How to Build a Jewellery Brand

«A jewellery is not created overnight, especially in a time like the present where communication is fragmented and, in order for it to work, a large number of inter-collaborating levers must be activated,» says Sarah Carpin, founder of the London-based Facets PR agency. Nevertheless, the indispensable element for building or strengthening a brand is identifying and always being aware of one’s own objectives and target of reference. «At Facets we help brands to get onto the British market thanks to targeted mar- ket research that helps us uncover the most appealing collections for the UK market. We therefore focus on top retailers and key buyers or we simply help designers or companies to enhance their brand aware- ness, which is of primary importance if the main challenge is to reach the end consumer. In this case, we operate with a series of PR activities, aim at celebrity placement and influencers and establish strict contacts with the most authoritative magazines,» continues Sarah. Understanding one’s own market, identifying the opportunities and dangers, defining one’s own DNA, using data so that the product to be ‘pushed’ is in line with the consumer’s expectations, being ever-present on the social media and coming into contact with potential influencers, also feature in the handbook of Juliet Hutton-Squire, partner with Maia Adams at Adorn Insight. «Today’s market is truly saturated. In addition to strong brand identity, emerging re- quires defined assets, like a logo, font and brand-associated lifestyle. The buyer particularly wants to identify with the context rather than the product and is looking for recognizable visual references (just think about Van Cleef & Arpels’ Alhambra or Louis Vuitton’s Monogram Flower). Through our digital platform we provide brands with real ‘insights’ into the end consumer, we study the product and the materials, we supply bespoke directions that involve both the stylistic and strategic planning aspects. This is furthered by work on the branded content through the numerous touch points that are now available, and a growing mentoring activity to support emerging brands,» Hut- ton-Squire concludes

On the other hand, Ivan Perini, LuisaViaRoma’s renowned buyer, has a more emotional approach. Now a freelance consultant, he has decided to place his experience at the service of jewelry and watch brands through his website ivanperini.com. «I have never liked to speak of the value of a jewelry item from the commercial point of view, even when it comes to defining the fundamental elements for a brand’s success, but price must certainly be in proportion to the manufacture, design and idea. Stick- ing to a purely aesthetic vision is a mistake. The value of the brand is acquired on the field, it needs time, experience and skill,» says Ivan Perini. The young Milanese de- signer, Bea Bongiasca, comes in on the wake of this by focussing on yet another aspect: the role of the logo. «It took me time and effort to design it and the first version was thrown out by everyone, as was the packaging. It was all too colourful and modern. In the end I thought ‘jewelry is a luxury’ and I concentrated on pop and black accents. Because, at the end of the day, successful brand identity, the one that really counts is: uniformity, coherence and simplicity.» Bringing names out of the darkness and giving them dignity and relevance is, however, the approach of Andrea Hansen, founder of Luxe Intelligence in New York. «My approach is analytical and strategic, » says Andrea. «Our focus is to immediately identify the strong and weak points in order to understand the best distribution channels for the brand. In the past, wholesale channels were the only available means for reaching the end consumer. Nowadays, digital marketing is the great equalizer. If you have a story, a valid product and you know your target, the brand can be really successful through social commerce and e-commerce, working with untraditional retail strategies like personal shoppers and pop-up stores,» she adds. With one single purpose: to know your objectives well, and everyone’s are different, and create jewellery that will be worn with joy.