Making Conscious Luxury Trendy With ETIKA JEWELS – CASE STUDY
Fine Jewellery: An Introduction
Jewellery has played an integral part in self-expression throughout history. Fine jewelry has been a big part of fashion and is also used to commemorate special occasions and life milestones. However, the process of sourcing diamonds is fraught with massive environmental and social costs. Today, scientific advancements have paved the way for diamonds to be sourced in an ethical and sustainable way.
What Is ETIKA JEWELS?
Etika Jewels was created in 2022 by Basma Chaieri, with the goal to make trendy and ethical jewelry accessible to all, and strived to build a business that puts the planet first. Basma conceptualized the idea of Etika Jewels after watching a documentary about the diamond mining industry and its impact on the environment. Basma then returned to school to learn everything about carbon chemistry, diamonds, and gemology and became a Certified Diamond Grader. She then used her vast experience in the digital industry to create a seamless jewellery shopping experience. Interestingly, Etika Jewels is also one of the first brands in the UAE to offer carbon-neutral diamonds, in partnership with California Based diamond manufacturer The Diamond Foundry.
THE CHALLENGE
With many established jewelry brands offering ethical/lab-grown alternatives, the challenge remained to successfully launch Etika Jewels as a conscious luxury brand and a key voice in the industry. There was a reluctance to perceive a sustainable luxury alternative as fashionable. POP Communications started working with Etika Jewels in 2022, to tackle this challenge. Through media relations, influencer gifting, and optimized positioning, this proved to be a highly successful collaboration.
Key Focuses:
- Showcase Etika Jewels’ Unique Positioning as a sustainable fine jewelry brand.
- Spotlight Etika Jewels Founder.
- Promote Monthly collections.
- Communicate and continuously highlight the brand’s Unique selling points
- Trendy fine jewelry made ethically with lab-grown diamonds and gemstones.
- Sustainable practices adopted across the supply chain, such as having vegan leather packaging.
What we did:
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Media Relations
- By sending out timely press releases, media alerts, and continuous and targeted pitching to media.
- Using a two-prong approach to effectively position Etika Jewels as a fashion brand that is also sustainable, and Basma Chaieri as a voice in the industry.
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Influencer relations:
- Coordinated targeted gifting to influencers, to generate coverage and boost brand awareness.
The Results
The above strategy proved to be highly effective and helped us to achieve optimal results. Pieces from Etika Jewels were featured in a range of top-tier fashion and lifestyle publications in the region. This includes – Savoir Flair, Emirates Woman, Cosmopolitan ME, Vogue Arabia, L’officiel Arabia. Furthermore, interviews, insights, and comments from founder Basma Chaieri were also featured in top-tier publications like Fast Company ME, About Her, Emirates Woman, and Cosmopolitan ME.
Additionally, the above strategy garnered a PR value of approximately $6.9 million and a reach of 217 million. This was generated by earned PR exposure in over 100 top-tier media and influencer platforms, including exclusive interviews and features. Etika Jewels also won the ‘Most Admired Ecommerce Company in Jewelry’ category in the Images RetailME Ecommerce Awards, and Basma Chaieri was shortlisted for the ‘Mompreneur of the Year category in the Women SME Leaders Awards 2023 presented by Mastercard and Entrepreneur Middle East.
Takeaway
In a highly competitive fashion scene, the reluctance to embrace sustainability is palpable. By collaborating with Etika Jewels for a period of a year, we were able to successfully launch the brand, as well as increase brand awareness. Additionally, we were also able to educate potential consumers about opting for sustainable and ethical fashion choices.