Three celebrities will serve as the faces of palladium jewelry and extol the benefits of the metal.
International fashion photographer Sante D’Orazio, known for
snapping racy shots of beautiful celebrities, has taken on a new assignment
with the Palladium Alliance International in which the jewelry—not the starlets—will serve as the steamy focal point.
The project kicked off in mid June, when Toledo, Ohio’s Fruchtman Marketing—which developed and is responsible for
launching the new media campaign to promote palladium jewelry—organized a day-long photo shoot at Milk Studios in Los Angeles with D’Orazio and Pamela Anderson, Kelly Osbourne, and Rose McGowan, star of the upcoming film Conan the Barbarian (due out Aug. 19). All starlets wore palladium jewelry designs by Todd Reed, Andrew Meyer, and Zeghani.
The celebrities chosen for the ads help extol the virtues
of palladium jewelry—a durable, lightweight, and pure white precious metal that
is also an affordable member of the platinum group of metals—through their
active lifestyles, often requiring them “to take a daytime look to an evening
event,” according to Ellen Fruchtman, president.
“Each celebrity represents a different style, and holds a
position of style authority in Hollywood,” Fruchtman added. “We also
acknowledge that all three celebrities make a conscious effort to stay
physically fit and look for jewelry they can wear throughout their busy days.”
The campaign includes print and online ads, and
social media efforts, in trade and consumer publications, the latter including 64
insertions, slated through 2012, in Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, The
Knot, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, InStyle, People StyleWatch, and W. Totaling
$8 million, the campaign is the largest in the history of the precious metal.
PAI is sponsored by Stillwater Mining Company, the only producer of palladium
in the United States, according to Fruchtman. However, she notes, “The campaign
is not simply about the dollars that are being spent, but rather the strategic
way the dollars are being allocated” through marketing, PR, education, and
technical training. What’s more, social media outreach will include
contests and sweepstakes to drive traffic to a micro site. “The idea is to
create an immersive educational experience that is fun,” says Fruchtman.
Additionally, PAI—which was founded in 2006, but retracted
some marketing dollars as the economic crisis worsened—will relaunch
its existing website. It will provide a resource to both consumers and the
trade by featuring designers who work with palladium, and links to their sites,
allowing consumers to locate the retailer nearest them. The new site will also provide
facts and benefits about palladium, and house education and technical training
for retailers, designers, and manufacturers. The social media sites and updated
PAI website will launch mid-August. According to Fruchtman, PAI decided to
relaunch efforts “after studying the current economy and the rising price of
both gold and platinum.”
Retailers will benefit through the heightened awareness for
the metal, and so will designers participating in the paid sponsorship program.
These, say Fruchtman, will not only be featured in ads, “but will also have the
opportunity to be featured in New York and Los Angeles showrooms and in various
public relations opportunities, including celebrity dressing and exclusive red
carpet events. In fact, we just dressed Kelly Osbourne in palladium jewelry for
the Miss USA pageant.”
Additional campaign opportunities still exist; contact Fruchtman Marketing for details.
Photo courtesy of the Palladium Alliance International
Behind the scenes at the Palladium Alliance International photo shoot and media campaign
Photo courtesy of the Palladium Alliance International
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