There are a multitude of advertising agencies in every city throughout the USA. There are but a handful or full service jewelry marketing firms specializing in the jewelry industry. Out of those few, only one takes a strategic approach to your business. We’re not a firm just specializing in print, or TV, or radio, or websites. We’re a firm specializing in getting your business from point A to point Z. We are full service, with an internal team of professionals who design, program, produce, and do it all. But all of that is secondary. What we do is develop a strategy and build a plan. What we do is talk to you about your goals and objectives. Then we work within your budget to provide a clear path to grow your business. Ultimately, isn’t that what it’s all about?
We have worked with Fruchtman Marketing now for a number of years. If there is one thing we can say, it is a true marketing partnership in every way. Their service level is second to none. They are attentive to our needs. To put it in a word, we just gel. We’ve made a lot of smart decisions in our business over the years, and hiring them is one. —Cindy & Slade Lewis Jewelers Houston, TX
Success comes with taking a hard look at your business and understanding where you currently are, where you want to be, and most importantly, what sets you apart from the sea of other businesses in your competitive space. It’s called brand positioning. And, it’s something you clearly have to determine prior to developing any creative and media strategy. It’s a big part of what we do. In fact, it’s step number one.
It always comes down to money. And, it should. There are certainly guidelines to follow when you set a marketing budget. But there are also variables. Are you new in your marketplace? Are you in an expensive media market? Are you trying to establish yourself as the leader? Or are you looking to simply have your fair share of voice? Consider all of the above, when you set the number. Also consider going to sleep at night. It should play a part in determining the number. Once established, we will set a yearly budget with all projects taken into consideration. Of course nothing is set in stone. But you will have a roadmap to follow and you will be many months ahead of the game.
We understand your business inside and out. So there is no learning curve. Being in the jewelry industry since 1994 also means we understand your customer. If you’re a retailer, we have a keen understanding of the luxury buyer. If you’re a manufacturer, designer or wholesaler, we understand the other end of the spectrum, because we work with your customer. You can find us at industry shows such as the Centurion Jewelry Show and JCK Las Vegas. Our industry insight has also made us sought-after speakers at various industry events. We author articles and are quoted in National Jeweler, JCK Magazine, INSTORE, and The Centurion Newsletter month after month. Very often, we’re communicating industry news prior to our clients knowing that news themselves. We love when that happens.
We’re not in your city. But, you’d never know it. There are clients that hear from us to some degree daily or weekly depending on the project load. There are regularly scheduled, formal meetings with your marketing team including an agenda and follow-up and a comprehensive conference report. You don’t just own a loupe, you’re in the loop.
For full-service clients, we begin the relationship with visiting your market — typically with two to three people from your team. We get to see the store, meet your staff, review our very in-depth questionnaire, and secure all the information we need to build the strategy. Occasionally, we’ll even secret shop the competition. If necessary, we will also meet with all media representatives.
Don’t leave your important media planning to a novice. When we begin a buy with a client, we start with your goals and objectives in mind. Then we do our homework, researching the desired audience and market to determine the best buy for your budget. We negotiate with all of our media vendors to secure the best rate and added value to maximize our clients’ marketing messages.
Once our buys are placed with your approval, our vendors countersign our orders to ensure acceptance of our agreements. We review and analyze the campaigns post-buy and approve any makegoods necessary. Every media vendor invoice submitted to us is audited for accuracy and discrepancies are negotiated prior to final billing and payment. In this way, you can rest assured that your media buy is in the best hands, ultimately saving you money and so much time.
Although not mandatory, most of our retail clients participate in a yearly review at our office in October. Why then, when only eight months have gone by? We are always working well into the future. In October, we’re finalizing plans for first quarter the following year! It’s also the perfect time for a final discussion on Q4 in addition to reviewing each and every project completed for the year. What worked? What didn’t work? What can we all do better? We review budgets and store numbers. It’s a solid day of getting in-depth with your business along with education on current and upcoming trends in marketing (and the jewelry business). The best part? Hearing about the big ideas in store for the next year. It’s a little thing we call Fruchtman University.