Robbins Diamonds Rocks Into High Gear and High-Tech With New Ad Campaign

Robbins Diamonds Rocks Into High Gear and High-Tech With New Ad Campaign

From Animation to Streaming Radio, Cable Interconnect to Web, Region's Diamond Specialist Takes to the Airwaves in a New Way for a New Generation

PHILADELPHIA, March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Robbins Diamonds is rockin' on -- right into a new generation. Merging memorable images and sounds with new media technology, Robbins Diamonds, the top-rated Diamond specialist in the region and one of only a handful of Bridal Jewelry specialists in the country, is taking the zeitgeist of the 70s into the high-tech millennium with the launch of a broad-based new advertising campaign. Breaking new ground for the company on all fronts -- from utilizing heavy TV coverage for the first time, to becoming one of the first advertisers to take advantage of radio streaming capability, to building visibility on select Internet sites -- the campaign, which launches this week, focuses the company's brand messaging around its most recognizable icon -- CEO Jerry Robbins, a.k.a. -- "the guy with the diamond in his beard." Only now, Robbins is Rockin' with a whole new twist.

Indelibly etched into the public consciousness when Robbins created his "Robbins Rocks!" jingles with The Dovells back in the 70s, the concept has been transformed into a high-tech, high-resolution animation, with a series of :10 and :15 second spots that feature "Li'l Jerry" with and without The Dovells singing backup. Written and produced by the senior Robbins and his son Gordon, the spots use humor to drive their message home -- as the area's only Bridal jewelry specialist, Robbins offers the largest selection of engagement, wedding and diamond anniversary rings in the Greater Philadelphia Region.

Says CEO Jerry Robbins, "We're very excited about our shift from an emphasis on radio to TV. We've come to the realization that our `brand' is `The guy with the diamond in his beard.' That image, together with our jingles, are what people remember about Robbins Diamonds. And that necessity for a visual medium spurred the shift to TV. We wanted to create something fun and unique and visual that would support our brand and that people would remember. I've been `the guy with the diamond in his beard' for 30 years. Now, with the animated character, I get to keep going and stay young all at the same time!"

Targeting a male 25-34 demographic, the television buy covers the Greater Philadelphia broadcast market, as well as Comcast Spotlight (the Philadelphia Interconnect) for the cable portion, enabling the company to reach the entire Philadelphia DMA, similar to broadcast television, without buying individual stations. Comcast Spotlight reaches over 1,900,000 homes across 9 counties -- 87% of all cable households and 71% of all TV homes in the market. The expansion into high-tech and new media also includes radio -- specifically, significant streaming commitments with WIP-AM (610 - Sports Talk) in Philadelphia as well as WHFS-FM in Baltimore (105.7 FREE FM), making the company one of the first advertisers to capitalize on the newest avenue to reach radio listeners. In addition, the buy includes an endorsement deal with Jody McDonald on WPEN-AM (the new Sports Talk 950) -- here again, Robbins is one of the first advertisers to take advantage of this new station and McDonald's huge following in the Philadelphia market -- as well as exclusive jewelry endorsements and product placement with the "Free Beer and Hot Wings" show on 97.5 "The Hawk" (WTHK Trenton), and endorsements with WMMR's Pierre Robert. The total value of the buy, which was handled by MayoSeitz Media, is approximately $1.6 million.

So where did the concept of wearing a diamond in his beard originate? According to Jerry Robbins, it was a fortuitous accident. After seeing an article in National Jeweler magazine for a unique piece of men's jewelry called a "Beard Stud" -- a small gold disc with a 10 point diamond burnished in the center, which had been designed by the daughter of a jeweler in Long Island -- Jerry started wearing it just for fun. The rest, as they say, is history.

A privately owned family company now into its 5th generation, Robbins Diamonds has been serving the jewelry-buying community in the Greater Philadelphia area for almost a century, and can trace its roots back to 1912, when Jerry Robbins' great-uncles came to the U.S. from Russia and became jewelers. Robbins himself has been involved with the business since the age of 15. Among only a handful of jewelers across the U.S. that specialize in the Bridal Jewelry category, the company shifted its focus to diamonds -- and specifically engagement and wedding rings in the 1970s. It encompasses over 90% of the company's business, and now also includes diamond anniversary rings.

From a single jewelry store on Philadelphia's Jewelers' Row, with more than 100 other stores in one block, Robbins grew to one of the highest volume per square foot jewelry operations in the United States. Now counting 5 stores across Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware, including Center City Philadelphia (8th & Walnut Streets), Northeast Philadelphia, Hamilton Township, NJ, Broomall and Newark, Delaware, the company employs 85 people and is gearing up for its expansion into the Allentown area this spring.

A direct diamond importer and member of the Continental Buying Group, the largest diamond and jewelry-buying group in the United States, Robbins Diamonds offers the most comprehensive selection of loose diamonds in the region, and ranks among the top 3, nationally, with one of the largest selections of engagement ring settings and wedding bands.

MayoSeitz Media is the second largest and fastest growing media agency in the Greater Philadelphia area. It is also the region's first media agency to qualify and be accepted to the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA). In addition to Robbins Diamonds, key clients include Advanta, ADP, Comcast SportsNet, Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, Hatfield Quality Meats, Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, Sunoco and the Philadelphia Phillies, among several others. For additional information, visit http://www.mayoseitzmedia.com/ .

For more information on Robbins Diamonds, please call the corporate offices at 215-925-5120, or visit http://www.robbinsdiamonds.com/ . For further press information or to arrange interviews, please call Nina Zucker Associates at 610-667-0706 or nzapr@aol.com.

Source: Robbins Diamonds

CONTACT: Nina Zucker Associates, +1-610-667-0706 or nzapr@aol.com, for
Robbins Diamonds

Web site: http://www.mayoseitzmedia.com/

Web site: http://www.robbinsdiamonds.com/

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