For David Yurman’s latest campaign, the team wanted to shake things up.
The luxury jewelry brand tapped Sofia Richie Grainge as the face and opted to feature a single hero collection, called Sculpted Cable. Sculpted Cable was soft-launched in the spring as a bid for younger clientele and became a top-selling collection during the launch period. The Richie Grainge campaign kicked off in September. Since debuting in the 1980s, the David Yurman brand has sold over 1 million units of its signature Cable design. David Yurman does not disclose revenue, but a May 2022 story in Forbes stated that the company was on track to double sales revenue by the end of 2022, compared to 2019. E-commerce was expected to grow by 150% in the same time period.
Shot at the Kellogg Doolittle House in Joshua Tree, Calif., the campaign imagery shows Richie Grainge wearing multiple David Yurman rings, earrings and stackable bracelets as she quietly traverses the property. The glinting sun and atmospheric nature sounds add a layer of earthly sensuality to the otherwise soft glam campaign video. The campaign was distributed through videos and static imagery posted across social media channels, including Instagram and TikTok. David Yurman also invested in Meta, out-of-home and print ads, leveraged earned media through influencers, and invested in media outreach.
Notably, Sculpted Cable sales over-indexed with female buyers who were purchasing for themselves, according to the brand. Cable designs, which encompass bracelets, earrings, necklaces and rings, represent more than 20% of David Yurman’s annual revenue in the women’s category, and they’re projected to grow to a third of the women’s portfolio over the next several years.
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While David Yurman may not use the phrase “quiet luxury” in its marketing copy, the concept is nearly synonymous with other phrases used by Carolyn Dawkins, CMO of David Yurman, like “American relaxed luxury” and “timeless design.” And although Sofia Richie Grainge may not be the exact embodiment of quiet luxury — her wedding in April was an extravagant affair bedecked in everything Chanel — she has an unfussy social media presence. She may wear plenty of designer duds and share social posts about fancy dinner parties, but arguably, it doesn’t come across as flaunting due to her refined attitude. That appeal has helped her reach over 10.9 million Instagram followers and 3.4 million TikTok followers. Since the splashy April affair, Richie Grainge has ascended to being one of the most sought-after social media personalities, working with Jo Malone, Glossier and Prada Beauty.
“David Yurman embodies everything that I’m trying to express with my aesthetic with how I dress and want to feel, which for me is timeless and elegant,” said Richie Grainge. “This campaign is about paving your own way: being confident, taking direction and being the leader of your own pack.”
Since the campaign launched in early September, David Yurman has seen a 46% increase in its follower growth rate on Instagram, where it now has 605,000 followers. Additionally, the initial campaign video post ranked in the top four organic posts on David Yurman’s Instagram, garnering over 119,000 likes and 257 comments. Compared to the period prior, David Yurman has experienced a 3x increase in traffic to DavidYurman.com since the campaign’s launch. In addition, it has experienced a 20% boost in earned media value, compared to the launch of its spring 2023 campaign with Scarlett Johansson. Dawkins declined to share investment figures for the campaign. Richie Grainge shared the campaign on her Instagram and TikTok, and has continued to call out that she’s wearing David Yurman pieces in her content.
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“As a team, we had the right strategy,” said Dawkins. “We understood the consumer and the product opportunity for that consumer and the go-to-market strategy. It reinforces how clearly we unlocked insights and a powerful strategy for our consumer.”
Dawkins noted that consumers are approaching jewelry differently than in recent memory. For example, newer customers are putting more emphasis on finding a signature item they can wear for a long period of time. She said this is likely due, in part, to different values being prioritized during an economically uncertain period — people are shopping for items they trust will last them longer in both form and function. Customers are also purchasing from one collection at a time before moving on to explore others. As such, a single-product message and focus in marketing can offer a stronger narrative for David Yurman and a purer moment of customer excitement. Partnering with people like Richie Grainge with cultural relevancy is also a key insight the brand will focus on going forward.
“When we build familiarity with our existing consumers through our collections, we create so much engagement and loyalty and can bring that consumer closer to the brand,” she said. “We’re using that insight to attract our next generation of consumers and bring to life collections that have the greatest appeal and stand the test of time.”
