Manohar Lal Jewellers (Defence Colony/Preet Vihar) reforms narrative on beauty via Jhilmil campaign

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, as they say. But what if the beholder has been subconsciously schooled with advertisements to like a particular form of physical beauty? Does that make him/her indifferent to its other aspects? Such questions are of immense importance to the Indian gem and jewellery industry that is using every option available to tantalize the mammoth market base with beautiful designs.

Few distinguished retail brands think about the wearer, and here we have Surbhi Shekhar, marketing manager – customer relations & communication, Manohar Lal Jewellers, Defence Colony/Preet Vihar, answering this through their Jhilmil campaign.

“Everything from the selection of models to the make-up has been done to bring out the inner beauty through this collection,” said Surbhi. Bringing in a difference to marketing, this Diwali campaign does what other jewellers in the Delhi-NCR region, says Surbhi, haven’t done through their campaigns. “I wanted my jewellery to shine, so the pastel attire was kept subtle. No bright colours. At the same time, I wanted to address the discrimination based on skin colour that has been rooted in our Indian ethos. I didn’t involve fair models with generic beauty otherwise desirable to any brand for promotion,” she added.

The clutter-breaking campaign was done specifically for social media. The diverse nature of the Indian gem and jewellery industry, which focuses on designs from every corner of the country and absorbs professionals similarly, was another fact that helped in creating the campaign. “We glorify the rawness of Nature. Then why are we confining our idea of human beauty while depicting it through advertisements?” questioned Surbhi.

This has become a conversation-starter, as 90% of the responses to the campaign are positive. Those who understand the message behind the campaign are applauding the effort and the simplistic shoot that accentuates their polki jewellery. As a result, the brand has received over 5,500 organic likes in all their posts shared on Instagram alone. Their polki jewellery has seen an increase in sales due to the campaign as customers from Tamil Nadu, Mumbai and even from The US have shown interest in the jewellery design.  Change of perception, like charity, also begins at home, admits Surbhi. She shares an anecdote about an employee who came to her, complaining about the kind of models the brand has used for the campaign. That interaction gave Surbhi an opportunity to inform how beauty is never skin-deep. Several such opportunities presented themselves through customer and peer enquiries on social media, thus proving the effectiveness of Manohar Lal Jewellers’ subtle, strong Jhilmil campaign that had got people across the industry to think over true beauty again.

Written by Shubham Dasgupta

RJ Exclusive