• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, November 6, 2012

In an effort to make sure its brightly colored diamond rings end up in women’s stockings this Christmas, Zales let its fingers do the walking -- strutting down the runway in yellow, blue, red and chocolate diamonds.

In a spot that gives a whole new meaning to digital fashion show, fingers fiercely flash the candy-colored gems to the tune of “I want candy.” The video is scheduled to run on TV and online through the end of the year, as well as in print and social media. Themed “All of the carats. None of the calories,” the GSD&M campaign breaks next week. 

“We’ve taken a big investment in candy-color diamonds,” Scott Davies, Zales’ marketing VP, tells Marketing Daily. “We’ve got black, champagne, blue, bright yellows … following trends in the fashion world. We’re trying to make diamond jewelry relevant as a gift option.”

He says the campaign’s inspiration comes from old-fashioned candy stores, and that the in-store component features jewelry merchandised in old gumball machines, bowls and dishes. “Women ages 25 to 49 are really our bull’s eye, and they see jewelry as a kind of self-expression. Many of these are self-purchased, but she is also dropping a lot of hints about what she wants, and walking her significant other into the store. She is mixing and matching these diamonds with other gemstones, such as amethyst and citrine, in pendant and earrings. So we’re positioning these as the ultimate indulgence -- a little treat.”

"Ever since Ben Affleck gave Jennifer Lopez a a 6.1-carat pink diamond engagement ring, consumers have opened up to fancy color diamonds and demand has been growing," Edahn Golan, editor in chief and lead analyst of IDEX Online, tells Marketing Daily via email. While true pinks are very rare, "and out of the reach of most people, yellows and champagne are becoming popular among a growing segment of consumers, especially those who want something different. We expect this trend to grow as marketing campaigns successfully promote them and the desire for 'similar but different' continues among consumers in their 30s."

The campaign also involves a partnership with Allure, with a sweepstakes prize of six months’ worth of free manicures, and People Style Watch, with the video appearing on 1,000-plus fashion blogs, and a $50 off coupon to each of one of their readers.

Separately, he says the Irving, Tex.-based retailer is also running a campaign for the relaunch of its Celebration Diamond collection, with three new cuts. That campaign also includes TV and print through the end of the holiday. 

With both holiday efforts, Davies says, “we’re continuing to build our credibility as the diamond store.”

American jewelers can expect good, but not great, sales during the upcoming all-important 2012 holiday selling season of November and December. Overall, jewelry sales in the U.S.market are expected to rise by just over 4% versus the same period a year ago, based on the latest forecast from IDEX Online Research.