Barrie Hancock, Vice President
What do an independent gemological institute, a new category of jewelry and a fine art jewelry designer have in common – aside from the obvious? They all selected FWV to identify their ownable selling propositions or marketing “jewels" and develop a strategic positioning and brand awareness campaign in order to market them most effectively.
Identifying a company’s core positioning is not new, but due to our extensive consumer marketing background and breadth of female-centric experience, we offered a unique perspective. And ultimately, through our work with these distinct jewelry clients – we learned from them and continued to expand our expertise as well.
It was thrilling to be able to position these diverse brands within the consumer and fashion press, and garner them the coverage they coveted. One idea, sparked another; one client success story opened up opportunities for others and subsequently, these companies became our “jewels.” As a result of our partnerships, we found ourselves with an ever-growing network of contacts and a burgeoning jewelry practice.
FWV was engaged to drive demand for diamonds and fine jewelry certified by the International Gemological Institute (IGI), the world’s largest independent laboratory for testing and valuating diamonds and fine jewelry. We immediately set out to research what, in addition to being the largest laboratory, differentiated IGI from others in the marketplace. We identified IGI as being the leading independent lab to work directly with consumers and as such, promoted IGI as the laboratory the general public should trust and demand certification from. We also positioned the Institute’s president as a consumer advocate and expert resource who can offer consumers advice and peace of mind. Since 1999, FWV has generated more than 250 million positive media impressions on behalf of IGI and IGI reports amplified demand among consumers for the company’s products, ultimately resulting in increased retail business.
Charles & Colvard partnered with FWV to create a viable successful brand for moissanite jewels. Moissanite is a near colorless, lab-created jewel with superior brilliance that retails for a fraction of the price of fine diamond. FWV counseled Charles & Colvard to create an entirely new category within the jewelry industry for moissanite, believing it would be a disservice to market the product as an imitation or simulant. FWV embarked on a national trade and education campaign, conducted an intensive media relations program resulting in well over 200 million positive impressions on behalf of the company and secured over 30 non-paid celebrity endorsees to generate consumer media interest and add credibility to the brand.
Diana Vincent of Diana Vincent Jewelers, a Washington Crossing, PA-based luxury jewelry retailer, is an award-winning, internationally renowned fine art jewelry designer and innovator. One key differentiator is that Diana creates original “fine art” jewelry. Customers have repeatedly said that owning a piece of Diana Vincent jewelry is like owning a piece of art. A third component is the store itself offers a unique selling proposition. It's not often one can find the exclusivity and cachet of an internationally renowned designer in the quaint and comfortable surroundings of a local store. Diana has been featured in numerous regional and national publications and her beautiful designs have recently been showcased in Harper’s Bazaar and Destination Weddings and Honeymoons.
At first glance, all three companies are about jewelry. However, after spending time getting to know them and their offerings, it became crystal clear what makes each of them shine. The challenge (and the fun) was the initial identification and then bringing each positioning to light and effectively sharing it with the marketplace. As a result of our work on our clients’ behalf – FWV is looked upon as a jewelry resource, a role we take very seriously.
