Welcome to JCK’s 14th annual holiday advertising roundup.
Each year we try to do the roundup in a different way. This year we are doing something very different—as the changing times demand it. We usually ask consumers what they think of different holiday television commercials. The problem is, for the past two years, younger participants have said they don’t watch TV. Instead, they spend their time scrolling social media—particularly Instagram and TikTok.
So for 2023 I’m looking at jewelry holiday communications on social media. To judge their effectiveness, I used information that was sourced from Lefty, a social media measurement service.
This roundup covers seven posts—six from Instagram, one from TikTok. After each post, you’ll see two sets of figures. The first consists of information about the specific post—including estimated reach and number of likes and comments (at press time). The second group of statistics is about the brand and/or influencer—how many followers they have (which is public info), as well as the demographic breakdown of their followers, by age and gender.
Here are the videos, which are listed in alphabetical order by brand. Most of my comments about them are short, as these videos are really short.
Brilliant Earth – Engagement Rings We Sold This Week
View this post on Instagram
Estimated post impressions: 106,500
Post likes: 983
Post comments: 17
Brilliant Earth followers (Instagram): 804,700
Brilliant Earth followers by gender: 96% women, 4% men
Brilliant Earth followers’ top age groups: 25–34 years old (48%); 18–24 (38%); 35–44 (9%)
It’s worth noting that Brilliant Earth’s Instagram demos are younger than just about all of the other brands we feature here.
My comments: This was cute and featured nice music.
Cartier – Imaginary Journey
View this post on Instagram
Estimated post impressions: 113,500
Post likes: 32,210
Post comments: 194
Cartier followers (Instagram): 14.2 million
Cartier followers by gender: 72% women, 28% men
Cartier followers’ top age groups: 25–34 (43%); 18–24 (28%); 35–44 (17%)
My comments: This has beautiful animation and is elegant enough to be on-brand, while still being fun to watch. It could be a TV ad. Is that a compliment? I’m not sure.
Instagram comments: A lot of mentions of K-pop singer Taehyung (a Cartier brand ambassador).
De Beers/A Diamond Is Forever + Joseph Altuzarra
View this post on Instagram
Estimated post impressions: 18,700
Post likes: 609
Post comments: 14
De Beers followers (Instagram): 38,700
Joseph Altuzarra followers (Instagram): 137,900
Joseph Altuzarra followers by gender: 43% women, 57% men
Joseph Altuzarra followers’ top age groups: 25–34 (47%); 35–44 (23%); 18–24 (20%)
My comments: So this is the “paid influencer” part of this roundup… This clip—a partnership between Joseph Altuzarra and De Beers Group (the miner/marketer, not the jewelry chain)—shows the 40-year-old fashion designer getting dressed and putting on some natural diamonds, which “hold their value” and can be an heirloom.
Instagram comments: Praise for his fashion choices, though most commenters are more interested in his shirt and jeans than jewelry.
Jared + Stephanie Williams
View this post on Instagram
Estimated post impressions: 68,000
Post likes: 599
Post comments: 39
Jared followers (Instagram): 99,000
Stephanie Williams followers (Instagram): 10,500
Stephanie Williams followers by gender: 90% women, 10% men
Stephanie Williams followers’ top age groups: 25-34 (40%); 18-24 (28%); 35–44 (20%)
My comments: Stephanie Williams appeared on the rebooted reality show Queer Eye. This ad—done in conjunction with Signet-owned Jared—is simple and sweet. And it get its message across: Jared is “inclusive” and treats customers with “kindness.” I certainly hope so.
Instagram comments: Williams seems to have a lot of fans who are excited about her upcoming nuptials.
Kay Jewelers + Witney Carson
View this post on Instagram
Estimated post impressions: 660,400
Post likes: 13,533
Post comments: 1,204
Kay Jewelers followers (Instagram): 273,000
Witney Carson followers (Instagram): 1.7 million
Witney Carson followers by gender: 92% women, 8% men
Witney Carson followers’ top age groups: 18-24 (44%); 25-34 (37%); 35-54 (9%)
Carson had the youngest demographics of any “brand” here.
