look. She expects this not just to create awareness, but also to propel sales.
This means that even a small local jewelry company having no possibilities to place its ads in a glossy magazine may well be capable to organize promotion within a range fully embracing its would-be clientele.
