Diamond-buying messages are forever

The Diamond Producers Association, an industry consortium formed by seven of the world's major diamond-mining companies, wants to strengthen desire for diamonds amongst millennial consumers in China.

To that end, BBH China has produced a new campaign, which is, according to the agency, meant to resonate especially with today's younger, more cynical consumers. 

Funny then, that Ad Nut would be hard-pressed to say how it's in any way different from any diamond-marketing campaign from any market in the world since DeBeers launched 'A Diamond is forever' in 1948.

The press release that Ad Nut received asserts that the younger generation is cynical towards relationships and says that the campaign wants to "seed the notion that love can truly last if it is built with effort every single day, as reminded by the constant unchanging presence of a diamond". The tagline is 'Real is rare, real is a diamond' (珍如此心 真如此钻).

Ad Nut believes young people are cynical all right, but not about relationships. They're cynical about giant industries, especially ones that rake in US$80 billion a year but have truly atrocious track records in terms of environmental damage and the treatment of human beings. They're also cynical about such companies trying to tell them that their love isn't real unless they spend two month's salary (or whatever the current 'recommendation' may be) on a sparkly hunk of carbon whose price is inflated well above its actual worth by artificial scarcity.

To be fair, the ad looks nice, and Ad Nut suspects BBH did as it was asked, and has probably made the client happy. And to be extra fair, Ad Nut has no idea about what kind of campaign would work better. Maybe none, which may say something about the industry itself. Synthetic diamonds, anyone? 

Anyway, for the record, the campaign launched on 19 July and includes TV and cinema ads in Shanghai and Beijing, plus KOL activity, a website, activations, and social elements on Wechat and Weibo. 

CREDITS

Business Director: Charlotte Sng
Account Director: Jane Chen
Strategic Planner: Andrea Chen
Creative Directors: Arthur Tsang (CCO), Kelly Pon (ECD), Irisy Wang (CD)
Copywriters: Tiexin Li, CK Shan
Art Director: Minn Liu
Producers: Weisian Lee

Editor's note: BBH is the lead agency across the IMC and brand strategies, helming the creation of the core idea, ATL activations and trade communications of the diamond business for other agencies to follow. RTG Consulting's marketing activations department, RTG INSPIRE, is handling the day-to-day execution of PR and social media from: events, creative media partnerships, official WeChat account management, KOL engagement, and some elements of visual assets. 

Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. You can also check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame, or read about Ad Nut's strange obsession with 'murderous beasts'.