SurveysMay 01, 2026
Consumer Confidence Inches Up in April Despite Rising Gas PricesRespondents were concerned about the Middle East conflict and how it will impact their finances.
TechnologyJul 17, 2019
How Simon G. Used Local Influencers to Support its Retailers
The partnerships were part of a multi-pronged approach to drive traffic to in-store trunk shows.
This shot from influencer @oliamajd came as part of Simon G.’s social media campaign to support several retailer’s in-store events.
Glendale, Calif.—Simon G.’s latest marketing endeavor saw the fine jewelry brand leverage its social media strength to support some of its retail partners.
Last May, the brand launched a multi-pronged marketing approach to support key store events across the country at five of its retailers, including Collins Family Jewelers in San Diego, Almassian Jewelers in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Ben Garelick Jewelers in Buffalo, New York.
For each, the brand created what it referred to as a “social media moment,” hosting trunk show events that were promoted through local influencers posting concurrently with paid advertising by Simon G.
The brand wanted to show its retail partners ways to successfully utilize social media and influencers to transform business, Simon G. Vice President of Marketing and Communications Brooke Brinkman said in an interview with National Jeweler.
Simon G. has a strong influencer program of its own, she confirmed, so the brand dipped into its budget to cover 100 percent of the costs associated with the retailer influencer campaign.
Choosing the Right Partners
Simon G. wanted to ensure the influencers they chose were relevant. They focused on fashion and lifestyle influencers with compelling content, a strong local following and high engagement to help promote the trunk shows on their platforms.
RELATED CONTENT—The PR Adviser: How Can I Find Local Influencers?“We want to make sure that the content that they’re posting does represent luxury, is authentic, that they’re someone who would truly wear the product and that it’s not someone who just has a strong audience but is posting about lip gloss and water,” Brinkman said. “That’s not necessarily the person we want promoting events. We want to make sure the content they’re putting out truly does resonate with the audience.”
The goal, after all, wasn’t just awareness of the brand and the event coming up at the local retailer, but to drive traffic to said event.
They asked the influencers to not only promote the trunk shows ahead of time but also to attend them, providing behind-the-scenes content shots of the new collections.
The partnership included influencers like @oliamajd (430,000 followers), @thegrguide (17,200 followers) and @matalasi_ (13,100 followers).
View this post on InstagramA post shared by The GR Guide (@thegrguide) on May 8, 2019 at 6:30pm PDT
On the retail side, the brand relied on its sales team to identify retailers that not only could use the help but also would be open to the approach and willing to provide real feedback to Simon G. about what worked and what didn’t.
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
They looked at retailers, Brinkman said, that held the trunk show every year to allow for a year-over-year comparison, as well as those that held the event sporadically or didn’t put as much behind it to see how the additional support benefitted it—or didn’t.
Adding Another Layer
To boost the influencer aspect and expand the overall reach, Simon G. also developed a weeks-long social media paid advertising campaign on its own platform to run while the influencers were posting.
This comprised a three-tier approach designed to connect with consumers along the path to purchase.
The following week the ads looped in the retailers, telling the consumer where they could find Simon G. in their area.
The third and final week had an actionable message: here’s a specific event to attend.
Brinkman said Simon G. has seen the best results in social campaigns when the paid ads work in tandem with an influencer campaign.
Lessons Learned
Last year, the brand launched its “Committed” marketing campaign, designed to speak to a category of jewelry rather than focus on specific products, in hopes of communicating a broader message to consumers.
In a similar manner, this spring’s influencer campaign helped Simon G. show retailers the new ways consumers want to receive their information that don’t involve traditional shots of jewelry pieces, Brinkman said.
It appears both Simon G. and the retail partners found it a success.
The entire campaign accrued 873,547 impressions (how many times the content was displayed) with an average of about 3 percent engagement (measuring shares, likes and comments) and 15,482 likes.
Of the five influencer-promoted trunk shows, Simon G. said that Collins Family Jewelers of San Diego was the most successful.
“It was an amazing plan of attack. I loved the organization and methodical planning to target the audiences.”
