The commonly viewed Jewelry
Exchange TV commercials pan a showroom floor showing customers interacting with
sales associates while voiceovers talk about GIA-certified diamonds and
competitive prices. The “Marriage Proposal Gone Wrong” was a welcome change
from these staple ads for the national chain store.
“Marriage Proposal Gone Wrong” was
aired in May 2010. The production company contracted to produce the video hired
professional actors and placed them in an average-young-couple scenario. The
woman washing her car provided a clever way to get across the message of “not
getting soaked” by other retail jewelers. Competitive pricing online and in
retail outlets is one of Jewelry Exchange’s central messages in their ads. And
when a ring box from a jewelry store other than Jewelry Exchange was presented
on bended knee, the boyfriend did not
advance to the title of fiancé with what he thought was a slam-dunk jewelry
purchase.
The video was uploaded in April last
year and has received over 3,200 unique views on YouTube. Obviously the “don’t
get soaked” message continues to resonate with viewers long after its airing in
the run up to last year’s June wedding season. See what industry video
marketing guru Nick Failla says about Jewelry
Exchange’s “Marriage Proposal Gone Wrong”:
One of my favorite elements to
this week’s viral video is at the very beginning of the spot. In a sense,
with a “just watch this!” sort of nod of the actor’s head, the viewer is
invited to participate in this playful commercial. How can viewers
possibly resist watching to see what happens next? This is a device that
may be able to be incorporated into future spots as well.
The message being trumpeted by
this spot is obviously: “If you go to a fancy/ritzy jeweler you’re going to pay
too much and ‘get soaked.’” In fact, not only will you will pay too much, you
risk ruining a very special moment in both your lives when she realizes her
boyfriend was not as frugal as he should have been when purchasing an
engagement ring.
Is price really the ultimate
decision making factor for a customer purchasing an engagement ring? That
is a long-standing debate amongst jewelers. I do find it really
interesting, however, that this commercial could have been used to argue either
side of this debate.
For example, imagine if the logo
on the box represented a store that was maybe less than what the average
customer would consider prestigious. Might it send the message that saving
money was more important than how the future bride perceived the message being
sent by her thrifty suitor?
This commercial, with a small
modification or two, can be used very effectively to argue either side of the
pricing debate because it is fun, inviting and something that most of us can
relate to very quickly. If you are a retailer considering broadcasting a
similar message about pricing, it’s up to you to determine why this poor guy
ends up getting hosed.
Nick Failla
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