What do the “Every kiss begins with Kay” jewelry ads have in common with the blockbuster film Avatar: The Way of Water? The same scuba team was involved in shooting memorable underwater scenes for both.
For its latest “Every Kiss” commercial, Kay Jewelers worked with Avatar’s experts to create an emotional scene where the newly engaged couple kisses and embraces underwater. Kay has refreshed its campaign using the widely known musical tagline for both the holidays and the all-important 2024 engagement season, says Erica Scott, vice president of marketing and e-commerce for Kay parent Signet Jewelers.
“People have responded very positively. They felt a connection to the stolen moments between our couple and enjoyed the dramatic shots of the underwater scenes. And they loved that we brought back our iconic jingle,” Scott says. “The ‘Every Kiss’ campaign embodies the Kay ethos, and there continues to be so much love for it.”
Kay debuted its “Every Kiss” ads in 2000, with Stern Advertising—which represented Kay at the time—developing the tagline, Scott says. Kay’s research shows this campaign strongly connects across audiences, from baby boomers and Gen Z, so updating the images and sentiments accompanying the jingle made sense, Scott says.
“When we started seeing #EveryKissBeginsWithKay being used to tag engagements across social media…we knew the right thing to do was to honor the legacy of this iconic piece of American culture,” she says.
To evolve the “Every Kiss” campaign, Kay teamed up this year with Nabil Elderkin, who has directed videos for John Legend, Dua Lipa, Kendrick Lamar, and Frank Ocean. The idea is to make romantic moments involving Kay jewelry into cinematic scenes using wide and immersive camera angles, Scott says.
“Nabil is sought-after for his ability to bring authentic love to the screen,” she says. “And that’s what we wanted for Kay—to make a stolen moment between a couple and the jewelry that marks the moment feel simply breathtaking.”
Kay recently began using real couples in its “Every Kiss” commercials to “communicate and connect with genuine love,” Scott says. “Kay isn’t just about jewelry. It’s about the people who give Kay and the people who will cherish it,” she says. “Our latest commercials capture the simple beauty of moments in love in a way that everyone can relate to.”
Top: A couple kiss after dunking in the latest “Every kiss begins with Kay” campaign, for which Kay Jewelers worked with director Nabil Elderkin to make commercials that feel more cinematic. (Photos courtesy of Kay)
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