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RAPAPORT... Platinum Guild International USA (PGI) held its annual breakfast for manufacturers in New York City today. Kevin Reilly, the director of business development, and the PGI team explained what the organization is doing to help support platinum sales. The PGI offers a variety of free programs to educate retailers about platinum and how to best express its benefits to consumers. They also offer in-store and online training for jewelers, including a new series of short videos teaching bench jewelers how to work with platinum. Each video, which runs from three to five minutes, highlights a request that commonly comes up in stores, such as how to size a platinum ring. On the marketing side, PGI has shifted the majority of its consumer communication to the web and social media. In this way the group can better track how an ad is doing and can easily swap out components to make the ad more effective in telling the platinum story. In the upcoming months, PGI plans to work with The Knot, Martha Stewart Weddings, Colin Cowie Weddings and Refinery 29! In addition to a strong online presence, PGI is also actively placing product in the pages of print magazines. To encourage sales staff and retailers to further promote platinum, PGI has started the Platinum Hall of Fame that recognizes sales professionals for their outstanding sales in the metal. Platinum Guild International also encouraged manufacturers to submit platinum jewelry images, with descriptions and current retail pricing so that the pieces can be included in their marketing initiatives. Contact atropila-at-pgiglobal.com.
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