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Top 5 luxury jewelry holiday 2011 campaigns

December 8, 2011

Tiffany 2011 holiday campaign

Sparkle, admiration and beauty are traits to describe both the holiday season and high-end jewelry. But with all of the superfluous marketing around the holiday season, it takes a lot for jewelers to stand out above competitors.

Multichannel campaigns are usually the most effective because the more mediums a brand advertises on, the better chance it has of reaching an affluent consumer. Furthermore, a 360-degree plan of attack is more likely to keep a brand top-of-mind when consumers are stressed and repeatedly hit with advertising during the busy holiday season.

These are the top five luxury jewelry holiday campaigns of 2011, listed in alphabetical order:

Cartier’s Winter Tale – Cartier used its famed leopard mascot to showcase its multichannel Winter Tale holiday campaign this year.

The brand set up advertisements on The New York Times Web site that when clicked-through brought consumers to a page where they could watch a video of the leopard as it strolled through a winter wonderland of snow, ice and branded jewelery (see story).

The video is found at http://www.wintertale.cartier.com.

Cartier products from the Fall/Winter collection are found on components of the environment including on the ground, in trees and inside floating bubbles.

Users can scroll through the products found in the video, select individual items in the video and visit the Cartier ecommerce boutique.

This video likely drove online transactions since it provided a direct link to the brand’s Web site.

Cartier transcended this campaign through print by taking advertising space in publications likely to cater to a wealthy audience such as the New York Times, W magazine and Vogue (see story).

Cartier print ad

David Yurman’s The Art of Giving – Famed jeweler David Yurman is centering its holiday campaign around the Art of Giving campaign, which details a multitude of ecommerce product options including a Christmas countdown and gift guide.

Consumers can go to http://www.davidyurman.com where they are met with the Art of Giving gift guide. When they click on the link, they are taken to the holiday shop.

On the page, users can choose the person for whom they want to shop – wife, girlfriend, mother, daughter, husband, boyfriend, father or son – or browse through the gift guide.

Each day leading up to Dec. 25, David Yurman selects a product from the guide to feature on the site. For example, today’s gift is the Maritime bracelet.

David Yurman holiday guide

The function, look and overall appearance of the product of the day changes the background of the site and the Art of Giving Web site to offer a truly personalized experience.

David Yurman is complementing its Web presence through print ads found in luxury-focused publications as well as multiple posts on its social media outlets, including a once-a-day blast about that day’s product.

De Beers’ A Diamond is Forever – The LVMH-owned diamond brand is taking extra precaution during this holiday season through an extensive multichannel strategy.

The De Beers Web site has a gift finder that displays all of the jeweler’s holiday products split into sections so that consumers can easily find products for a specific person.

De Beers is also increasing site traffic and ecommerce transactions through its social media pages, which offer exclusive videos and images of holiday products.

The campaign has also spread to print and is found in luxury-focused publications.

The De Beers holiday print campaign displays branded pieces lying in snow, on frosted trees and iced petals.

This campaign is meant to encapsulate natural beauty, per De Beers.

A Diamond is Forever campaign is not new. However, that may be the point.

De Beers holiday campaign

De Beers developed a reputation for its trademark print marketing. It involves one- or two-page spreads with close-up views of products filling the top three-quarters of the page and its logo, slogans and store locations on a white strip across the bottom of the page.

Consumers, especially Generation Y or Baby Boomers who have been buying De Beers for a long time, are very likely to instantly recognize this consistent marketing strategy.

Swarovski Element’s Let it Sparkle – Swarovski subsidiary Swarovski Elements’ Let it Sparkle campaign brings together augmented reality, mobile, social media and Web marketing (see story).

The brand constructed an installation on Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles on which consumers can tweet their own holiday messages using the hashtag #letitsparkle.

Consumers can also text the keyword SPARKLE to short code 877877.

Designers such as Roberto Cavalli, Margherito Missoni and Stuart Weitzman have written their own messages that are instantly displayed on the installation.

Luxury shoppers strolling along Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles are able to use an augmented reality mobile app by holding their phones up to storefront windows and displays on the street to take pictures of limited-edition products that were made in collaboration with brands such as Missoni, La Perla and Stuart Weitzman.

Augmented reality app

Swarovski is keeping consumers who do not live in Los Angeles involved through an interactive social media presence. There is even a live feed of the Let It Sparkle messages found here.

The jeweler is also giving away a piece from its holiday collection each Friday in December to three #letitsparkle tweets.

Tiffany & Co.’s Some Holidays are Unforgettable – Tiffany is renowned for its use of multichannel engagement with its holiday campaign and its 2011 campaign, Some Holidays are Unforgettable, is no different.

A branded video showing a couple exploring snowy New York was the main idea of the campaign.

Tiffany video

Stills from the video and other images anchored the digital and print ads that aim to drive consumers to stores to discover items featured in the ads.

Another key component to Tiffany’s holiday marketing is through direct mail.

The jeweler released two print catalogs in the last month, one special holiday-themed mailer and its annual Tiffany Blue Book for 2011-2012.

The Some Holidays are Unforgettable campaign images are not present in the mail pieces, but they both contain the 2011-12 holiday collection.

In addition to the compelling print and digital marketing, Tiffany is also adding mobile to the mix.

The jeweler has incorporated mobile-optimized banner ads into apps such as Internet music service provider Pandora that displays high-resolution images of products from the holiday collection and a campaign video (see story).

Final Take
Rachel Lamb, associate reporter on Luxury Daily, New York

Rachel Lamb is an associate reporter on Luxury Daily. Her beats are apparel and accessories, arts and entertainment, education, food and beverage, fragrance and personal care, government, healthcare, home furnishings, jewelry, legal/privacy and nonprofits. Reach her at rachel@napean.com.