Diamond manufacturing centres and trading hubs have pledged to support category marketing efforts by the Natural Diamond Council (NDC) to rekindle consumer demand for natural diamonds.

During the final session of the Dubai Diamond Conference on November 11, the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC) and India's Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC) said they would start looking into funding NDC campaigns to promote the natural diamond dream. They were later joined by the Israel Diamond Institute, with more trade bodies expected to follow suit.

Several speakers at the conference had earlier stressed the importance of storytelling and highlighting to consumers the good that diamonds do. NDC President David Kellie however pointed to the challenges of bringing the message to market. As consumer press often resisted such story angles, this required investment in paid advertising. NDC’s marketing budget is severely limited, especially since Alrosa left the group. Kellie said major US retailers’ budgets for single campaigns easily exceeded NDC funds for global marketing.

“De Beers used to take on the role of consumer marketing. We are resting on the laurels of what De Beers had created. It is time to get serious about global category marketing,” Kellie said.

Industry organisations agreed to look into supplementing NDC's marketing budget moving forward. GJEPC Executive Director Sabyasachi Ray noted that India had spearheaded generic diamond marketing by approaching miners in 2008 to establish the Diamond Producers Association. 

With the Kimberley Process celebrating its 25th anniversary next year, the time is ripe to reinvigorate the diamond trade and bring the diamond dream to new consumers, said AWDC CEO Karen Rentmeesters. “We ask that we keep it simple, keep it straightforward and make it implementable across countries,” she said.

According to DMCC Special Advisor for Precious Stones Martin Leake, while the plan is still in the early stages, the trade recognises the need for a fair and equitable mechanism to support a global marketing effort so the NDC can have a war chest for high-level category marketing. "We have started the conversation to bring this about," he told JNA.

Botswana is likewise committed to the concept. Mmetla Masira, managing director of Okavango Diamond Company, said they had recently joined the NDC. “We want to put our money where our mouth is. And I am only the fourth largest diamond-producing country. Imagine what can be done if we all participated in this effort,” he said. “There is no point in spending to market our company or our country. The consumers must first decide to buy diamonds before anything else can happen.”

Kellie noted that everyone who invests in the NDC will have representation over what the council does.

He told JNA this was the first time that the diamond trade had agreed to help fund category marketing. “They have pledged their support and now will need to work out how to provide the necessary funds. It is a big step forward for the natural diamond cause,” he said.