The famous Diamond Jewelry dealers De Beers have been in the market since 1888. They are the real deal breakers behind the concept of diamond rings for wedding proposals. Their famous tagline and marketing campaign "Diamond Is Forever" brought them enviable recognition, along with an increase in demand for diamond jewellery. This case study about De Beers Jewelers is an in-depth study about their heritage and how their hard-hitting marketing strategy set them apart from the rest.

1. A Diamond Is Forever

2. There are four top diamond producers in the world– ALROSA, BHP
Billiton, Rio Tinto and De Beers. Currently, De Beers is ruling the
market.

3. What Is De Beers?
The world’s leading diamond company known for its unrivalled expertise in the
exploration, mining and marketing of rough diamonds driving it forward since
1888.

4. The Main Story
1888
125 years ago, the
leading diamond
company started the
unrivalled legacy in
diamonds.
1939
The brand identified the
first diamond grading
system.
1947
The slogan 'A diamond is
forever' becomes an iconic
slogan of the year.

5. 2001
The brand is formed
with incredible 203
carat pear cut
diamond.
2002
The first De Beers diamond
store opens in Old Bond
Street, London. By now,
there are 30 new stores
worldwide.
2003
The brand grows globally
with new outlets and has
solitaire collections as
well.

6. 2005
New store launch in
Hong Kong.
2009
De Beers looks to the natural
world for inspiration and
launches the delicately
feminine Enchanted Lotus
collection. Influenced by the
serene allure of the lotus flower,
the intricate design embodies
eternity, beauty and purity.
2014
De Beers Caress – a new
diamond engagement ring
– is launched in March
inspired by the true
harmony of love. De Beers
Aria is unveiled, revealing
a light performance of
wondrous brilliance.

7. About the slogan ‘A Diamond Is Forever.’
The slogan means ‘Never ending sign of love.’
Instant connection due to the slogan.
Frances Gerety was hired by N.W. Ayer in 1943.
The iconic tagline ‘A Diamond is Forever’ was written by Frances Gerety.
A campaign was required to boost the sales of the diamonds.
The word “forever” was grammatically questionable and it was not
exciting.
In 1999, Advertising Age named “A Diamond is Forever” the greatest
advertising slogan of the 20th Century.

8. This alluring gem also became a part of music videos- Product Placement.
Image courtesy- Youtube
According to New York Times, N.W. Ayer's game plan was to "create a situation where almost every
person pledging marriage feels compelled to acquire a diamond engagement ring."
Diamond sales had also increased in the U.S. by 55 percent

9. The brand made a point with the slogan that relationships are eternal- Psychological necessity.
No engagement or weddings are complete without a diamond ring.
In 1951, Ayer informed De Beers that “jewelers now tell us ‘a girl is not engaged unless she has a diamond
engagement ring.’ ”
The same year, eight out of 10 American brides got a diamond. That number has stayed relatively consistent ever
since.
Through the years, Gerety’s slogan has remained constant as a copy.
The slogan began appearing in the US press soon after that date.
What’s really ironic about the campaign is that no one thought it would last forever.
De Beers has manipulated an artificial sense of a diamond’s scarcity as well.

10. The whole idea of the campaign has a lasting value and it’s not like lukewarm water that cools down after a
certain point of time.
You can repeat a campaign idea again and again and again, till the time it has lost its luster and that's exactly
what De Beers followed.
The three best examples ever since the ad was launched
The original ad from the 40s.
A retelling of it from the 90s—the
idea that you can make two months’
salary last forever.
And a current ad for their
Forevermark series, which is directly
named for the diamond is forever
idea.

11. Images related to the slogan, A diamond is forever

12. Image courtesy- Slideshare

13. Viral Marketing By De Beers Video, ‘The Unending Kiss’ (2009).
Image courtesy- Youtube

14. De Beers had launched an expensive
Barbie doll decorated with 160
diamonds and gold. This was in 1999.
Image courtesy- Alux.com

15. De Beers needed a marketing strategy to fulfil their vision –
To sell more and bigger diamonds [people in the USA were spending more low-quality diamonds].
To prevent people from reselling diamonds [Diamonds were already plentiful and hence had less resale value]
Give a purpose to people to buy diamonds [which should last long]
For women, the “the diamond is forever” campaign played a great role in positioning diamonds as a symbol of
foreverness and true love.
Addons like 10th Anniversary, 25th Anniversary diamonds, etc. were added to keep the forever campaign going.

