A new generation is getting engaged and starting their jewelry collections – yes, it’s those Millennials again – and so it’s time for a different kind of ad campaign.  Hearts on Fire, which proclaims its product The World’s Most Perfectly Cut Diamond, is going full steam ahead by unleashing a multimedia campaign next month in top fashion and bridal magazines, TV, digital and social media that says something much different about diamonds than has traditionally been said in the past.

Like most diamond jewelry ads, Hearts on Fire’s past campaigns have involved a model looking into the camera wearing diamond jewelry, or product-as-hero images.  But the new campaign by TBWAChiatDay, financed by new owner Chow Tai Fook Jewellry Group, features young people through a voyeuristic lens that captures them in moments that are, for lack of a better word, enjoyable and real, and associates Hearts on Fire diamonds with those moments.  The tagline is “Ignite Something,” which leaves the door open for consumers to imagine a variety of possible celebrations using diamonds, tapping the Millennial zeitgeist of putting their own spin on tradition.

The first of the two ads we’ve seen so far involves a young couple in a tight embrace, apparently taking a break from Chinese food at sunset in an apartment after unpacking boxes.  While the young lady’s left-hand ring shines brightest, she wears a variety of jewelry, including bracelets and earrings, and the shot is much more “real life” than past ads.  The second ad is even more of a departure from traditional diamond ads: It features a young woman standing up through the sun roof of a moving vehicle and raising her arms above her head with a jubilant grin and closed eyes – and, of course, two armfuls of glistening bracelets.  The close-up image of the bracelets at the top features smaller diamonds in rose, white and yellow gold, a much more fashion-heavy statement than most diamond companies have made in the past.  The best thing about these ads is that they feature moments in life that the viewer doesn’t expect to see – moments that diamonds can (apparently) make more special.

I like the direction that Hearts on Fire has taken with these ads, but I feel like they’re still showing too much restraint.  I would love to see the company go all out in this new direction to show young consumers that this really is a different kind of diamond company, even more so than it already has.  That said, I feel sure that these ads will help Hearts on Fire retailers to connect more effectively with Millennial shoppers.

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