The Diamond Vibha Jewellery counter will be stocked with diamond sets consisting of a necklace/pendant, earrings and a ring--with at least one set priced at the entry level price of Rs 75,000 only. This is markedly less than the normal price of a diamond set, where prices start in the range of Rs 1.5-2 lakh.

While the promotions for the Diamond Vivha brand began eight months ago with a television commercial, it is only now that these counters will be coming up across the top 1,200 retailers (read: jewellers) in the country, and covering the top 10 cities. Currently, the TVC is seen in 14 different Indian languages across 19 channels. As a next step, the company will be releasing the print campaign in September '99 in all the leading newspapers.

Says De Beers, manager (India), Prasad Kapre: ``The diamond market is divided into wedding and post wedding shopping. Our research showed that 65 per cent by value is bought for the purpose of marriage. Hence, it made sense for us to concentrate on this market.''

For below-the-line promotions, De Beers is providing the retailers with posters, show cards, tent cards, display units (that can be used for other occasions too) and price tags for each piece of jewellery. Says Kapre: ``All this while if you go to a jeweller and ask for the price of one set, they take out a calculator. As a result, the customer feels quite uncomfortable. In this case however, when the consumer sees the price tags, she immediately knows whether it is affordable or not. So she is more at ease when she goes to buy diamond jewellery.'' De Beers is negotiating with jewellers to set up Vivha counters. ``We want to create excitement through a television and print campaign so that the customer enters a shop asking for this particular brand. And when she sees the counter with the display, she should feel very comfortable,'' adds Kapre.

In future, the company plans to tie-up with a leading magazine for a catalogue which will list the different designs available at various counters with the price tags. Says Kapre: ``For us it is just a promotion on behalf of the industry. The idea is to guide the jewellers in preparing such diamond studded jewellery sets with 18 carat gold at the given price points.''

In addition, for the Millennium, De Beers is launching the Millenium design which would be marketed from September onwards till December 2000. The design has been selected from a design competition De Beers conducted a few months ago, and which drew 1,100 entries.

The designer Manish Khattar has crafted a graphic, diamond-studded symbol for the Millenium in 18-carat white palladium gold. The brooch titled `Zero to Millennium' signifies the movement of the earth into the new millennium and towards eternity. De Beers plans to ask jewellers to adapt the design to a different range of products like cuff-links, pendants, and rings to be sold throughout the year.

The Millennium range will be priced between Rs 1200-Rs 60,000. The product will be sold in the market from November 15, 1999. Says Kapre: ``Its part of history that they could own by buying this piece of jewellery.'' Once again, the launch would be accompanied by contests and a print and television campaign.

Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.