According to www.nationaljewelernetwork.com, for its new bridal marketing campaign, A. Jaffe is making the most of the latest technology and handing the controls to women, encouraging soon-to-be brides to choose the ring of their dreams - before the proposal.
The 118-year-old brand doesn't exactly ignore men, who remain the prime purchasers, but it bypasses them initially to appeal to women via chic black-and-white visuals, window displays that allow the bar code of a favorite ring to be collected with the snap of a smart phone, and a new "Heritage Collection" of rings that suggest the ring choice should hinge upon a woman's well-defined personal style.
It's a departure for A. Jaffe, which has not named its collections before, and it acknowledges the feedback of some 300 U.S. retailers, who have told the manufacturer that American women are full-scale participants when it comes to picking out the engagement ring.
"The target is definitely more women than men," says Angela Jansson, the New York City-based company's advertising and sales manager. "They don't come in with the guy; first, they come in with their cousins, their friends."
Bar-code technology in window displays also allows women to take photos with their smart phones and then e-mail their chosen ring around and get feedback from the boyfriend, as well as friends and family.
Those circulated images include new pieces from the brand's upscale Heritage Collection, which previewed earlier this year. It offers styles that look back in time throughout the company's entire history, obliging those who covet a "classic" marquis cut and those with a fondness for art-deco flourishes. Within the collection, "A. Jaffe Classics" offers styles that were popular through the decades from the company's beginning in 1892 through 1930; "A. Jaffe Art Deco" channels the period from 1931 through 1960; "Seasons of Love" pays homage to styles that were popular from 1961 through 1990 and "Metropolitan" stretches from 1991 until the present.
Additional new collections that add to the core A. Jaffe line include the Bubble, Princess, Vintage and Halo collections.
All styles are available in either 18-karat gold or platinum.
As part of the new campaign, the color scheme of the A. Jaffe branding, including its displays, has been changed from beige and chocolate brown to gray and black, with the move toward crisp neutrals designed to lend the brand a more modern look.
"Today's luxury customer is now younger, in her late 20s, early 30s," said Pooja Johari, the brand's marketing director. That younger customer is after a more personalized experience, one that allows her to obtain a ring that reflects the type of person she is.
The demographic is also the target of an A. Jaffe YouTube clip that can now be viewed on the brand's Web site. Shot in black and white, it features models taking to the streets of downtown New York City for a fashion shoot. Those who are normally behind-the-scenes, like photographers, production assistants, stylists and even a doorman are also part of the clip, as models walk across cobblestone, duck out of buildings, dangle fetchingly over fire escapes and, of course, flash their diamond rings.
The campaign will also include radio, billboard, TV and magazine ads, Jansson says.
A. Jaffe's new look is already filtering into stores, and the bar-code technology can be spotted at the Michael C. Fina store, a bridal-focused jeweler on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue.