She said that though many of the people who bought during the event were their regular customers, they loved the buzz and ahead of it and the way the influencers were live posting from the trunk show.
Collins added that Simon G. and the retailer are on the same page when it comes to evolving their marketing strategy.
“The way of the future is heavily related to online presence … Local jewelers and small business need to partner with big, savvy businesses like Simon G. to make sure they are getting the best exposure possible, especially on social media when every impression counts.”
And what she learned?
“You can’t get your name out there enough.”
Simon G. will build on the program in 2019, it said, adding in a paid element for online and out-of-home advertising.
Adding Another Layer
To boost the influencer aspect and expand the overall reach, Simon G. also developed a weeks-long social media paid advertising campaign on its own platform to run while the influencers were posting.
This comprised a three-tier approach designed to connect with consumers along the path to purchase.
RELATED CONTENT: How Simon G Reached Millennials at SXSWThree weeks out from the trunk show, the paid social ads consisted primarily of branded advertising in the retailers’ local markets.
The following week the ads looped in the retailers, telling the consumer where they could find Simon G. in their area.
The third and final week had an actionable message: here’s a specific event to attend.
Brinkman said Simon G. has seen the best results in social campaigns when the paid ads work in tandem with an influencer campaign.
Lessons Learned
Last year, the brand launched its “Committed” marketing campaign, designed to speak to a category of jewelry rather than focus on specific products, in hopes of communicating a broader message to consumers.
In a similar manner, this spring’s influencer campaign helped Simon G. show retailers the new ways consumers want to receive their information that don’t involve traditional shots of jewelry pieces, Brinkman said.
It appears both Simon G. and the retail partners found it a success.
The entire campaign accrued 873,547 impressions (how many times the content was displayed) with an average of about 3 percent engagement (measuring shares, likes and comments) and 15,482 likes.
Of the five influencer-promoted trunk shows, Simon G. said that Collins Family Jewelers of San Diego was the most successful.
RELATED CONTENT—The PR Adviser: Finding Local Influencers, Part IISecond generation jeweler Briana Collins said they gained followers on the retailer’s Instagram and Facebook page during the promotion but also saw a lot of traffic come to the store during the trunk show.
“It was an amazing plan of attack. I loved the organization and methodical planning to target the audiences.”
She said that though many of the people who bought during the event were their regular customers, they loved the buzz and ahead of it and the way the influencers were live posting from the trunk show.
Collins added that Simon G. and the retailer are on the same page when it comes to evolving their marketing strategy.
“The way of the future is heavily related to online presence … Local jewelers and small business need to partner with big, savvy businesses like Simon G. to make sure they are getting the best exposure possible, especially on social media when every impression counts.”
And what she learned?
“You can’t get your name out there enough.”
Simon G. will build on the program in 2019, it said, adding in a paid element for online and out-of-home advertising.
More on Technology
The Latest
CollectionsMay 01, 2026
A ‘Hidden Garden’ Emerges in Tiffany & Co.’s 2026 Blue BookOur Piece of the Week, the “Butterfly” necklace, showcases a 7.02-carat oval diamond set between diamond, platinum, and 18-karat gold wings.
ColumnistsApr 30, 2026
Peter Smith: A Sleazy Salesman and the Case for Regret Avoidance Smith uses a comment he overheard in the grocery store to remind retailers that their job is to inspire buying behavior, not just sell.
Brought to you by
Discover Timeless Treasures: A Showcase of Antique Jewelry & Timepieces in Las VegasGain access to the most exclusive and coveted antique pieces from trusted dealers during Las Vegas Jewelry Week.
MajorsApr 30, 2026
Claire’s New Summer Campaign Is a Sensory Wonderland for Gen Alpha“A Girl SMR at Claire’s” celebrates girlhood through the five senses with stacked jewelry, slime toys, scented accessories, and ASMR.
Weekly QuizApr 30, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
AuctionsApr 30, 2026
Vintage Cartier Watch Crashes Through Records, Selling for $2MBelieved to be one of three made in 1987, the Cartier London Crash was hot at the “Shapes of Cartier” sale at Sotheby’s Hong Kong.
