The national “May is Gold Month” retail promotion begins its sixth year as an industry-wide promotion for gold jewelry in the month of May with a heavier on-line presence.

Web banners, viral marketing, an online sweepstakes, and a virtual promotion with a national print campaign to increase demand for gold jewelry and to build awareness for the promotion and drive traffic to retail partner Web sites, as well as to sponsor sites www.jewelry.com and www.mayisgoldmonth.com, the World Gold Council said Tuesday. The $2.5 million campaign will highlight the enduring intrinsic value for gold by incorporating the “Only Gold Grows More Precious” gold bar into the 2009 ad creative.

May is Gold Month will be the first official celebration event on the newly re-designed and re-launched Jewelry.com. Co-sponsors World Gold Council and Jewelry.com will promote gold jewelry for the entire month of May, both editorially and commercially on the new Jewelry.com, as well as in Web banner advertising on sites such as iVillage, CNN, and Oprah.com, and in Social Media Outlets such as Facebook.

In addition, a May is Gold Month sweepstakes on Jewelry.com will allow consumers to enter to win their favorite new styles of gold jewelry. All Jewelry.com retailers (Fred Meyer Jewelers, Gordon’s Jewelers, JC Penney, Kay Jewelers, Littman Jewelers, Macy’s, Sears and Zales) will benefit from the increased traffic on jewelry.com and their new advanced search engine that allows consumers to search through over 30,000 SKUs of fine jewelry from the jewelry.com retail partners, WGC said.

These partners will also be promote May is Gold Month on their Web sites and at Point-Of-Sale and in direct mail marketing this spring. Each retailer will also have the opportunity to offer special discount coupons or added value incentives such as free shipping on any gold jewelry items bought in the month of May.

World Gold Council and the Richline Group will also unite with U.S. retailers Ben Bridge Jeweler, Fred Meyer Jewelers, HSN, JCPenney, Macy’s, QVC, and Zales, to promote new gold jewelry collections in print and on-line with the aim of increasing consumer sales of gold jewelry in the month of May.

Print publications such as Allure, Lucky, InStyle, Redbook and Vanitfy Fair along with Web banners on leading internet sites such as A&E, Food Network, and CNN, will feature Richline gold product from relevant retailers and a call-to-action to click through to the retailers site to either enter to win a May is Gold Month contest or to learn more about how to purchase the item of interest.

May is Gold Month will also inaugurate a virtual presence on Second Life in 2009. A special newly created digital personalized gold locket will be promoted at virtual Kay Jewelers stores and at gold themed events in high traffic areas on Second Life. The events will be themed around the various gifting occasions for gold in May – Mother’s Day, graduation, anniversary, and bridal season. Second Life avatars can win a digital personalized gold locket and can also invite all of their friends in Second Life to create one, as well.

Throughout the promotional period, a cohesive promotion will be executed utilizing social media outlets such as Facebook and the blogosphere.  The May is Gold Month messaging will be prominently featured on targeted Facebook applications, together with a viral user-generated campaign driven by Jewelry.com’s Facebook group.
  
Independent brick and mortar retailers will also be able to capitalize on the event this year by downloading the MIGM logo and point of sale materials from World Gold Council’s www.marketing.gold.org Web site with no password restrictions.

“The expanding interest and participation in May is Gold Month is a strong testament to its success,” said John Calnon, WGC managing director, USA. “As we broaden the reach of the campaign by incorporating more digital and electronic media, we will strengthen consumer confidence in gold jewelry by spreading the timeless message of gold’s enduring intrinsic value.”

JCK