A Diamond Is Forever, Repositioned

Did you watch the Golden Globes last night? Well, neither did I. What I did get was a press release from “A Diamond Is Forever” about the natural diamond jewelry highlights on the red carpet.

I know, right. Who or what is A Diamond Is Forever to be sending me press releases? Isn’t that a slogan, the line that capped off some of De Beers’ most nostalgic marketing campaigns?

You may or may not have noticed the subtle introduction of the A Diamond Is Forever Instagram account over the past year, along with a website of the same name, which has been steadily gaining traction.

Obviously, it belongs to De Beers, but the company appears to be using its iconic tagline in a very different way. It’s now the channel through which De Beers is rolling out its category marketing, rather than the focus of those campaigns. That’s where all the activity around the Desert Diamonds campaign lives, and it will also be the home for future beacon products and programs. De Beers is still signing off on some Desert Diamonds assets with the slogan, but it’s doing so quite selectively.

What’s also interesting is that the website has taken on a magazine-style feel, running glossy, diamond-centric features. In that sense, it’s not unlike the Natural Diamond Council’s naturaldiamonds.com, although the NDC site seems to have leaned more heavily into education of late.

All of which is to say, don’t be surprised if you start seeing A Diamond Is Forever show up in ways you’re not used to. De Beers is clearly trying to leverage one of the most recognizable pieces of IP in the industry in a very different marketing environment.

Where A Diamond Is Forever once anchored De Beers advertising, today it’s the platform through which the company can run, test and evolve multiple campaigns, products and narratives simultaneously.

This blog first appeared in the January 12 Pressing Matters Executive Memo. Read the full memo here, Pressing Matters, featuring the following sections:

• Deep Dive: Mixed Messages from Retail

• Chart Check: Antwerp's Record Lows

• What I’m Thinking About

• Your Take

• The News That Matters

• What I’m Looking Forward To

• Coming Up

• Pic of the Week

Desert Tones at the Golden Globes: Celebrities graced the red carpet with a mix of subtle and less subtle diamond looks. A Diamond Is Forever highlighted the warm tones of Desert Diamonds as a key emerging trend, with natural diamond earrings standing out as a defining category, alongside the return of bold brooches and Riviera necklaces. (Image via A Diamond Is Forever).