CrimeApr 30, 2026
Masked Group Uses Hammers, Pepper Spray in Texas Jewelry Store RobberyOfficials are looking for a group that robbed Marc Robinson Jewelers at an outlet mall in Round Rock, Texas, in broad daylight on April 21.
Brought to you by
Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show: Showcasing the Most Collectible Merchandise from Across the GlobeGain access to the most exclusive and coveted antique pieces from trusted dealers during Las Vegas Jewelry Week.
Supplier BulletinApr 30, 2026
OROAREZZO 2026: The B2B Event for Italian Excellence in Goldsmith, Jewelry and Silver ManufacturingSponsored by OROAREZZO International Jewelry Exhibition
IndependentsApr 29, 2026
Dick Abbott to Retire From The EdgeThe Edge has announced its new CEO, as well as a new partnership with an investment firm focused on founder-led software businesses.
SourcingApr 29, 2026
De Beers’ Production Rises, Market Remains ‘Challenged’De Beers’ diamond production was up 17 percent in Q1, boosted by increased output at its mines in South Africa and Canada.
AuctionsApr 29, 2026
This'll Be the Day You Own John Wayne's RingA signet ring belonging to the Western film star of Hollywood’s Golden Age will be up for auction at Elmwood’s next month.
Policies & IssuesApr 28, 2026
Tariff Refunds: How to File, What to Expect Importers can submit claims now to receive money back for the IEEPA tariffs they’ve paid, with refunds expected to take up to 90 days.
IndependentsApr 28, 2026
This North Carolina Jeweler Is Passing the TorchThe owners of Gregory Jewelers in Morganton, North Carolina, are heading into retirement.
SourcingApr 28, 2026
Doug Hucker Retires From ICAThe colored gemstone industry leader is heading into retirement after four years as the association’s CEO.
SourcingApr 28, 2026
NDC Hires Tapestry Exec to Head Global Marketing Susie Dewey joins the Natural Diamond Council as its new chief marketing officer.
AuctionsApr 27, 2026
12 Years Later, the ‘Ocean Dream’ Diamond Resurfaces at Christie’sThe largest known fancy vivid blue-green diamond could fetch more than $12 million at its second auction appearance.
ColumnistsApr 27, 2026
Stop Treating Mother’s Day Like an AfterthoughtEmmanuel Raheb says jewelers need to start marketing early and make it easy for customers to pick a gift for mom.
IndependentsApr 27, 2026
Longnecker Jewelry Celebrates 30 YearsIn honor of the milestone, the Nebraska jeweler has debuted Leslie & Co., its new in-house jewelry brand.
MajorsApr 27, 2026
JBT Re-Elects Jeff Corey as Board ChairThe trade organization, which held its annual elections earlier this year, also added five new board members.
SurveysApr 24, 2026
Mother’s Day 2026 Jewelry Spending to Top $7B, NRF SaysNRF’s annual survey found that 45 percent of consumers plan to purchase jewelry for a loved one this Mother’s Day.
TechnologyApr 24, 2026
TwentyFour’s Digital-Age Locket Is a Virtual VaultThe “Vault” charm, our Piece of the Week, expands on the memories that can be stored in a locket by connecting to your phone.
Events & AwardsApr 24, 2026
Hamptons Jewelry Show to Return in JulyThe open-to-the-public luxury jewelry and timepiece show, in its second year, is slated for July 23-26.
IndependentsApr 23, 2026
Meet the Real Moms of Day’s JewelersThe jeweler’s Mother’s Day campaign highlights the women who work there—mothers, grandmothers, women who want to be mothers, and dog moms.
Supplier BulletinApr 23, 2026
JM® Shipping Solution: Smarter Shipping for High-Value GoodsSponsored by Jewelers Mutual
Lab-GrownApr 23, 2026
Charles & Colvard May Sell Assets for $1.5MThe proposed agreement follows the moissanite maker’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection filing last month.
AuctionsApr 23, 2026
John Jacob Astor IV’s Titanic Pocket Watch Fetches $1MThe Patek Philippe for Tiffany & Co. timepiece Astor brought aboard the ill-fated ship sold for double its estimate at a Freeman’s auction.
