MUZO

CASE STUDY

Developing a mine-to-market strategy for the finest emeralds in the world

CHALLENGE

The emeralds extracted from the Muzo mine in Colombia are some of the finest emeralds in the world, owing to their unique beauty and history.  Our client Muzo Worldwide was looking to build a new brand named after the mine and its storied heritage. We were retained to develop and implement a branding strategy of the launch of Muzo as a mine-to-market purveyor of fine emeralds, to convey its significance, and create awareness of its sustainable practice, ethical sourcing and fair treatment of workers. The goal was to drive demand for Muzo emeralds amongst leading high-end jewelry brands, investors and lovers of fine gems.

OUR WORK

We developed a targeted program of media relations and special events, starting with an unforgettable press adventure to Colombia. A select group of Italian and Swiss journalists travelled to Bogota for a six-day discovery of the Muzo mines. They were flown by helicopter to the emerald mines in the Andes for a full of day of on-site exploration, going down into the mines at depths of 80m or more, observing actual miners at work, and seeing first-hand Muzo’s modernised technology, improved security and working conditions. Another day was spent at Muzo’s workshops in Bogota, where the exceptional craftsmanship and expertise of the company’s local emerald cutters was showcased.

We launched Muzo’s new fine jewelry collection at an exclusive media event during Haute Couture week in Paris. At that event, we presented Muzo’s exceptional selection of mined emeralds, as well as the company’s first fine jewellery collection developed in collaboration with talented international designers including Selim Mouzannar, Shaun Leane, Solange Azagury-Partridge and Elie Top. The main brand launch was organised at the Baselworld watch and jewelry fair, where we promoted the Muzo story through one-on-one meetings with journalists and a special evening event in Basel which generated high-impact visibility. We also managed a strategic advertising campaign highlighting Muzo’s ethical standards in selected publications which ranged from trade to high-end lifestyle. Our campaign secured a significant number of high-profile brand features and collaboration requests from jewelry house and brands.

RESULTS

We succeeded in generating significant and story-rich multi-channel media coverage, including numerous and ongoing high impact brand features in key target publications. Muzo’s collaboration with Selim Mouzannar in particular was a great success: his ‘Amal’ necklace, which incorporated fifty-five of Muzo’s stunning emeralds, won top prize in the ‘Best in Coloured Gemstones’ category at the prestigious Couture Design Awards in Las Vegas, regarded as the “Oscars” of the jewellery industry. That recognition generated excellent media coverage, further raising the profile of Muzo as a brand and increasing demand. We also secured awareness of Muzo’s sustainability programs, fair treatment of workers and the provenance and traceability of gems.

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