The Danish jewelry firm Pandora has had a decade of success with upmarket charm bracelets. The company encourages women to collect charms that reflect special occasions and personal meaning. Now Pandora jewelry is sold in 50 countries, with new designs introduced regularly to encourage repeat purchasing by the wearer or gift-givers.
As
Marketing Week points out, Pandora has glamourised collecting for grown-ups--and that's a powerful, emotional marketing appeal. The magazine points out that the availability of counterfeit charms is a growing problem for Pandora. Exclusivity adds to the value of collectible charms. If fakes flood the market, Pandora will have difficulty keeping its customers satisfied (not to mention keeping its premium pricing and its profitability).
So far, Pandora's marketing (through TV adverts and other messages) has kept brand awareness high. So high, in fact, that in the week before St. Valentine's Day, "Pandora jewelry" was among the most
searched-for jewelry phrases on Google.
Of course, Pandora's brand marketing is only part of the story. Jewelry stores that carry the brand also market it. For example, an
Australian jeweler has created a video showing prospective customers how to measure for a Pandora bracelet. Will Pandora use its marketing to encourage collecting of other jewelry items? What's its next big marketing move?
