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Half-Carat Plus To Get Boost With Three-Stone Ring Ads - Jan 2000
The De Beers group at J. Walter Thompson has announced an
extensive marketing campaign for a new product, the Three-Stone Diamond
Anniversary Ring, which prominently features stones from a half carat and
up.
We think the three-stone ring is meant to boost one of the weaker parts of
the market. There is strong demand for big stones (over a carat) but stones
between half-carat and a carat are still in plentiful supply.
The three-stone ring De Beers will advertise includes a center stone of a
half a carat flanked by two side-stones of slightly smaller size. These are
bigger stones than the traditional anniversary band, but not as big as some of
the stones featured in De Beers’ "solitaire" ads.
According to a statement from J. Walter Thompson, the three-stone ring
initiative intends to build on the highly valuable anniversary occasion. To
develop the marketing message for the ring, the De Beers group set out to learn
what female consumers wanted their anniversary diamond to symbolize. The
response from women reflected a desire to take stock of their relationship in
the present day, reflect upon the journey shared as a couple, and look forward
to the many happy years that lay ahead. This was a tailor-made fit for the
three-stone ring, with a stone to represent each facet of the relationship:
Past, present and future. This is the central message in both the television and
female-targeted print advertising.
De Beers said that 36% of its U.S. advertising budget in the year 2000 will
be dedicated to promoting the three-stone diamond anniversary ring. An all new
television commercial for the ring, entitled "Surprise," is set to
debut in the second half of January 2000. De Beers will also use executions of
its "Evolution" magazine ads to promote the ring. And to reach male
consumers, De Beers will use new executions of its "Seize the Day"
campaign.
The Diamond Promotion Service has retail-oriented programs to support the
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