16. Strengths
1. In today's time, the brand owns about 40% of the
rough diamonds.
2. It can influence the market scenario.
3. It also owns over 50% of the U.S market right now.
4. High quality guaranteed.
Weakness
1. Low brand recognition in minds of the consumers.
2. Conflict diamonds problem.
3. High production cost.
Opportunities
1. Market explorations in Europe, Middle East and
Australia as well.
2. Can increase recognition by more marketing
techniques.
Threats
1.Entry of competition in the market.
2. Association with conflict diamonds.
3. Synthetic/cultural diamonds.
SWOT Analysis

17. De Beers: The Story Of India
1. India's diamond industry handles 80% of the global diamond market.
2. Earned around $14.18 Billion via exports.
3. Diamonds sold in India are polished.
4. De Beers has entered in a joint venture with Hindustan Diamond Corporation.
5. Almost 10% of the retail business comes from India.
6. De Beers has Kimberly deposits in 4 states.

19. FOREVERMARK

20. Forevermark brings back the famous slogan ‘A Diamond Is Forever' for its recent video 'It's a long journey to
become one.'
The brand signifies that one percent of the supply is totally worthy of Forevermark Inscription.
The new campaign targets the millennials, for whom diamond-buying is a pricey and old school tradition that will
require updating the phrase by going back to its roots of the promise of enduring love, Ad Age reports.
Image courtesy- WWD.com

21. De Beers Instagram Profile and Strategy

22. Women centric and the latest collection is showcased on the Insta-feed with captions.
The copies talk about the process of making the particular collection.
Celebrities wearing De Beers
Image courtesy- De Beers Instagram

23. Millennial view
1. Millennials are not persuaded as yet to purchase diamonds and they will rather go for something else.
2. Young people are called as the digital natives. They seem to not have a great deal of money which can be a bad
news for the diamond makers.
3. A research has also revealed that young consumers tend to value experiences more and are less concerned
about rituals.

24. 4. Even if diamonds are forever, the sales are comparatively lesser as the guarantee has changed.
5. Millennials don't trust the iconic stone.
6. Bad news: The sales of diamond fell in 2015 and rough diamonds suffered a drop of 30 percent.
7. David Dews, the creative managing director at the Speed Agency marketing firm says that millennials are
conscious of brand image.
8. New values need to be considered to appeal to the millennials.

26. Why has the slogan lasted for so long?
1. It is a trustworthy statement
2. Women love diamonds after the invention of the tagline.
3. A marriage seems to be incomplete without a diamond piece.
4. Diamonds are a beginning of an eternal love story.

27. But some say Diamonds are NOT FOREVER
1. Diamonds break, they crack, and they can be blended as well!
2. Diamonds have about only 1.5 level of hardness which means they are brittle in nature.
3. There's no doubt that they are hard but that's not the only factor to be considered. It's about strength, tensile
and compressive strength as well.
4. You need to know that there are three crushing forces related to this and those are acceleration, mass and
speed. If there’s heavy weight that falls on the diamond, the chances of chipping, cracking or it breaking into two
halves is also possible.

28. What are blood diamonds?
1. Blood diamonds, also called are conflict diamonds are mined from the war zone or civil conflict.
2. You must know that all diamonds are almost blood diamonds.
3. Due to De Beers strategy, millions have been murdered and massacred for almost a worthless rock.
4. This means that potentially every diamond is a “blood diamond” and was brought to you by forced labour.
5. So before you go ahead to buy those diamonds think about you participating into traditions that's a part of a
marketing ploy and that will exploit people as well.

29. Conclusion
As a marketing gimmick, there’s no doubt that ‘A Diamond Is Forever’ worked for De Beers.
The lasting impact of the slogan is immeasurable and it is still used widely in India as well for Nakshatra, Heera
Hai Sada Ke Liye.
A basic illustration or a simple tagline can also leave a lasting impression on human minds.
The reason why this slogan has stayed with us for so long is because people believe in love and the tagline speaks
for itself.
It’s the easiest way to make people believe that love is forever with diamonds.
At the end of the day, it’s up to us if we want to own diamonds or be fooled.