With De Beers now in possession of vast resources of diamonds, they needed
to find a way to sell the diamonds. To do so, they had to drive up demand.
They had to make every woman want a diamond ring, and every man want to buy
one for her. They launched a massive advertising campaign.
The campaign marketed the idea that diamonds are a sign of your devotion. It
also made diamonds the ultimate status symbol. De Beers, along with ad agency
N.W. Ayers, made men believe:
* Diamonds were the only way to show your love to
a woman.
* A woman measured a man's love based on the diamond
size
* Anyone who was anyone in life must have a
diamond on their finger, just like the celebrities.
It was around 1940 that they came up with the slogan "Diamonds Are
Forever." This slogan began the idea that the gift of a diamond represents
everlasting commitment and love.
De Beers played on the fact that celebrities outfitted themselves in diamond
rings too. They wanted women to want the diamonds. This would encourage men to
outfit their women in them.
The individual who is responsible for creating the “A
Diamond Is Forever” slogan is Frances Gerety. She created
the advertising campaign for De Beers in 1947 and continued to write all of the
company's ads for 25 years.
You can read the entire article here.
I
found a great website that might interest you in learning more about the De
Beers company here.
In the same article “How
Diamonds Became Forever” it states ……
"The company also succeeded in
promulgating ideas like the Four C’s, which arose from a surplus of very small
stones. Buyers had been taught that bigger meant better and had no interest. So
N. W. Ayer added a box labeled “How to Buy a Diamond” to every ad, with the
instructions: “Ask about color, clarity, and cutting — for these determine a
diamond’s quality, contribute to its beauty and value. Choose a fine stone, and
you’ll always be proud of it, no matter what its size.” (The final “c” stood
for carats.)."
