AS Diamonds: The Strategy

The challenge was one that addressed the age-old balance of preserving the current attributes of the privately owned family business, appealing to a broader and more sophisticated, international clientele. The client was seeking an advertising concept that could be applied to multiple formats (product catalog cover, trade advertisements, and trade booth). Given the specific audience and culture specific customers (Asia and Europe), the design would need to touch upon the quintessential touch points of these regions.

The Asian market research suggested an inclination towards the "cute/kawaii" factor coupled with defined color preferences. The European market research indicated an interest and appreciation for architectural and somewhat abstract art. Based upon these findings, and a thorough assessment of the competitor designs, we designed two versions. Both versions were inspired by the famous abstract artist Wassily Kandinsky. Through the use of color and typography, we offered the client two versions that targeted both markets in varying degrees of appeal to the female vs. male customer segment.

The positioning and messaging strategy had to speak to the current customer (conservative, 50+ years of age, male) as well as capture the interest of the growing customer base (cosmopolitan, 35+ years of age, female and male). The second-person voice was used as a means to convey the personal, family owned business appeal of the brand. "Selectivity" was conceived to explain the philosophy of the company, the quality of the product, and the characteristic of their customer. "Redefined" was the platform for communicating the growth and evolution of the company and the changing demographic of the customer. Together, "Selectivity Redefined," became the first positioning for a series of concepts that would create a framework for future advertising built around a featured diamond product, i.e. Blue Redefined, Passion Redefined.