A quintessential symbol of love - what a marketing campaign!!

We always talk about how society and the environment  in which we live influence individuals and organizations . We all agree that norms, beliefs and values prevalent in our societies guide us. They draw boundaries within which we act or behave. We often underestimate the power and influence of individuals and corporates. Who would think that a profit making organization can shape the global society. Well, multinational corporations are increasingly seen as careers of globalization. 

Recently, I read about the marketing strategies of a company called De Beers. I am sure undergraduate and Masters' level marketing students have come across this case. But this is the first time I have read about this company. De Beers is renowned for its jewellery business, particularly for its diamond product line. How they have developed and executed their marketing strategies are not only fascinating but also inspiring. How they have ingrained their marketing 'tag line' in Western societies is phenomenal.

Initially, the company thought that consumers use diamonds as a fashion. But, a market research by an advertising company changed this perception. It found that fashion was not the key reason why consumers bought diamonds but but rather it was because they were a symbol of love. So they decided to market diamonds as a symbol of love and commitment. They came up with the tag line, 'A Diamond Is Forever' in 1947, which is arguably the best advertising slogan of the twentieth century. 

For me, more intriguing than the tag line is the marketing strategies used by De Beers to promote this tag line.They used the following marketing strategies:

• writing (or re-writing) scenes for Hollywood movies that injected diamonds into romantic relationships between men and women
• giving diamonds to movie stars to use as symbols of indestructible love 
•  placing celebrity stories and photographs in magazines and newspapers to reinforce the link between diamonds and romance
• using fashion designers to talk on radio programs about the “trend towards diamonds commissioning artists like Picasso, Dali, and Dufy to paint pictures for advertisements, conveying the idea that diamonds were unique works of art 

These strategies have made diamonds a symbol of love as a strong belief of the Western societies. Today, hardly any marriage in Western societies take place without an engagement, and few engagements take place without a diamond engagement ring, regardless of the economic status or the social position of the bride and groom. The size of the diamond in the engagement ring may reflect the affluence of the couple.

For me, this case has significant importance for individuals, organizations and society. First, research and development is a pre-requisite for any marketing effort. Second, an eye-catching 'tag line' is no use without sound marketing strategies. The success depends on how the marketing strategies are executed and implemented. Third, corporates and individuals are capable of shaping the environment and society in which they are embedded.

Note: This is part 1 of the reflection of a reading on De Beers marketing strategies. Over the last 70 years, they have been refining and redeveloping their market campaigns. They have never been complacent in terms of marketing. I will be reflecting on them in the future. Please note that my reflection is focused only on the company's marketing strategies.

Where are we heading?

Today marks the International Day to End Violence against Women and the start of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence. United Nations encourages us to see what actions we can take to end violence against women and girls. I believe this is a noble cause that we all should pursue. It appears that some NGOs in the Maldives are organising rallies and other activities to create awareness about the violence against women. However, it seems that some of us (Maldivians) have already started making a mockery of these activities in the social media. Some have already labelled these activities as a disturbance. Others have been questioning about the need to have such a gathering at a prayer time. Yet others have condemned the organisers and police blocking the roads and preventing people going to Asru prayers. I don't know what's wrong with our fellow citizens. We keep on using religion as a political tool to pursue political agenda. We condemn anything we don't like in the name of religion.

It is a fact that the Maldives is far behind in protecting and advancing women rights despite protection and rights of women being guaranteed by our religion. I am at the moment living abroad (in a 'civilised' western society) where women stand equally as men. The value of equality is well embedded in this culture. I can share with you one recent incident which reflects this. Recently, a popular radio breakfast host made an unreasonable comment against a woman journalist who has written an article criticising the radio host. The public reaction to the comment was disproportionately strong and swift, condemning the comment. Even the sponsors, most of them are corporate heavy weights have started withdrawing their sponsorship from the show. This reflects how much women rights are valued in this society.

As a person who is passionately observing and following social issues, I wonder where we are heading. We are becoming more intolerant and extremist in all aspects. Only time will tell where we are heading. 

Resistance to change!!!!

We have been experiencing  waves of change since 2003. We have changed our political system, and  we are now trying to change our economic system. We know a lot of Maldivians do not like 'change'. It's not only limited to Maldivians. It's human nature. That's the reason why change is often associated with resistance. We prefer stability and continuity over change. Recently,  the university, where I am studying, has centralized its IT administration which was previously operated through faculty-based  IT units. Since then, both students and academics have been complaining about the difficulties associated with this change. But one thing I am sure of is however much we complain, the university is not going to revert back its plans. Because, they know that there will be resistance to any change. 

Last week, one of the hottest headlines in our media was about the new logo introduced by the government to promote Maldives as a country of destination. The new logo was welcomed by the Maldivians with a lot of criticism. Ordinary people and politicians across the political spectrum have leveled criticism against the new logo, ranging from aesthetic and technical aspects to the marketing aspects to the way the whole project was handled. Even some people in the inner circle of the government have criticized the logo and the way the project was carried out. I am totally in agreement with some of these criticisms. The government should have carried out the project in a more open and transparent manner. It should have opened it for Maldivians and used it as a platform to test our local artists' creativity. It should also have made short-listed logos public and provided opportunities for them to express their views on the logos before the official endorsement of a particular logo. 

However, I feel that even if the government had done all this, the outcome would have still been the same. Because, first, there are people who have made a habit of going against whatever the government does; second, there will always be resistance to any change; third, there is no one single tagline or a logo that can represent the features of our unique tourism industry. I feel that the mayhem that has been created by the controversial logo has given credibility to itself and it has received a reasonable level of publicity in this critical launching phase, which wouldn't have been possible without this controversy.

As with any other change, the resistance to the introduction of the new tourism logo will subside and it will be accepted by the public over time. It is very unlikely that the government will back down, but over time we will change our perception about the new logo.