RMG Connect Takes Diamonds Online

NEW YORK As Marilyn Monroe once sang, diamonds are a girl's best friend. But the preferred blonde thought only gentlemen gave expensive jewels.If RMG Connect and its client, Diamond Trading Company, have their say, female consumers will start treating themselves to diamond rings—and make some best friends in the process. (Diamond Trading is the marketing arm of gem giant De Beers Group, which spent nearly $40 million of the category's $43 million in advertising between January and July 2006, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.)RMG in New York has created a Web site for the Diamond Right Hand Ring brand, inviting women to share their sentiments about self-reliance and self-worth. ADiamondisforever.com features a "Women of the World Map" that lets users connect with fellow diamond lovers while customizing their statements and rings."The idea here was about empowering women to buy a piece of diamond jewelry for themselves," said Martin Macdonald, chief creative officer, RMG Connect, New York. Blake Froehlich, the agency's director of digital strategy, added that the site aims to "empower women who are strong and independent to celebrate their achievements—whether they have lost five pounds or been promoted to a senior position—and share with others in their social group." He noted, "We're giving them a chance to communicate their dreams and desires and see the emotional community they're a part of." RMG especially hopes to draw women from the Midwest who "are a little less comfortable about buying themselves a piece of jewelry" than their counterparts from large coastal cities," noted Froehlich. The viral effort mainly targets women 25 and older with an average household income of $75,000. Beyond demographics, it is "looking at people who are zealots," said Froehlich, explaining that the sparkling token of esteem appeals across income and marital categories to encompass a "state of mind."The Wiki model of shared communication inspired the agency, a unit of WPP Group's JWT. Other clients who have expressed interest in RMG's initiatives that harness "the power of the group" include the U.S Marine Corps and HSBC bank, said Froehlich. And engaging customers in these categories may take considerably less time than in the diamond category, where the "psychographic barriers about what you should and shouldn't do for yourself" are relatively steep, noted Mark Miller, president of RMG. By customizing connections among responders, RMG seeks to breathe interactivity into existing Diamond Right Hand Ring ads that urge, "Women of the world, raise your right hand.""If you customize a connection, you can increase sales by 20 percent," said Miller.

Brand Marketing

RMG Connect Takes Diamonds Online

Laura Blum

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Laura Blum