RAPAPORT... The Israeli diamond industry launched stage four of its strategic marketing program “Together Works” at a press conference organized by the Israel Diamond Institute Group of Companies (IDI) at the JCK Las Vegas trade show. Stage four of this unfolding business-to-business (B2B) program makes use of the most advanced tools available on the web today to spread the message of diamonds on every social media platform, from YouTube, Facebook and Twitter to blogs and LinkedIn.
The centerpiece of this social media marketing campaign is the launch of the Israeli diamond industry's YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=israelidiamond. This is the first-ever diamond center channel, and it seeks to revolutionize the diamond industry’s presence on YouTube. As online trade and marketing evolves at a breathtaking pace, the YouTube platform will enable buyers to virtually meet new suppliers, and it provides an all-important "meet and greet," which is such an intrinsic part of the diamond business.
To date, IDI has uploaded 38 unique videos, each featuring a different Israeli diamond company. IDI produced these films for YouTube as a service to Israeli diamond companies while introducing them to new and out-of-the-box forms of marketing. This complex project was filmed and edited by a leading film production agency in Israel. The next round of filming is set to take place in the Israel Diamond Center in June 2009, with a long list of companies waiting to embrace this new marketing challenge.
At the press conference, IDI also spoke of the development of the Israeli diamond industry blog, http://blog.israelidiamond.co.il/, which was launched at BaselWorld and has achieved a wide international following. In addition, the trade media was introduced to the new industry face on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ramat-Gan-Israel/Israeli-Diamond-Institute/67240223724, Twitter: http://twitter.com/isdiam, and on the professional network Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/israelidiamond. These features can also be accessed via IDI’s flagship portal in English, Chinese, Russian and Hebrew at www.israelidiamond.co.il.
Avi Paz, president of the Israel Diamond Exchange and the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB), said, “As a global industry, we need to be proactive in promoting our product, which is what we are doing through the generic marketing campaign scheduled to launch in 2010. This marketing campaign is a result of the cooperation between mining companies, jewelry brands, WFDB and the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA). We cannot overemphasize the importance of working together. I’m pleased that in Israel we decided to focus all [of] IDI['s] resources on marketing and that our campaign ‘Together Works’ is a successful move.”
Eli Avidar, IDI managing director, said that social media marketing is an essential piece of all marketing campaigns today. “It was clear to us when we planned ‘Together Works’ that we would use all tools available to promote The Israeli diamond industry. The social media are growing exponentially, and their potential is unlimited. We want to create an online community where the industry can come together and share ideas as well as communicate directly with Ramat Gan,” he said.
Alissa Goren, IDI chief marketing officer, introduced the project by illustrating with statistics the audience reach that IDI’s expanded online presence can target.“The fact is that in February this year YouTube reached 100 million viewers, and in terms of general online video watching, in January 2009, Internet users viewed 14.8 billion videos online. We are seeing a trend on Facebook over the past 6 months that its largest growth has been among 35 to 44 year olds, with women over 55 the fastest-growing segment. Blogs now touch tens of millions around the world. And over 40 percent of Twitter’s audience is working adults aged 35 to 49. We need to harness the tremendous power of Web 2.0 to the benefit of our industry,” she said.
Earlier stages of “Together Works,” which reaches out to the international B2B diamond buying community, saw the launch of a print and online advertising campaign in leading trade publications and websites. In addition, in the U.S., IDI introduced a 24/7 toll-free number, 1.888.42.WORKS, for ongoing and new clients to reach out with their immediate diamond needs. These are uploaded in real time to IDI’s portal site, and all Israeli diamond companies receive text messages informing them of the new demand. IDI also launched “CALL ASIA,” a unique call center that initiates direct contact with a massive network of Asian diamond buyers every week to ask for their specific diamond needs. Here too, the information is instantly uploaded on to the IDI portal and Israeli diamond suppliers are notified by text message.
As a further benefit to diamond partners in the U.S., IDI has launched a new seasonal magazine, Reflections — Diamonds. Fashion. Trends. Clearly. Reflections focuses on the latest in styles, trends and celebrity jewelry. It is distributed free of charge as a handout for customers to over 10,000 retailers in the U.S. Reflections can also be accessed online through IDI’s portal site at http://www.israelidiamond.co.il/reflections.html?lang=en, where extra print copies can also be ordered.