The importance of these values to the modern buyer has not been lost on suppliers. At the Canadamark cocktail reception, held at the Four Seasons Hotel on June 3, Dominion Diamond executives made it clear next-generation consumers and the sustainable solutions they favour will be priorities going forward. The company is dovetailing a new, millennial-focused marketing strategy with initiatives such as a partnership with the government of the Northwest Territories to demonstrate its support for responsible production.
“In the Northwest Territories, our people are our number-one priority and most important resource, but it is the land that has given us what we need to sustain life,” said Bob McLeod, the territories’ premier, at the event. “Our diamond producers have the same vision as we do and have embraced the northern way of life. Together, we are promoting sustainable development, ensuring diamond mining is done with a consultative approach and that benefits will be had for generations to come.”
Back at JCK, the question of how to market to a brand-new demographic was pervasive on the show floor as well. Many brands are hitching their hopes on an omnichannel approach, combining traditional and technological methods of advertising. For bridal jewellery manufacturer Sylvie Collection, for instance, this means embracing the digital world with the release of its first professional video and the launch of a blog that shares customers’ engagement stories.
“The video has made a big difference,” says Cassie Pekar, the brand’s director of marketing. “There’s been great return on investment (ROI), especially on Facebook.”
Hand-in-hand with this emphasis on the digital is an equally strong push for personal connection. Numerous exhibitors noted the ability to forge a bond with the customer as an integral part of their success.
“One trend we noticed is the desire by both retailer and consumer for a strong and focused after-sales experience,” says Darren Dubrovsky, president of Empress Jewellery. “Give them a way to always remember what they created, and give them a keepsake of the process they embarked on with you.”
