Brilliants for friends
In Toronto, a jeweler is causing a stir with an advertising campaign featuring a gay theme
In Toronto, a jeweler is causing a stir with an advertising campaign with a gay touchBy Werner CatrinaHenry Birks & Sons, Canada's oldest jewelry store, is entering uncharted advertising territory for the industry and is advertising in its shop windows with homosexual couples in love. Canadians find nothing offensive about it and praise the campaign.
"Lovers" is the striking slogan in the newly designed shop windows of Canadian jeweler Birks. A beaming younger man is depicted in a red heart with his arm around the shoulder of his happy older friend. A masculine-styled watch, a black sack knife with silver blades modeled on a Swiss army knife and sparkling cufflinks are draped around him. The next shop window shows two women in a similarly amorous pose, along with a necklace and a brooch - nothing more. And so it goes on along the entire shop window front of the elegant Bloor Street in Toronto.
Overnight, the refreshingly tolerant and natural campaign attracted national attention and triggered a unanimously favorable press response. Canada's largest newspaper, The Globe And Mail, even highlighted the campaign with a front-page lead and a report inside the paper, multiplying the impact of the shop windows enormously.
"Birks is trying to break out of the conservative mindset," explains Mary Olivier, manager at the jewelry company, "but not in a shocking way. This campaign is about real people, it's about real communication."
Those directly approached reacted with delight. "It's really nice to see that a more traditional jewelry store like Birks is now starting to think about something that Canadian society has long accepted," explains Dirk Gallagher, a representative of the gay community in Toronto, "let's treat all Canadians equally!"
Henry Birks & Sons is Canada's oldest jewelry store. In the early nineties, the somewhat dusty house was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and was then sold to the Italian holding company Iniziativa Regaluxe, which triggered restructuring and a strong push for innovation.
Birks is now making a name for itself as a trendsetter in expensive luxury jewelry. As the manager explains, the clientele has become much younger in recent years; the main age group is now between 34 and 54, Mary Olivier notes.
A completely new image for the jewelry industry
Gay-themed marketing and advertising is nothing new in Canada, but for gold and gemstones, this campaign is a first in the North American country. As a small survey by The Globe and Mail showed, some viewers surprisingly identified the male couple as father and son. And one passer-by commented: "I see two good friends, certainly not lesbians!"
Mary Olivier finds it all exciting: "You see what you want to see." Incidentally, the Birks decorators left one escape route open. The displays can be rotated as required: a mother and child or an older couple can be seen on the back of the hearts. With matching jewelry, of course.
"Lovers" is the striking slogan in the newly designed shop windows of Canadian jeweler Birks. A beaming younger man is depicted in a red heart with his arm around the shoulder of his happy older friend. A masculine-styled watch, a black sack knife with silver blades modeled on a Swiss army knife and sparkling cufflinks are draped around him. The next shop window shows two women in a similarly amorous pose, along with a necklace and a brooch - nothing more. And so it goes on along the entire shop window front of the elegant Bloor Street in Toronto.
Overnight, the refreshingly tolerant and natural campaign attracted national attention and triggered a unanimously favorable press response. Canada's largest newspaper, The Globe And Mail, even highlighted the campaign with a front-page lead and a report inside the paper, multiplying the impact of the shop windows enormously.
"Birks is trying to break out of the conservative mindset," explains Mary Olivier, manager at the jewelry company, "but not in a shocking way. This campaign is about real people, it's about real communication."
Those directly approached reacted with delight. "It's really nice to see that a more traditional jewelry store like Birks is now starting to think about something that Canadian society has long accepted," explains Dirk Gallagher, a representative of the gay community in Toronto, "let's treat all Canadians equally!"
Henry Birks & Sons is Canada's oldest jewelry store. In the early nineties, the somewhat dusty house was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy and was then sold to the Italian holding company Iniziativa Regaluxe, which triggered restructuring and a strong push for innovation.
Birks is now making a name for itself as a trendsetter in expensive luxury jewelry. As the manager explains, the clientele has become much younger in recent years; the main age group is now between 34 and 54, Mary Olivier notes.
A completely new image for the jewelry industry
Gay-themed marketing and advertising is nothing new in Canada, but for gold and gemstones, this campaign is a first in the North American country. As a small survey by The Globe and Mail showed, some viewers surprisingly identified the male couple as father and son. And one passer-by commented: "I see two good friends, certainly not lesbians!"
Mary Olivier finds it all exciting: "You see what you want to see." Incidentally, the Birks decorators left one escape route open. The displays can be rotated as required: a mother and child or an older couple can be seen on the back of the hearts. With matching jewelry, of course.
