COMPANY: Int'l Gemological Institute
AGENCY: French/West/Vaughan
TIMEFRAME: 1999-ongoing
BUDGET: $149,500 per year
The International Gemological Institute (IGI)certifies the carat, color, clarity, cut and overall quality of diamonds and other gemstones. Maybe you already are familiar
with the four Cs, but chances are that, in 1999, you weren't. That was the year IGI brought in PR firm French/West/Vaughan (Raleigh, N.C.) to add some glitter.
Since that time, FWV has won media attention and, ultimately, consumer response by talking less about its client and more about the diamonds themselves. Remember when Jennifer
Lopez got that fabulous pink diamond ring, back when she was engaged to that guy? Fashion- and celebrity-beat editors were all over that, and so was FWV. But the agency didn't
come in talking about IGI. "We just sent them a lot of gemological background and offered them industry experts," says Senior Account Supervisor Cindy Akus. The point of the pitch
was to raise diamond awareness overall, with IGI entering in the story only as a supporting player.
That's just the pitch IGI President Jerry Ehrenwald asked for. "What we want to say first is that the consumer is no longer dependent on word-of-mouth to choose a diamond," he
says. "Consumers now have a reliable system that is repetitive and consistent, and they are thereby able to distinguish a great diamond from one that is not as great."
In playing the consumer advocate, FWV seized upon the release of an annual FBI report, "Crime in the United States," as an opportunity to get the IGI name into the news. With
fine-jewelry thefts on the rise, FWV approached the press with tips on keeping personal diamonds safe, focusing on one particular strategy: IGI's Laserscribe process, which gives
a diamond a unique identifying tag. That pitch drew stories in PARADE, where a piece ran the week before Valentine's Day, and in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, among
others.
Sometimes even bad news is good news. In 2003, New York City decided to save money by shutting off the twinkling ribbons of light that normally festoon its East River bridges.
The sparkle/shine/glitter/etc. connection seemed ideal, and so IGI offered $60,000 to help relight the bridges. The effort drew a commendation from the city, while FWV attracted
industry trade pubs to the formal re-lighting ceremony.
How about a pitch tied to the 2004 Summer Olympics? The FWV PR team offered tips for keeping precious metals clean and pristine, be they baubles and bangles or a silver medal
for the 50-meter sprint. That story ran on Wireless Flash News, an independent news agency that provides exclusive feature and entertainment news to radio and TV stations,
newspapers and magazines. Articles appeared in The Knoxville News Sentinel and in the Toronto Star, Canada's largest daily newspaper.
If it seems like FWV is willing to hang a pitch on just about any trend or event that comes along ...well, that's pretty much right. "IGI doesn't have new products that they
roll out, so that means we really have to be creative in thinking of ways to give reporters something new and different to be writing about," Akus says.
Not only does that give the PR team a wide range of options, it also makes the job more fun, adds Jessica Blue, senior VP and partner at FWV. "This is one of those great
accounts where you can look at anything that happens in the world, anything that happens in the news and, as a PR professional, you can ask: 'How does my client fit into
this?'"
While its main tactic revolves around leveraging the news and celebrity gossip of the day, FWV executives have sought other forms of influence as well, especially through the
PR value of a key strategic partnership. Just as IGI has become "the" name in diamond certification, it has a counterpart in the Platinum Guild International, a jewelry-
industry trade group with an aggressive consumer advertising campaign.
These days, whenever IGI certifies a diamond set in platinum, it attaches the Platinum Guild certification along with its own seal of approval. This helps lend credibility to
IGI's efforts while also reinforcing the Guild's messaging.
"From a business perspective it makes IGI jewelry reports more enticing to jewelry outlets," Akus says. "From a consumer perspective, it just drives home the importance of
having something to look at in order to understand what you are buying."
Contacts: Cindy Akus, 919.277.1151, [email protected]; Jessica Blue, 919.277.1159, [email protected];
Jerry Ehrenwald, 212.753.7100, [email protected]
The Fashionista Facet
In their efforts to promote diamond certifier IGI, PR executives at French/West/Vaughan often turn to the fashion press, where the allure of precious gems is a topic of ongoing
attention. FWV Senior Account Supervisor Cindy Akus offers these tips regarding what fashion editors really want:
- Pop-culture and trend stories. Fashion writing is the beast that subsists on the flavor of the month. Read the gossip mags, the Hollywood news. Tie your story to a
trend. - Celebs. If George Clooney isn't wearing one, don't even bother. Fashion editors salivate over a celebrity hook. Without being able to drop the name of a high-profile
star, you'll have a hard time getting in the door. - Playing to "the little people." Bring your story down to earth: As much as they may adore the glitter, many fashion pubs also will make at least some effort to deliver
a consumer-friendly story with practical advice and helpful information for the masses. - Value. If you are going to capitalize on current news, put a new spin on the story. Help readers connect to the celebrity stratosphere in their own way. It's about
them, not about you. In the fashion world, "when reporters come up against a straight product or sales pitch, their skin just crawls."