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Forevermark To Revive Iconic Slogan ‘A Diamond Is Forever’ And Plans Major Ad Blitz | June 03, 2015 (0 comments)
Las Vegas, NV—At a May 28 breakfast event for partners and media, De Beers’ Forevermark brand announced plans to revive the historic slogan ‘A Diamond is Forever’ in its holiday 2015 advertising and marketing efforts.
First coined for De Beers in 1947 by N.W. Ayer copywriter Frances Gerety, ‘A Diamond is Forever’ was named “the best advertising slogan of the century” by Advertising Age magazine, the ad industry’s leading trade publication.
The slogan, devised shortly after WWII, resonated strongly with returning GIs who came back from the war with a greater sense of what is important in their lives, said Philippe Mellier, CEO of De Beers. The slogan has influenced popular culture for decades and is responsible for driving high levels of name recognition for De Beers in consumers’ minds, as well as cementing the concept of a diamond engagement ring as a must-have in the minds of consumers.
Although De Beers stopped using the slogan when it shifted its marketing efforts away from generic diamond advertising and toward its own Forevermark brand, recent research shows the saying remains relevant to the brand’s key target consumers, including Millennials who didn’t grow up in the slogan’s heyday. The research shows the slogan is still associated with timeless love and commitment, the pillars upon which the Forevermark brand stands, said Forevermark CEO Stephen Lussier at the Las Vegas event.
The name Forevermark was build on the equity of the slogan, and in his address, Lussier remarked, “We are thrilled to bring this incredible equity back to Forevermark where it truly belongs. After all, our name is built on the line. But it is not enough to simply bring it back. We need to recharge it with meaning and most importantly fuse it with the Forevermark brand promise.”
The global Forevermark marketing program will begin exclusively in North America in fall 2015, harnessing the historic power of the slogan. The integrated marketing campaign will communicate what makes Forevermark distinctly different, says Lussier. It will convey the brand’s passionate pursuit of the world’s most beautiful and responsibly sourced diamonds, going beyond the Four Cs of cut, color, clarity, and carat weight.
The brand will target consumers seeking half-carat and larger diamonds. The campaign will debut with a new television commercial, “Forevermark: A Diamond Is Forever”. The fifteen and thirty-second television spots will feature a solitaire diamond engagement ring and will run on broadcast and cable networks. The campaign will also include print and digital media with an especially aggressive look at the online space. Plans for a launch event in New York City and other top media markets will be unveiled closer to date.
Mellier added, “Change isn’t new, it’s as old as time itself. And we all know that in the midst of what is new and different, some things never change. Some things keep us centered and on course.”
Forevermark US president Charles Stanley urged industry leaders to consider the grave challenges and exciting opportunities facing the diamond industry today. “Change only happens if we challenge our assumptions. This is exactly what we are doing at Forevermark. Challenging our assumptions and taking the required leadership role to make change happen.”
When asked about recent articles suggesting that the industry has already lost the Millennial generation, Lussier told The Centurion that train hasn’t entirely left the station—and that it can’t run without fuel.
“Millennials aren’t anti-love or anti-expression of love. When [former DTC CEO] Varda Shine was at Google recently, she saw all the female employees wearing big diamonds.”
“No two diamonds are the same and since Millennials value individuality it’s about finding the diamond unique to them,” added Charles Stanley. “We have to reinvest and create an connection with Millennials; talk to them in their language and their media environment.”
Forevermark celebrated the return of its iconic slogan with a private cocktail reception at Mix restaurant in the Delano Hotel in Las Vegas. The brand co-hosted the evening’s event with the De Beers Group, to recognize the Honourable Tshekedi Khama, Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism, Botswana.
Supermodel Chanel Iman donned Forevermark diamonds to show attendees. “I love Forevermark diamonds because they are so beautiful, rare and unique as each diamond is individually inscribed which is hard to come by,” she said. She wore a Forevermark diamond crossover necklace with pear Forevermark diamonds set in platinum; Forevermark by Norman Silverman cushion diamond line bracelet set in platinum and three-row ring with round brilliant Forevermark in 18k white gold; Forevermark diamond drop earrings in 18k white gold, and Forevermark by Memoire diamond drop earrings set in 18k white gold.
