rough Nature diamond (left) Sophisticated natural diamond (right)
Some of our culture's most influential advertising campaigns come not from individual brands but from product categories.
Since the 1950s, when tea and butter producers consolidated their resources to compete for coffee and margarine consumers, generic category marketing has increased the demand for cotton ('The Fabric of Our Lives'), milk ('Got Milk?') , and New York (“I❤NY”).
Fragmented product categories without a dominant player, whether eggs, tourism or life insurance, can represent the interests of all organizations through associations and governing bodies. Therefore, general advertising can be used to educate consumers about the category, convey its values, and counter myths and misconceptions.
Membership-based associations use common marketing strategies to ensure category uniformity and define messaging and approaches to oversee tactical day-to-day planning, content, and campaigns. Membership in an industry association gives participating organizations a clear “seal of approval” and establishes an informal network of trusted and reputable players.
Just as some product categories are fragmented, so too is today's media environment. Because consumers obtain information from so many platforms, including search engines, social media, TV, print, and in-store, category-leading organizations can tailor their messages to specific audiences and contexts. can do.
“The inspiration from TikTok is very different from Snapchat,” says David Kelly, CEO of the Natural Diamond Council (NDC). With generic marketing, he says, “You can create content, use analytics to identify what content resonates and drive your message, and then curate your message for your audience.” says.
Presenting a unified message
Natural diamonds are not everyday consumer products. They are cherished and important symbols of unique and personal moments, priced as meaningful investments.
While a diamond brand may represent one particular point of view, such as heritage, aesthetic appeal, or retail history, there is little brand differentiation among natural diamond producers. According to Kelly, thousands of retailers, suppliers, wholesalers and other players make up 80% of the category, and their collective marketing efforts are aimed at unifying rather than competing internally. The aim is to raise awareness of the product through the values of the industry.
This type of advertising promotes the quality of a product even to players who are not members of the association, but from the authority and trust afforded by its category, while revealing its values and processes to viewers across media platforms. you can benefit from it.
In a field competing with the perceived alternative of laboratory-grown diamonds, unity is essential. This category enjoys a “greenwashing” effect that emphasizes lower price points and different production processes, but in ways that may mislead consumers into thinking that these products are more sustainable than natural diamonds. That's what I'm doing.
Generic marketing allows us to unify the natural diamond category under one global platform, communicate its shared values, and counter such misconceptions.
This marketing approach convinces consumers that natural diamonds are authentic, rare and responsible, adhering to strict regulations for sustainable and ethical sourcing, supporting small communities, and lasting investment value. It is intended to educate.
Become a trusted authority
One of the benefits for members of the category association is that it conducts research to represent and benefit all players.
The Natural Diamond Council's latest report, Diamond Industry Facts, compiles information that may not otherwise reach consumers. The findings of this report dispel some misconceptions about natural and laboratory-grown diamonds, including:
• Natural diamonds are easily distinguished from laboratory-grown diamonds. They may look the same to consumers, but widely available technology can reveal patterns that show whether they have grown over a period of weeks or millions of years.
• Natural diamonds are ethically sourced. Producers comply with third-party regulations such as the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme mandated by the United Nations and the World Trade Organization, ensuring conflict-free sourcing and supporting mining communities. In contrast, although laboratory-grown diamonds also require mining of raw materials and energy-intensive production using coal-generated electricity, producers operate without such guardrails.
• Natural diamonds are very valuable. While the value of natural diamonds has increased by an average of 3% per year over the past 35 years, the price of laboratory-grown diamonds has fallen rapidly. Between 2016 and 2023, a 1.5 carat laboratory-grown diamond may have lost 75% of its value.
• The natural diamond industry is committed to decarbonisation, biodiversity and sustainability. Some of the industry's largest organizations have aggressive goals. De Beers Group aims to be carbon neutral by 2030 and Rio Tinto plans to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. The industry protects four times the area of land it uses and supports the livelihoods of 10 million people around the world at a rate of 80%. The value of the rough diamond that remains in the local community.
brand and product
“We must do so with authority, leveraging third-party audited data and reliable case studies to dispel outdated misconceptions,” says NDC's Kelly. “We live in a world of confusing messages, and the only way to break through the chaos of misinformation is to provide reliable, factual evidence. can be established.”
Another important point about the role industry councils play in generic marketing is that some categories of consumers are drawn to the product rather than the brand, Kelly said.
“Generic marketing promotes the inherent and unique value of a product across categories,” says Kelly. “This is especially important in an industry where only 20-30% of diamond jewelry is branded and most manufacturers and retailers sell unbranded jewelry or jewelry with limited brand recognition. ” NDC essentially provides a brand of natural diamonds to this sector.
For more information, natural diamond council.
