A look back at Natural Diamond Council’s one year journey

It has been nearly a year since the Diamond Producers Association repositioned itself as the Natural Diamond Council, to transform the organization’s brand identity and be truly consumer-centric. They have focused on representing natural diamonds as the symbol of everlasting connections for the modern diamond industry. When the world turned indoors during the pandemic, NDC seamlessly transformed and weaved itself to this dynamic scenario. In a short span of one year, NDC used diverse mediums to enhance the value of natural diamonds and has been a reliable source for everything related to diamonds for consumers and the modern diamond industry alike. Through research and gathering insights, NDC realized that consumers had a renewed sense of hope, optimism, and have also found a new respect for all things natural. They are keener on learning more about natural diamonds and their history. NDC focussed on the digital medium as it was the most powerful tool at their disposal and continued to build their brand for their audience. With the launch of the retailer portal and e-learning portal this year, they have made significant progress in integrating their online retailer network. The e-learning initiative has received an extremely positive response from trade partners. The learning program for on-ground staff is a great way to train in new ways of reaching consumers and building positive conversations around natural diamonds.

In the quest of being digitally dominant, their website- Only Natural Diamonds, an editorial-first platform, played a vital role in this journey. The platform sections into six key pillars. ‘Only Natural Diamonds’ intends to encourage consumers around the world about the values and heritage of natural diamonds and throw light on sustainability and significantly motivate innovations taking place in the world of diamond jewellery. NDC center edits attention on content and trust that it helps consumers create awareness for natural diamonds.  They worked towards representing diamonds as a symbol of eternal connections and connected a new generation of consumers who are passionate about natural diamonds. The NDC website, an editorial first platform saw over 26 million visits in its first year of launch. Every article gets 190k readers on average. On social platforms they have garnered over 619M impressions, 1.5M hours view time on YouTube and a huge rise in followers across their social channels. The council also had the opportunity to cover the stories of diamond industry pioneers and retailers.

To translate the wonder of natural diamonds into well-crafted, educational editorials, they joined forces with leading taste and style-makers from across the country. They launched the first-ever Trend Report along with the biggest fashion week in India to inspire everyone to wear their personality, and more importantly, have fun with jewellery and determine the trends of 2021. Over and above this, they launched their first celebrity-fronted initiative, “For Moments Like No Other” starring Hollywood star Ana De Armas as the global brand ambassador. Their latest campaign- “Love Life” also is an extension of how consumer respect and appreciation for all things natural has enhanced due to the ongoing crisis. The desire for a connection with our loved ones will grow as we come out of isolation.

The team made a conscious effort to diversify in all facets. They have collaborated with leading names in the fashion and luxury industry. One recent initiative which was another feather in their hat was The Vogue India X Natural Diamond Council Diamond Festival (The Online Edit) which curated an exciting line up of international experts such as Lucia Silvestri (Bulgari’s jewellery creative director), ace designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, and Francesca (Cartier Brickell, bestselling author The Cartiers’) to name a few. The two-day festival was jam-packed with masterclasses that helped us learn more about the history of natural diamonds. The conversations revolved around the upcoming trends, millennials’ way of styling diamonds, a shift of buying diamonds online, gender fluid jewellery and modern heirloom.

Beyond all the glitz and glamour, they believe in the welfare of the people who relentlessly work in the industry. The current situation compelled to rethink the strategies and introduce newer ways to support the modern diamond industry and engage with consumers and trade alike. Recently, they also launched a “Thank you, by the way” campaign that features a variety of engaging sustainability facts about the natural diamond industry, highlighting both the socioeconomic and community benefits. The members of the council have always put sustainability at the forefront of all its activities.

Natural diamond council’s efforts capture the prevailing sentiment of positivity as the world opens up and allow them to celebrate the meaningful moments of life with their dear ones. They trust that there is no better expression of love and affection than eternal, emotion-evoking natural diamonds.

Courtesy: Retail Jeweller India News