De Beers launches Desert diamonds beacon in China

Lynn Serfaty, General Manager of Natural Diamonds at De Beers Group, said the brand's research showed 95% of Chinese consumers surveyed wanted to own a Desert diamond, 94% found it distinctive, and 96% considered it innovative. "From red carpets to everyday life, consumers want a natural diamond that tells their personal story," she said.

The campaign has lined up three retail partners in China: Chow Tai Fook, Chow Sang Sang, and TSL | Tse Sui Luen. Each is developing jewellery collections around the desert-inspired palette and will debut them at the Shanghai launch. Retailers that carried the campaign in the U.S. reported higher foot traffic and more life-milestone enquiries, De Beers said.

De Beers is also framing the campaign within China's Shopping in Italy initiative, which promotes high-quality goods with provenance and traceability. The Group said it would ramp up marketing investment steadily through media and digital channels.

Desert diamonds is the first new beacon De Beers has launched in more than a decade. The company last introduced a major category campaign in 2010 with "Journey" and its "Real is Rare" push in 2017. This is the first in 15 years to receive the largest category marketing spend.