The New Helzberg's Ad: What's It Trying to Say?

Neither my husband nor I buy much jewelry, but I LOVED the dog ad. I didn't see where it was going in the beginning, so I really fell for it. I laughed out loud, and took note that it was advertising Helzbergs. Clever!

If the Helzberg ad offends you, its because it wasn't meant for you. As a guy who tries to be "that guy", the point is not to say anything negative about "that guy" who paints toenails, but rather that guys in general probably should be more considerate throughout the year, and here's your chance to make her happy and put some thought (AKA $99 Journey pendant...SOLD!) into her Christmas gift.

I love the new DeBeers ad. My sister and I are Will Chase fans and enjoy seeing him whenever or wherever we can. We don't always get to see him on Broadway.

I think the Helzberg commercial is one of the smartest ads on TV. It's very clever because not many of us are that guy and mostly because we are too busy working to come home and paint nails. And the women who find it offensive can only blame themselves for expecting and monitoring love with expensive gifts. I laughed my butt off the whole day working so I am glad that alot of you enjoyed it..... RK

I,m happy to see Helzberg advertising on T.V As to the 1 ctw 599.00 Journey pendant, have you seen it? It,s beautiful and is attainable by "The regular guy"

After laughing out loud at the Helzberg commercial and all the posts above, I must step in and be the gemologist and say that the DeBeers ad, as sweet and sentimental as it is, would NEVER work in real life. It's winter in the city. Both she and he have on hand cream, and he's got his mits all over the tops of those stones. Greasy hands and diamonds will make that necklace look less sparkly than if handing it to her, clean and in the box. Maybe not as romantic, but at least they'll look a lot prettier. (And more expensive too!)

I find the Helzberg ad mildly offensive and playing up to negative society stereotypes, in that it's showing that a thoughtful action by a sensitive man is "unmanly" and demeaning...something that obviously you, the viewer, don't ever want to be! It's basically pointing and snearing at a guy who would do something like that. I really do not like the direction Helzberg is taking lately as a company, between this ad and their 599 I3 1ct Journey pendant they're touting. They really are undermining other industry messages and values. Horrible choice for an ad campaign.

I'm with your friend and the dozens of women who commented on the other blog. As one put it: "I think this commercial is saying, 'Diamonds. That’ll shut her up.'” As part of the industry, I say, yes, it's witty and at least not as predictable as most. As a woman, I find the lot of them generally offensive. Am I ever going to go buy something at a store that runs ads like these? Not a chance. Though these ads are targeting men buying gifts, c'mon! Seeing as self-purchasing women are so important to this industry, you'd think someone would would realize it's NOT a good thing to associate your store with ads that reduce women to superficial "ooo-something-sparkly!" morons. (and check out that link Rob provides... I am definitely not alone in this mindset). As one commenter put it: Sheesh. A man must have been the one who came up with this campaign.

I think both retailers are on the mark as far as reaching their target audiences. The Helzberg ad is cute.

Interesting contrast. I guess the real question when it comes to diamond advertising is who is it really targeting? The romance of the De Beers ad appeals to the ideal fantasy a woman may have; the Helzberg ad targets men who know they can't live up to that. It's probably a matter of making sure the right demo is reached by each.

I like both ads. Helzberg's is hysterically funny; De Beers is what you'd expect from the folks who launched "A Diamond is Forever." For that matter, "Every Kiss Begins With Kay" is one of the more brilliant (no pun intended) campaigns I've seen for a jeweler to date. All this said, I'm just happy to see jewelry advertising, period--to keep it top of mind. I wish the Helzberg ad didn't tout a $99.99 price, because I think it subtly cheapens the jewelry, although I guess that does speak to the "real" guy who worries about diamonds being out of reach. But, it's not the worst by far of price advertising--it's subtle enough that it's not too bad. And hey, we're out there in the public's face and that's what matters