Retailer of the Week: Necker’s Jewelers (Video)

This week’s Retailer of the Week honor goes to David and D.J. Necker, the brothers behind Necker’s Jewelers in Davenport and DeWitt, Iowa. The Neckers ran a local commercial during Sunday’s Super Bowl game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers. The spot featured a hidden-camera wedding proposal in a restaurant as part of their new “Rock Her World” campaign. It was a significant part of the store’s annual promotional budget with a local TV station, but “worth every penny,” says David Necker. 

The 30-second spot was part of Necker’s annual contract with KLJB, a FOX affiliate on local Channel 18. Of that annual budget $6,000 was billed out for the Super Bowl spot. The promotion included more than 600 calls to action (in 10-, 15-, and 30-second spots) designed to inspire viewers to sign up for a chance to win an engagement ring (valued at $2,000 suggested retail) and a chance to propose with the ring during the Super Bowl. 

Prior to the big game, these promotional spots ran in such programs as Two and a Half Men, American Idol, and divisional play-off games. Interested applicants could sign up on both the KLJB and Necker’s websites. 

“To decide on the winning couple they had to write in a story of why they should be chosen to receive the chance to propose,” David says. “We had over 60 applicants write in and apply. We would have liked more applicants, but we knew going in to this that there’d be a slim demographic group that would be willing to propose on Super Bowl Sunday when Valentine’s Day is just a week away.”

The 30-second spot was spliced together the day of the big game, showing the winner, Jeremy Smith, proposing to his girlfriend, Autumn Ewing, during Super Bowl XLV. “It was all hurried and last-minute, but it came together pretty well.”

The first portion of the ad was a 10-second “Rock Her World” ad that shows guys giving testimonials about how, when, and where they rocked their significant other’s world with jewelry from Necker’s. Then the camera cuts to Smith who pronounces that he rocked Ewing’s world that day during the Super Bowl. The ad closed with a football stadium “Rock Her World” theme.

After the commercial aired, the Necker brothers immediately started receiving text messages, emails, and calls from family members, friends, and customers. As an added boon, the Neckers also got an exclusive 90-second news story on KLJB’s nightly news broadcast following the Super Bowl.   


This KLJB local news spot followed the Super Bowl.

In marketing terms, this was a big win that allowed Necker’s to spike the ball in the end zone. For starters, the small town jewelry store was able to tie a local happening to one of the biggest televised events of the year. With the Super Bowl a week before Valentine’s Day, it was a timely way to remind young couples that Necker’s is the place for engagement jewelry on Valentine’s Day. 

Also, jewelers today are realizing that for new media to work, they must integrate it with other media outlets, which Necker’s did well by combining ads on TV (in a top-100 market), radio, Facebook, and the Internet. The combined impact on the local market got local morning disc jockeys talking about the ad the next day, which helped fuel an already fever-pitch buzz in Necker’s area.

“The added exposure was a great way to expand our brand,” says David. “This promotion was highly talked about in the community and on Facebook.”

An added bonus was adding 60 new e-mail addresses to the store’s database. The Neckers followed up with e-mails thanking people for participating.

Follow JCK on Instagram: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Twitter: @jckmagazine
Follow JCK on Facebook: @jckmagazine
JCK logo
JCK

Log Out

Are you sure you want to log out?

CancelLog out