GJEPC Rides Bollywood Bandwagon For Consumer Promotions

Actress & former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen at IIJW

(IDEX Online News) - Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) Vice Chairman Sanjay Kothari said that the Indian industry’s efforts to get greater visibility for diamonds and jewelry in the crowded consumer media arena were now beginning to take off. The industry’s message was going out riding on India’s idolized cinema stars.

Kothari said that the Indian industry’s specific objective was to fill the void left by De Beers when it stopped generic diamond promotions. “There are so many other products out there vying for the spare cash in the consumer’s wallet that unless we reinforce the idea of gems and jewelry being product categories that are worth spending one’s discretionary income on, we could get completely lost in the crowd,” he observed.

Kothari said that this issue was foremost in the GJEPC’s planning for the India International Jewellery Week (IIJW) that ran over the latter part of August this year. “We got print and electronic media partners for the event and we got them interested by getting all the participants to involve Bollywood stars. This combination helped us go beyond our usual business-to-business communication and reach out to the end consumer.”

The event had immediately got extensive coverage in the Times of India, one of India’s leading newspapers, because covering cinema stars almost guarantee readership.

Now, through the tie-up with the Star TV network, the industry’s promotional effort would reach the remotest corners of India as well as the Indian diaspora throughout Asia and Africa. The Star Plus TV channel is set to broadcast Jashn Sitaaron Ka (Celebrating With the Stars) on Sunday evening. Indian television viewership of all things related to cinema is always very high.