We all love diamonds (especially us!) but have diamonds always been a girl’s best friend? Well the short answer is no which is shocking!
Nowadays, the diamond engagement ring has become the maker or the breaker of a relationship and it’s considered an asset in most marriages but why are we all mad about diamonds? There’s certainly no denying that they are a marvellous precious stone. Technically, a diamond decreases in financial value as soon as it’s left the store but it increases in sentimental value which you can’t put a price on.
However, all of this fuss over diamonds has only been alive for three quarters of a century and that’s thanks to a marvellous marketing strategy by an agency called N.W Ayer for their clients De Beers in the early 1900’s.
De Beers Diamonds
Prior to the marketing strategy, diamonds where a dying trade and they weren’t used for engagement rings. Then N.W Ayer came along and over a course of a decade turned diamonds in to the most must have accessory.
So how did it come all about?
Back in 1870 diamond mines were discovered in South Africa by the British and in 1888 set two goals to stop the diamond market from becoming saturated.
It’s fascinating and scary to think how just one organisation can control something so large as the diamond trade isn’t it?!
Marketing Diamonds to the U.S
The next stage for De Beers was to identify which countries could support a growing diamond market. As World War 1 had affected a lot of markets and Europe was under threat, the U.S was chosen.
De beers hired N.W Ayer to target the American diamond markets in the U.S in 1938. They conducted massive amounts of market research on the Americans and found out what they thought of diamonds. It was concluded that diamonds were only for the wealthy and considered a luxury purchase instead of a necessity.
Therefore N.W Ayer did what any good marketing company nowadays would do and that’s to link some sort of emotional connection with diamonds.
What could be more emotional than love and marriage?
Although engagement rings have been around since medieval times, engagement diamond rings made up only 10% of the market before World War II. De Beers and N.W Ayer had a task and a half on their hands!
Over the next decade the agency talked about diamonds where and whenever they could. They wrote columns, stories, highlighted celebrities who were wearing diamond engagement rings, featured on the radio and created the idea that diamonds where the precious stones to have. They concentrated on the emotional attachment to the diamonds and how it made people feel rather than a brand name. They even offered educational advice on how to buy diamonds and concentrated on the colour, cut and clarity.
All of this of course created an impression on the general public, a long lasting one, some could say on a sub-conscious level.
In just 4 years the company saw a 55% rise in the U.S diamond market yet they wanted to create a deeper marketing message. In the 1940’s they continued providing their message of ‘marriage without diamonds are incomplete.’
A Diamond is Forever
Such a simple message but was used in all of their adverts from 1943 to 1963. Apparently it was thought up one night before their publicist went to bed. She’d forgotten to brain storm and thought it up quickly before it her next morning meeting.
It was said that there wasn’t much enthusiasm about the phrase yet it stuck with the company for all of those years!
It’s true what they say about, simple says it best right?
From then on, other famous campaigns were launched such as a diamond ring should cost two months’ salary and sent out slogans such as ‘Isn’t two months’ salary a small price to pay for something that lasts forever? A concept which is still popular now!
So there you have it – diamonds were imprinted on people, their opinions and attitude swayed by just one advertising agency.
Diamonds continue to be a thriving and growing trade and are now the ultimate engagement ring. Some would say it was a scam and others say it was genius.
Personally we think, diamonds are forever and they are a girl’s best friend – De Beers were just clever enough to spread this news to the masses.
