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De Beers, Signet Lean Into Finding ‘The One’ in New Natural Diamond Campaign
Aimed at a generation that emphasizes self-care and mental health, “Worth the Wait” breaks new ground in the world of diamond advertising.
“Worth the Wait,” the new campaign marketing natural diamonds, features real-life couples and emphasizes the journey that goes into finding “the one,” likening it to the time and pressure it takes to form a natural diamond. The digitally focused campaign will run on streaming services like Hulu and Peacock, and across social media. (Image credit: Arnold Worldwide)
New York—Last week, De Beers Group and Signet Jewelers debuted the new marketing campaign they teased earlier in the year designed to encourage younger consumers to get engaged with natural diamonds.
“Worth the Wait” eschews the well-known “A Diamond Is Forever” tagline in favor of emphasizing the emotional work that goes into feeling worthy of love and bringing the “best version of ourselves” into a committed relationship.
The 90-second, long-form cut of the campaign’s commercial employs natural diamond metaphors—pressure, fire, Earth—throughout, but diamond jewelry doesn’t play a starring role until more than a minute in.
In the meantime, people cry, break down, break up, and see a therapist.
It’s a departure from traditional diamond advertising, which skipped over the work it takes to find “the one” in favor of emphasizing the happy ending.
Watch: The 90-Second Version of the “Worth the Wait” Commercial
“Worth the Wait” eschews the well-known “A Diamond Is Forever” tagline in favor of emphasizing the emotional work that goes into feeling worthy of love and bringing the “best version of ourselves” into a committed relationship.
The 90-second, long-form cut of the campaign’s commercial employs natural diamond metaphors—pressure, fire, Earth—throughout, but diamond jewelry doesn’t play a starring role until more than a minute in.
In the meantime, people cry, break down, break up, and see a therapist.
It’s a departure from traditional diamond advertising, which skipped over the work it takes to find “the one” in favor of emphasizing the happy ending.
Watch: The 90-Second Version of the “Worth the Wait” Commercial
In an interview with National Jeweler, Signet Jewelers Group President and Chief Consumer Officer Jamie Singleton and De Beers Brands CEO Sandrine Conseiller spoke about the process of crafting “Worth the Wait.”
The campaign, they said, is aimed at soon-to-be-engaged 25 to 30 year olds, also known as “zillennials,” because they are the bridge between two generations. They are the youngest millennials and the oldest members of Generation Z.
“We did a tremendous amount of consumer research and consumer testing for relevance,” Singleton said. “We really wanted to speak to the couples and about what mattered in the relationship.”
What they discovered, she said, is that 25- to 30-year-old consumers value self-worth, self-care, and self-improvement. They want to bring the best version of themselves into a relationship.
Conseiller noted that while members of older generations were focused on the idea of “everlasting love” being central to who they are as a person, younger generations view their personal growth and development as being the core of their identity.
This interest in the time-consuming journey of forging their individual identities gave De Beers and Signet an opening to emphasize the traits that differentiate natural diamonds from lab-grown ones.
Another still from “Worth the Wait.” Signet and De Beers executives said they created the campaign after doing extensive consumer research and testing among 25 to 30 year olds, a target demographic for engagement rings.
Natural diamonds take time to form and are unique, Conseiller said, noting that most people don’t know these gemstones can be more than 3 billion years old.
“It’s the oldest thing you can ever possess,” she said.
This is in contrast to lab-grown diamonds, which are much younger and produced in mass, she said, a point that’s made at the end of the 90-second spot without ever mentioning the words “lab grown.”
“The diamond you chose should match your journey, match the patience you took to find each other, and match the resilience that formed the essence of your cores.
“And that is a natural diamond, because just like your journey, a natural diamond is ... worth the wait,” the commercial concludes.
“Worth the Wait” features a total of seven couples, all of whom are together in real life; they are not actors who were paired together for the shoot. (The dog is also a real-life pet.)
In addition to the 90-second commercial, there are two 30-second and two 15-second versions.
They will air on streaming services like Hulu, Peacock, and Roku, and across social media platforms including Instagram and Pinterest. The commercials will not air on traditional (linear) TV.
The videos also will run on screens in Kay Jewelers, Jared, and Zales stores, as well as on the Signet banners’ websites and digital storefronts.
In addition, De Beers and Signet said the retailer’s approximately 20,000 sales associates have undergone months of “intensive training” about the unique features of natural diamonds.
Kay Jewelers’ new “Milestones Natural Diamond Collection” is one of the collections Signet is releasing in conjunction with “Worth the Wait.” The rings, earrings, and necklaces in the collection are offered in 10- or 14-karat white or yellow gold and are all set with natural diamonds. Prices range from $500 to $8,800.
When asked if Signet and De Beers plan to employ influencers to help spread the “Worth the Wait” message, Conseiller said not yet, but added, “We see this campaign living for a long period of time.
“What you will see is it develop and evolve going forward.”
In conjunction with the campaign, Signet is releasing “beacon-type” jewelry collections, meaning they are reminiscent of De Beers’ beacon programs of the past—the right-hand ring, the three-stone ring, etc.—but are exclusive to Signet-owned retailers and not available for the entire industry to embrace.
Kay Jewelers launched the “Milestones Natural Diamond Collection” last month.
Later this month, Jared is set to debut “Unspoken,” a collection of natural diamond pendants, earrings, rings, and bracelets set in high-polish white or yellow gold.
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