A true diamond may be forever, but major jewellers will soon start saying “Real is Rare”

So far, no mention has been made of unreal diamonds aka Synthetic diamonds, which are chemically identical to the real thing and have been grown in labs for decades.

You probably have always heard of the ardage that diamonds are forever. Soon you will have to hear of the new one that they are rare and in the US, The Diamond Producers Association (DPA) of America are pumping millions of dollars into a communication plan they have dubbed “Real is Rare.”

The association’s board of directors have announced an ambitious campaign aimed at realising “Real is rare” with a 2017 full-year marketing investment of $57 million, which was a quadrupled figure from last year’s successful campaign.

The Diamond Producers Association is an international alliance of the world’s leading diamond mining companies committed to best-in-class ethical and sustainable operations and transparent business practices. They are currently attending the JCK Las Vegas show, America’s Jewellers leading trade event.

A globally distributed release by the association quoted its Chairman Stephen Lussier as saying, “The Board’s decision is a major turning point for the Diamond Producers Association and the diamond industry. All Board Members are aligned behind the goals and plans of the DPA, which is now fully equipped to fulfill its mission of communicating to next generation consumers about the timeless beauty and emotional value of diamonds. We look forward to working closely with the diamond and jewelry trade and with other industry organisations to build a stronger future for our sector.”

Jean-Marc Lieberherr, CEO of DPA, added, “The DPA team and agency partners are ready to execute ambitious plans for the second half of the year. These include multichannel advertising, innovative digital programs, and high-impact PR campaigns. With an investment level of $50 Million tied to the US market, this is effectively the full-scale launch of our ‘Real is Rare’ communications platform.

In what sounds like a resurrection, the release said industry advocacy and trade programs have also been developed, and in Q4, DPA will debut a new retail training support program focused on the new diamond narrative.

“Our first-half 2017 activities focused on optimizing, adjusting, and extending the successful PR, digital, and advertising plans built in the US in 2016. We developed programs around major ‘tentpole’ millennial live-viewing events, such as the Oscars and MTV Movie plus TV Awards,” Lieberherr added. “Significantly, we also have built a team in India to launch the ‘Real Is Rare’ platform in that market in September 2017.”

Earlier in 2017, DPA piloted several custom research projects in order to develop insights that have formed the creative basis of several forthcoming campaigns in the US: New print, outdoor, and digital display will debut at JCK on June 6^th, and a new video campaign will launch Q4. The fully-integrated, expanded asset mix will allow visibility of “Real is Rare” across all major media platforms, including for the first time ever, select outdoor/cinema and print, spread across many verticals, such as bridal, fashion, and lifestyle. The media plan will now extend well beyond TV and digital, which have been in place since October 2016.

Industry advocacy and trade programs have also been developed, and in Q4, DPA will debut a new retail training support program focused on the new diamond narrative.