By SARAH RAMIREZ
De Beers Group’s Forevermark is empowering women through a new campaign championing their ambitions and daily victories.
The #BetterHalfWithinMe campaign was created with Indian women in mind and spotlights half-carat diamonds that women buy for themselves, as opposed to jewelry that was received as a gift. Instead of portraying diamonds as a symbol of romance, the jewelry is presented as motivation or reward for pursuing personal goals.
“What’s nice to see in this campaign is the appeal to a higher-minded customer for choosing a Forevermark diamond — making the right choices in their lives, large or small, mirroring their ‘better half within,'” said Daymon Bruck, CCO and partner at The O Group, Seattle. “Choosing a brand messaging platform of ethical, sustainability and transparency issues is a solid strategy for businesses wanting to maintain their relevancy in the world of ‘new luxury.’
“The luxury audience in today’s world has evolved and their definition for what’s considered luxury is evolving with them,”
Mr. Bruck is not affiliated with Forevermark, but agreed to comment as an industry expert. Forevermark was reached for comment.
WOMEN’S BRILLIANCE
Women in India, and elsewhere, are enjoying more economic freedom and are more encouraged to find fulfillment in ways outside of the home. These realties are reflected in the two short films for Forevermark’s initiative, created with advertising agency J. Walter Thompson India.
The first spot begins as a child’s birthday party unwinds and the parents begin to clean up and relax. As the wife is taking off her diamond earrings, she receives a text message about a work emergency.
#BetterHalfWithinMe Half Carat Diamonds from Forevermark – “Let your better half shine”
Forevermark’s #BetterHalfWithinMe series celebrates women’s ambitions
Reluctantly, and then more determinedly, the woman puts her jewelry back on and heads to work, without apologizing to her spouse for prioritizing her job. As the short ends, it is revealed that the woman is a doctor and successfully helped with a birth.
The accompanying film is about a mother who is struggling to turn her passion for baking into a successful blogging career. Instead of giving in to her inclination to walk away, she enlists her daughter to help her create videos to accompany her online recipes.
The new creative direction works, and the mother and daughter are seen baking with other students at the video’s conclusion.
Both films are narrated by the women, who admit that they occasionally struggle but find strength from the “better half” inside them to continue pushing themselves forward.
This is a play on the popular phrase “better half,” which usually means a significant other. However in Forevermark’s campaign, women are relying on themselves.
“J. Walter Thompson India has done a clever job of linking the campaign name to a product purchase suggestion and at the same time connecting to the underling brand message: my better half is inside me rather than the cliché of another person needed to completed me — no matter what age,” Mr. Bruck said.
INDUSTRY CHANGES
While the Forevermark campaign features more established women, they represent an attainable life for younger women who are making jewelry purchases.
Jewelry brands need to focus on millennials and Gen Z to sustain their future.
Demand for diamonds increased to $82 billion in 2017, thanks to the United States and China. But this growth is not expected to continue into 2018, according to a new report from De Beers, which is urging the industry to focus on Gen Z, despite the age group’s lack of funds.
Contrary to traditional marketing that positions jewelry as a gifting item, millennial women are more apt to buy pieces for themselves than to receive them from others.
A new report from MVI Research found that more than half of millennial age women indicate themselves as the primary buyer of jewelry in their households. Luxury marketers have begun to evolve their messaging surrounding jewelry, but as millennials become a bigger consumer base for high-end goods, it will become even more important to appeal to women themselves .
“The ‘me’ instead of ‘we’ track — targeting a female-first audience — has been a consistent messaging theme for many luxury sectors, but especially within the jewelry industry over the past few decades,” Mr. Bruck said.
