Oscars' Ad Pitches Diamonds As The Real Deal

by Larissa Faw , February 26, 2017

As people continue to flock to lesser quality moissanite and cubic zirconia jewels, the Diamonds Producers Association (DPA) is introducing the first diamond marketing initiative to air during the Oscars in 10 years.

Developed with creative agency Mother New York, the “Real is Rare” campaign features the "Runaways" short film that features a male voiceover talking over clips showcasing the passionate love he has for his girlfriend. The spot ends with "Real is Rare. Real is a Diamond."

In addition to the TV spot, the campaign appears via the “Real is a Diamond” YouTube channel and other social media channels as well as via the #RealisRare hashtag. The YouTube clip has already received more than 794,688 views.

The campaign is a departure from typical diamond advertising, says Deborah Marquardt, CMO, DPA. "The story is a cinematic, alternative fairy tale that celebrates love, passion and connection - and sees life together as an adventure.”

Margquart adds that “Having its television debut during the Academy Awards broadcast, one of television’s biggest nights of the year, is the perfect opportunity to start a new diamond narrative with consumers around the moments and relationships in our lives that are authentic, precious and increasingly rare."

This strategy seeks to connect diamonds with new generations, Millennials in particular, says Marquardt. However the themes of celebrating love, commitment and the uniqueness of authentic connection are universal.

“Real is Rare. Real is a Diamond” also is supported by a digital campaign inclusive of video, display, native content and social. Other platforms including print, out-of-home, cinema and digital radio are being explored for the second half of the year. "Our plans are as multiplatform as our target audience is in their media habits," says Marquardt.

Founded in May 2015, the DPA is an international alliance of the world's leading diamond mining companies, and its mission is to protect and promote the integrity and reputation of diamonds, and of the diamond industry. The group's lobby is reportedly asking its members, including De Beers and Alrosa PJSC to raise its budget to as much as $60 million a year from $6 million, according to Bloomberg. Payments are set by sales levels.

academy awards, ad campaign, luxury

4 comments about "Oscars' Ad Pitches Diamonds As The Real Deal".

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Jack Rabbit , February 26, 2017 at 2:42 p.m.
"Real is Rare" is a fairytale allright but not one you're likely to find in children's books. It's quite telling that the You Tube video had "Comments" disabled within days of it's release after many people challenged the narrative and questioned the ethical provenance of the diamond industry which continues to be a major source of funding for rogue regimes guilty of grievous human rights violations.
Over one fifth of cut & polished diamonds sold worldwide are associatred with human rights violations by government forces. THe boguse system of Warranties introduced by the World Diamond Council allows jewellers to certify blood diamonds conflict-free simply by including a statement to that effect on the sales invoice.
Diamonds are a significant source of funding for the apartheid regime in Israel which stands accused of war crimes by the UNHRC, AI and HRW and for regimes in Angola and Zimbabwe. Despite this leading jewellers like De Beers, Forevermark, Harry Winston and others continue to sell diamonds from thers rogue states claiming they are ethically sourced and conflict-free.
What is "real" is the fact that the diamond market remains heavily contaminated with blood diamonds. http://www.globalresearch.ca/blood-diamonds-more-than-one-fifth-of-diamonds-sold-worldwide-are-funding-bloodshed-and-violence/5561214
Reply

Yang Gao from ASU, February 27, 2017 at 3:58 p.m.

One fifth of the world's cutting and polishing diamonds are associated with violations of human rights by government forces. The World Diamond Council's boguse warranty system allows jewelers to prove that blood diamonds are free of conflict by simply adding a statement to the sales invoice. Diamonds are an important source of funding for the Israeli separatist regime, which is subject to war crimes alleged by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch and the Angolan and Zimbabwe regime. Although leading jewelers and others like De Beers continue to sell diamonds from other rogue states, claiming they are ethical and conflict-free. "True Rare" is a fairy tale like that, but not one you might find in a book of mythological stories. It is very convincing to have a "comment" on the video, and within a few days after its release, many people have challenged the narrative and questioned the ethical origin of the diamond industry, which is still a major source of money for the rogue regime committed serious human rights Violation. But in my opinion all the profits in the factories of the diamonds are derived from a lack of dignity of exploitation and discrimination for some of the people who produce diamonds, and many large companies are pursuing their own profits through political coercion Big profits. Many factories for the workers is hell, forcing them to do a lot of things do not want to do. I think the United Nations should ban such institutions and companies to ensure equality and stability.

M L from Student, February 27, 2017 at 6:38 p.m.

For the commercial itself I really enjoyed it. It was something different and I liked the story and how at the end it showed that it was a diamond commercial. I think it is a cool commercial for Diamonds Producers Association to release for the first time during the Oscars in 10 years. Like the article said, it does have a fairytale sense to it which is a perfect setting for the Oscars. So they really thought carefully about it and planned it well. However, one thing I found strange is that the video on YouTube had the comments disabled. What reason would there be for doing that for a diamond commercial? I wonder if it has anything to do with the infamous way that some companies get their diamonds, “blood diamonds.” Maybe they didn’t want people commenting on their video with negative comments that involve that or other things.

Joseph Mansell from ASU, February 27, 2017 at 8:42 p.m.

Personally, I feel that this commercial is very powerful through the words that were used during it. The way that he spoke about her felt as if this was all a real life emotion. I think that it was interesting in the way that they had him tell a story alongside the incredibly powerful cinematography. I believe that the biggest theme in this advertisement that was used is desire. First off, they are both very hip, and attractive people. The casting was very well done and they had two normal but very appealing looking people. Love is always something that is desired and they both seemed to be in love completely, even though they both had just met and decided to run away together. Which brings me to my next addition to my reasoning why the major theme is desire. I think most of us can all agree that just getting up and running away would be something that we would always want to do but never fully commit. What stuck out to me immediately was how much of an experience it would be to pick up and leave. When you add the whole aspect of a fling to the mix it would be hard to find reasons to not want to live this life. Once they have you lured in through fueling your need for something emotional, they attach something that is of material value. What they were able to do was provide you a mix of emotions that may seem unattainable, or that it could all go away, but this ad can also provide something that can literally last your whole lifetime. On a night where the celebrities of Hollywood are sporting a ridiculous amount of jewelry that almost signify their own importance, its no wonder DPA had ran this campaign on the night of the Oscars.