Passionate Advertising

Jewelry ad campaigns have become so predictable that they're the stuff of pop-culture spoofs (the Family Guy, for one), and hypnotic trances during sporting events (every kickoff begins with…).
 
Well, love it or hate it, online retailer szul.com has broken the mold with both its choice of venue (blogs and social networks) and its new sexually charged ads.
 
The first of this viral ad campaign, on view at YouTube.com, is titled "Rock Her World" and features a woman who is in, um, ecstasy over her diamond necklace.
 
Not to be accused of simply going for shock value, szul.com marketing vice president Manesh Patel says the story line is an attempt to reach a "younger, hipper generation" that is less likely interested in the industry's traditional ads.
 
Whether or not the racy nature of szul.com's ads will turn consumers on, the company's strategy is one to watch. Mediums like blogs and social networks are virtually untapped by jewelers, even as affluent consumers increasingly visit them. According to a recent study by Unity Marketing, for example, 40 percent of luxury consumers visited social networking sites in the past three months. Now that's a fact to get a marketing guru's heart racing.

Weekly Gem
Another fashion house has thrown its ring into the ring, so to speak. Burberry, harbinger of all things plaid, is launching a formal jewelry collection in the spring. While the jewels are crafted mainly of non-precious materials (think: nickel and lacquer), prices—topping out at $1,595—hardly say "costume."
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