We've had tennis bracelets, Past present future jewelry, the circle of love and now here's the new "Journey Jewelry" from National Jeweler Magazine.
DTC to market graduated designs in "Journey" campaign
By Susan Thea Posnock
JANUARY 11, 2006 - New York -- Love is a journey that grows larger (as in larger diamonds) over time, —that's the new message that The Diamond Trading Co. (DTC) will push to consumers beginning next fall.
The DTC, in conjunction with JWT ad agency, announced the new marketing initiative, "Journey Diamond Jewelry," —its first major designed-based "gift of love" push since the 2000 launch of "Past Present Future-in a presentation this morning at the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan.
Representatives from JWT said Journey focuses on diamond jewelry that contains diamonds of different sizes arranged in a graduated pattern from smallest to largest. The parameters: stones included in the piece must be exclusively diamond, with at least four stones and at least one stone of "significant size."
The idea behind Journey is that the jewelry symbolizes how "love grows forever," said Colby Shergalis of JWT during the presentation.
Like the three-stone initiative before it—which JWT says has lead to $10 billion cumulatively and $3 billion annually in diamond jewelry purchases since it launched—Journey focuses on a design that manufacturers and retailers already carry, but the campaign will reinvent the product by adding an emotional reason to buy, she said.
"From the launch of Past Present Future, JWT saw that by infusing a compelling emotional story into an existing product category we can spark tremendous and rapid market growth," said Richard Lennox, director-in-charge of the Diamond Marketing and Advertising Group at JWT, in a media release. "JWT will use this same model for the launch of Journey Diamond Jewelry and will work with and encourage the trade to create innovative designs that resonate with consumers and drive sales."
Research conducted by JTW has indicated strong consumer interest in Journey, with the response outscoring the reaction surveyed consumers had to "Past Present Future." According to the presentation, 71 percent of women and 59 percent of men found the idea either "very appealing" or "somewhat appealing." In comparison, 45 percent of women said the same of "Past Present Future." Consumers also said Journey, which will not be geared toward diamond rings, was distinct from current DTC programs with 76 percent of women and 71 percent of men saying they saw a difference.
Speaking to trade media after the main presentation, Lennox said consumers saw the concept as bringing to the designs a symbolic meaning that didn't exist beforehand.
"Before it was just a line of graduated jewelry, now it's a lifelong journey and bang, now it's got appeal," he said.
In addition to the positive consumer research, Lennox says he's optimistic about the plan because it has broad appeal and the industry as a whole has grown savvier.
"As an industry we've become better at building ideas together," he says.
Journey will be fully introduced to retailers at the JCK show in Las Vegas and marketed to consumers in September. However, the Diamond Information Center has already begun seeding the concept as the newest trend in diamond jewelry, promoting it during its recent media tour for the holidays. And plans are in place to get the graduated design worn by celebrities during the Academy Awards in March.
In order to help manufactures to come up with new and interesting designs, the Diamond Promotion Service is offering an online design evaluation tool to the first 40 manufacturers to sign up on a first come, first-served basis, beginning January 18. The test, called DesignMax, will cost participants $10,000 for six to 10 designs and $15,000 for 11 to 15 designs. Results will be available by April.
While JTW would not divulge the media spend that will go behind the push, Lennox says a significant portion of the third and fourth quarter media allocation will go toward the campaign. He says funds would be shifted from the programs that already have consumer awareness—right- hand ring, three-stone and anniversary—to Journey. He made it clear, however, that JTW will continue to heavily promote these older programs throughout the year.
The idea isn't to supplant what he called "beacon" diamond jewelry products like three-stone or right hand ring, he stresses.
"We're looking to build a portfolio of strong concepts that over time consumers would have to buy," he says.
In fact, JTW also announced it will aim right-hand-ring advertising at men for Valentine's Day in the first two weeks of February. Lennox says the print, radio and online media campaign will mark the first JWT diamond push for the holiday in the last five years.
For more information on DesignMax and the Journey promotion visit www.dps.org.
