Swarovski is Advertising a $60 Crystal Bracelet on Craigslist's 'Missed Connections' Pages The intention behind the odd marketing move, an exec claims, is to bring the storied crystal maker back down to earth.
By Geoff Weiss
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
If potential love matches slip through the cracks of Craigslist's Missed Connections pages -- where users frequently attempt to reconnect after miscarried chance encounters -- perhaps this conciliatory token is the next best thing.
In an odd move for a luxury brand, Austrian glassmaker Swarovski has turned to Craigslist's quasi-personal ads section to place two listings in both New York and Philadelphia. Each sounds like a love letter clumsily laced with marketing copy.
"While we weren't exactly at [coffee shop] La Colombe, we bet you looked super cute," reads the Philadelphia listing. "We also think you'd look pretty amazing in a little something sparkly. Maybe like a Swarovski Stardust Bracelet?"
Related: Tumblr's Ad Strategy: We Want the Guys Who Make Super Bowl Ads
The New York blurb calls out the exact same product. "Who can resist a girl that's got the confidence to scope the Missed Connections? Not us. In all realness, we bet you were looking fab. We also bet you like your sparkle with a little edge. Right? Maybe something like the new Swarovski Stardust Bracelet?"
While Craigslist may sound like a decidedly low-brow match for Swarovski, an executive has now come forward to claim credit for the ads, explaining that their intention was to bring the storied crystal maker down to earth.
"[This activity is] all designed to help dispel the notion that Swarovski is only for red carpet moments and special occasions," Steve Red, the CCO of Swarkovski's ad agency, told Business Insider. "We hope we'll pleasantly surprise some curiously intrigued women on Missed Connections, and that they'll sparkle a little bit more the next time they catch someone's eye."
And Swarovski is doing its part to spread the love. A handful of women who responded to the ad in both New York and Philadelphia were gifted with the $60 bracelets, according to Business Insider.
Related:
