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Call to Action Part 1: Why Are We So Hungry For Brands?
May 14, 2007
I’ve noticed the trend of jewelers desperately wanting to exclusively carry certain products…Why?
- Jewelers figure if my store is the only one in the area that carries Hearts on Fire, Tacori, Scott Kay, Yurman, Judith Ripka, Rolex, Breitling, etc that I will gain a share of the market where other’s can’t compete…because they don’t have it.
- These brands offer to add your company name as a tagline in their magazine ad, TV, and internet.
- These brands are “door openers,” they have people coming through the doors and once their in it doesn’t matter what they buy.
So these are the reasons huh? Why not get independents advertising together without taglines. No…not a bunch of stores added to the bottom of an ad. Not a commercial for a single brand. And not an ad for certain products in a certain city. Instead, ad’s that harp on the emotional appeal of diamonds and jewelry.
Instead, of spending “crap loads” of money into single brands that often offer a slower turnover…why not band together and market together. The only professional ads I see when it comes to diamonds are DeBeers ads. (The newest Journey one where the man wakes up in the middle of the morning and puts his loved one a Journey diamond pendant while she sleeps…simple and it works. The lovey dovey music, the woman sleeping, the man surprising her and the diamond….simple and it works).
Independents alone might not have enough money but together I’m sure a bunch of us can clearly depict through advertising, the emotional appeal diamonds, jewelry, and colored stones offer—making consumers put aside the notion that diamonds and jewelry are over priced…like barackus said:
“People in the jewelry business have been ruining their image for a very long time. We are poor marketers of our product lines. We have few identifiable brands like leather goods have. Most can spot a Louis Vuitton, Prada, Coach, Dooney & Burke, etc bag and immediately know the brand, the expense, and the quality. Because of that immediate recognition and cache, that accompanies it, affluent women have no problem spending upwards of $1000 on a handbag. Do you hear them question the markup in that category? These companies have taken a long-term approach, and invested considerable time and money in developing the brand recognition. In our industry, we are dealing with virtually all private label products that are unrecognizable by most of the public, again with few exceptions. Since the aforementioned leather goods companies have developed their brand, they certainly don’t want to damage it by offering promotional sales. They also understand that once the customer gets conditioned to frequent sales, it does not take long until they are not buying unless there is a sale.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
So, why don’t independents market diamonds together? Why do we rely on brand names—few that are recognizable? More marketing leads to more people noticing the emotional appeal, and we have a bunch of bright jewelry storeowners…so why not band together...and advertise together the emotional appeal diamonds and jewelry offer. Do you see push presents being advertised…simple it works…I know it takes money and independents together can do it? What about college graduations…diamond studs are a must for entering the work field? Dad’s and mom’s passing on their diamond pieces that are fashionable today…that antique etching or micro-pave ring or a watch…simple and it works? (shanu@gulianis.com)
Posted by Shanu Singh Guliani on May 14, 2007 | Comments (2)
