Jewelry Brand’s Co-Creation Initiative to Reach New Markets

Published Mar-04-13

Breakthrough:
A popular Indian jewelry brand co-creates a new line with consumers.

Company:
Tanishq, India

The Story:

Tanishq is one of India’s largest jewelry brands, primarily selling pieces to affluent women in the 40-plus age bracket. To help it reach out to a new audience of young working women it held an open innovation competition, ‘My Expression’ to co-create with consumers - its first such endeavor.

"With this campaign, we wanted to venture into a new space and reach out to a different set of consumers, the young working women - who are largely disconnected from traditional jeweler," said Sirish Chandrashekhar, senior marketing manager, Tanishq.

New Market Opportunities

Tanishq wanted to create an entirely new jewelry category. In India at least, working women who are in their late twenties and early thirties view jewelry as a serious product for formal or special occasions.

This way of thinking can limit a jewelry company's business growth. Hence the need to develop everyday jewelry that women can wear to work.

To carve out a new niche, Tanishq needed to get the ideas and input of its customers. Although the contest targeted women in the 25-35 age group, ideas were welcome from everyone, including men.

The company tapped into the zeitgeist, the desire for consumers to be more involved in the products they buy. Tanishq’s view of their average customer is that she has lots of ideas, wants to have a say in everything, and demands two-way communication.

Popular Contest

Participants had to submit ideas for the company’s new Working Women’s line, ‘Mia’. An online platform was set up to receive ideas in text, photo and video form.

The contest received more than 3,200 submissions which attracted more than 40,000 votes. Inspiration for the jewelry concepts came from nature, history, and architecture among other sources.

The top ideas were then adjudicated by a panel of three judges who based their decisions on originality of the idea, ease of manufacturability and how it would fit in with the company’s brand.

Ten winners were selected and they were each awarded INR 100,000 (approx. $USD 1,800). The second part of their prize was to co-create the Mia collection along with Tanishq's designers.

The winning ideas included:

• The Magic Ring by Madhumita Roy – a gold linked ring that can expand into a
  bracelet and even further into an armlet.


• Intro-extro by Aesha Dedhia – a pair of earrings inspired by a colorful light lamp.


• Eleadora by Abhisek Basak – a dynamic pendant where multiple rings fit inside
  each other. The idea is that when they are set in motion they rotate like planets
  and moons. The piece is constantly changing its design and form.


• Rabari by Shailee – earrings inspired by the geometric jewelry worn by the
  women of the Rabari tribe of Gujarat.


• Tumbleweed by Pranitha Janet – pieces of jewelry inspired by the shape and form
  of tumbleweed.

Additional Co-Creation Benefits

By interacting closely with consumers during the course of the competition, Tanishq received valuable input and feedback about its other jewelry lines and how the brand is perceived by the public.

In addition, media coverage before, during and after the contest helped to boost the company’s profile as it reached out to new audiences.

Next Story »