My comments: This ad, also from a Signet-owned brand, is a paid partnership with dancer/choreographer Witney Carson. Here, Carson gathers with her family—and whoever’s holding the camera—to enjoy a wholesome holiday dinner–slash–promotional opportunity. Before the meal (or after, I’m not sure), hubby gives her lab-created diamond earrings from the Unstoppable Love collection at Kay, while what sounds like a snippet of “Every kiss begins with Kay” floats in the background. I know that provides the soundtrack to many dinners at my house.
Instagram comments: The commenters really seem to enjoy watching these strangers (let’s face it, that’s what they are) have dinner. The comments don’t mention the jewelry—or Kay—though many people seem to like Carson, her family, and red candles. “Thank you for being such a wonderful part of the socials,” said one.
Tiffany – Tiffany Lock
View this post on Instagram
Estimated post impressions: 1.8 million
Post likes: 18,965
Post comments: 90
Tiffany followers (Instagram): 15.7 million
Tiffany followers by gender: 90% women, 10% men
Tiffany followers’ top age groups: 25-34 (41%); 18-24 (30%); 35-44 (16%)
Tiffany’s age demographics are very similar to Cartier’s.
My comments: This is pretty similar to a standard Tiffany TV commercial, in terms of its aesthetic (heavy on robin’s-egg blue). Tiffany had the most followers of any brand here, and this post got the most reach, by far.
Instagram comments: A lot of smiley faces and hearts, and some random comments about Gaza. One person said the piece “looks like a nose ring.” One person asked, “I’m confused. Is it earrings? Necklace? Ring?” and was informed it is a bangle.
Trax NYC
@traxnyc Are diamonds worthless? Not quite, there are buisness and markey forces at play that determine price and give vendors the opportunity for a profit, but you should never forget this is a luxury product. Live chat with a personal jeweler on TraxNyc.com or call 212-690-8729 #diamonds #diamondjewelry #asmr
Estimated post impressions: 394,900
Post likes: 20,100
Post comments: 342
TraxNYC followers (TikTok): 1.7 million
TraxNYC followers by gender: 11% women, 89% men
TraxNYC followers’ top age groups: 25-34 (43%); 18-24 (39%); 35-44 (12%)
My comments: As with so many TikTok videos, this holds your attention and makes you feel like you’re learning something, even if afterward you can’t remember a thing that was said. In this case, jewelry store owner Maksud Agadjani’s message—you save money buying diamonds in bulk, which is not true for gold—was fine, I guess, if hardly earth-shaking, and basically an excuse to show tons of diamonds. Which look cool!
Considering this was produced by a one-store retailer, it’s notably more watchable than many bigger-budget videos I’ve seen. Agadjani told The New York Times his Diamond District shop does $30 million in business a year, partly because he’s done such a good job promoting on social media.
I should note that this was one of my favorite videos, although, I hate to admit, that may be because it’s from a male-oriented feed. (Check the stats.)
TikTok comments: A lot of discussion about the value of diamonds, none of which is all that interesting.
My final thoughts: I was not all that enamored with most of these, except for the Cartier spot, which was beautiful, and the TraxNYC video, which was fun. Some just struck me as the standard jewelry formula (a man gives a woman jewelry, followed by a kiss), with an informal feel and shaky camera angles. A few wore my patience—not good for 15-second videos! Obviously, a huge part of the problem is that I wasn’t that familiar with any of the influencers, so I had limited interest in seeing them set the table for dinner or go about their lives. I also understand they these videos aren’t aimed at someone like me.
In any case, thank you all for being a wonderful part of the socials.
And now I open the floor. What do you think?
(Photo courtesy of De Beers/A Diamond Is Forever)
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