WGC Speaks Gold

By Carrie Soucy -- JCK Online, 11/1/2004 2:00:00 AM

Taking its "Speak Gold" advertising efforts to the next level, the World Gold Council has unveiled a $6 million holiday ad campaign that aims to stimulate consumer demand for gold jewelry in the United States.

The two-part campaign, which features both generic ads aimed at emotional response and more product-specific ads that focus on WGC's manufacturing partners, carries the tagline "There's One Language Everyone Understands." The photography depicts and targets gift purchasers and self-purchasers.

Unlike traditional advertising campaigns that feature glossy fashion photography, WGC hired National Geographic photographers for a more photojournalistic approach. The "models" are everyday women, not professional models, and settings include New York, the Midwest, Italy, and India. The result is realistic photography that captures both the spirit of women who love gold jewelry and various cultures around the world.

Michael Pace, the new vice president of marketing for the World Gold Council's U.S. arm, calls the ads an evolution of the "Speak Gold" campaign, one that is based on two years of consumer research.

Playing on research that shows gold jewelry competing not only against other jewelry but all luxury products, the campaign aims to capture the history, symbolism, and expressiveness of gold jewelry. "This campaign is all about trying to get those emotions across," Pace says.

The product-specific ads feature real-life scenes as well as jewelry photographs. Manufacturers and designers participating in the campaign are Charles Garnier, Mattioli, Roberto Coin, SeidenGang, Yvel, Aurafin-OroAmerica, Atasay, and Bel Oro.

The ad campaign, which focuses on the generic ads in October followed by a mix of generic and jewelry ads through the holiday season, launched in 19 fashion and lifestyle magazines including InStyle, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W.