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De Beers... The history of diamond marketing and procurement

Feb 10, 2014, 9:28 AM

is one of the most morally screwed up episodes that survives fully in tact today.

http://www.gemnation.com/base?processor=getPage&pageName=forever_diamonds_2

FOREVER DIAMONDS...
The prestigious US magazine, Advertising Age, in its January 1999 edition, proclaimed "A Diamond is Forever", the most recognized and effective slogan of the twentieth century. Today, diamond engagement rings are commonplace, but were it not for a single company and its drive to dominate the diamond industry, history would have turned out differently.

Diamonds are not as rare as many people think; they are certainly not the rarest of gemstones - that honor goes to rubies - but they are the hardest. The illusion of diamond scarcity and its instant association with the concepts of romance and affluence can be traced back to a successful meeting in New York between Harry Oppenheimer and the president of N.W. Ayer & Son, Gerold M. Lauck, in September 1938.

Harry Oppenheimer was the son of the founder of the company that would become the most successful cartel of the twentieth century - De Beers Consolidated Mines, Ltd. The South African company incorporated in 1888, during the burgeoning local diamond rush. At its formation and over the ensuing years, De Beers would successfully acquire countless interests in diamond mines and production facilities throughout the world.

The gift of love

N.W. Ayer & Son, a leading advertising agency in the United States, and the young Oppenheimer,encouraged by his bankers, sought to reverse the declining price of diamonds with a well-funded advertising campaign. Europeans were not yet taken with the idea of purchasing engagement rings featuring diamonds as the gemstone of choice. Moreover, impending war in Europe forced Oppenheimer and his bankers to promote their interests in their biggest market - the United States. At the time of the meeting with Ayer, three quarters of the cartel's diamonds were being sold there. But difficulties beleaguered this market too; diamonds were of an inferior quality to those sold in Europe, and prices were low - an average of $80 per stone.

Oppenheimer told Ayer that De Beers had not approached any other agencies and that if Ayer's plan was accepted, it would become the exclusive agency for promoting De Beers' interests in the United States. This shrewd tactic proved to be a strong motivating factor for N.W. Ayer, and after extensive research, the agency proposed a campaign to "channel American spending toward larger and more expensive diamonds".

To achieve this goal, Ayer further recommended strengthening the association of diamonds with romance. Young men, who purchased 90% of engagement rings, would be bombarded with the idea that diamonds were the gift of love. The first campaign aimed at men was launched in 1939 emphasizing the male's business savvy. Women, too, would be targeted with the idea that no courtship would be complete without a sparkling diamond. Famous houses of worship were featured in follow up advertisements, establishing a link between diamonds and the sacred tradition of a religious wedding.

A necessary luxury

Ayer's marketing plan included public relations, advertising, product placement in films and on television, radio programs publicizing diamond trends, portraits of betrothed socialites, stories and photographs of celebrities for inclusion in magazines and newspapers - all targeted at a specific goal - the idea that diamonds were eternal, forever linked with romance, emotionally valued, and a necessary luxury.

One strategically successful and aesthetically creative magazine campaign - The Great Artists - featured the paintings of Picasso, Derain, Dali and Dufy, accompanied with poetic copy and prominently featuring four diamonds ranging from a half to three carats. The idea was to associate diamonds with the sophisticated subtext of art. These advertisements appeared in Fortune, Vogue, Time, The New Yorker and other publications, circulated mainly to middle and upper class readers.

Ayer engaged jewelers to give talks, lectures, classes and informal meetings to thousands of young women. Ayer also arranged for movie stars to appear at social events adorned with diamonds. The agency used its influence to modify film scripts and movie titles to feature diamonds more prominently. One example is the 1941 film, Skylark, which has the female character shopping for diamonds.

By 1941, the downward trend in retail sales had been reversed and in just three years, sales of diamonds in the United States had risen 55%. Ayer's success inspired the agency to pursue a new goal - to reinforce the "psychological necessity" of diamonds. An estimated 70 million people over the age of fifteen would be targeted with future marketing campaigns.

A diamond is forever

The slogan that would become the most resilient in history would be created in the office of N.W. Ayer in 1947. After a confounding series of unsuccessful attempts to produce a slogan for a new De Beers advertising campaign, Frances Gerety, a copywriter at the advertising agency, prayed for some divine assistance. Before heading home, she scrawled "a diamond is forever" on the bottom of a picture of two honeymooning lovers. It may have had humble beginnings, but according to Advertising Age, it is the most recognized slogan of the 20th century, and some ninety percent of all Americans know it. In less than a year, "A Diamond is Forever" became the official slogan of De Beers.

Hollywood's association with the alluring gem would continue into the fifties with "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes", a box offices sensation starring screen icons Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell and featuring the sensuous song "Diamonds are a girl's best friend". Monroe's feminine sensuality helped secure the appeal of diamonds for women. By the end of the 1950s, N.W. Ayer was pleased to announce to De Beers that its twenty-year marketing campaign had successfully influenced the American public to consider a diamond engagement ring a necessity to the engagement ritual.

Forever De Beers

Prior to the twentieth century, the proposal ritual in western tradition consisted of only two stages: a man asked a woman (in person or in a letter) for her hand in marriage, then met with her father to ask for his consent. The present day engagement proposal involving the giving of a diamond ring has augmented the erstwhile tradition and is now firmly established as a universal custom.

The inspired and brilliant marketing initiatives of one company, De Beers, and its talented throng of publicists, marketers, and advertisers has forever changed the way we perceive and value diamonds - symbols of esteem, wealth, luxury and above all, romance.

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