The Most Successful Marketing Campaign Has Toyed With People’s Emotions Since 1948

It was 2015. My now-husband and I had been together for five years and I knew that marriage wasn’t far behind.

So how does any girl prepare for a marriage proposal?

Shop for rings, of course.

I scoured the internet and stores looking for the perfect ring. I must have spent hours looking for that perfect little accessory that would fulfill all my societal and emotional needs.

Diamonds Mean True Love… or so We Were Made to Believe

I read a lot about diamonds and gemstones when I was trying to choose the perfect sparkler for my tiny finger. I wanted something different, perhaps an emerald cut, and it didn’t even have to be a diamond.

It was during my time of research that I came across how diamonds came to be the symbol of true love and adoration.

Diamonds were a rarity up until the 1800s. Then in the latter half of the 19th century, the diamond rush hit South Africa and the market was flooded with diamonds.

Supply exceeded demand.

The mining companies couldn’t have this. They merged their companies and De Beers Mining Company came to be. A monopoly of the diamond industry was created. Diamonds were sold as luxury items, and this strategy worked in their favor for a few decades. However, a worldwide decline in diamond prices led De Beers to rethink their strategy.

So in 1938, they hired an advertising agency, N.W. Ayer. And they thought of the most brilliant and ingenious marketing scheme (cough, I mean idea) known to man and woman.

They figured out how to turn a rock into something more when, in 1948, a copywriter by the name of Frances Gerety presented the tagline “Diamonds are Forever,” much like your love for one another.

Everyone wants love in their life. They want to love someone and have this feeling of intense passion returned. They want their love to last forever. The ability to equate a shiny rock to eternal bliss is a talent, and Gerety’s creativity and ingenuity deserves to be applauded.

After that, a diamond ring became the symbol of forever love.

Playing to the Human Condition

The human condition has remained the same for centuries. A few things that humans have always competed for, in no particular order:

Status.

Money.

Love.

This marketing strategy played perfectly to the fundamentals of our inherent and learned values. We want all the above and more.

Diamonds are now seen as a critical part of a successful and happy relationship. Men are told that the “larger and finer the diamond, the greater expression of love” (Farnam Street).

The price

How much should a diamond cost, or rather, how much is your dream girl worth to you?

About two months’ salary, or so this ad says.

And it started with an advertising campaign:

The ad goes on to say:

“You can’t look at Jane and tell me she’s not worth 2 months’ salary. I mean just look at her. So I wanted to get her a diamond engagement ring that said exactly that, ‘Just look.’ I’d found out that a good spending guideline today is about 2 months’ salary. That got me the biggest and best diamond I could afford, without breaking my budget. Now the only thing that other men ask her is, “When’s the wedding day?”

I mean look at her. Cutting your food bill in half until you’re able to save two months’ worth of salary is a small sacrifice compared to her hand in marriage.

Now, 63 years later, two months is still the written rule and still being followed, although I’ve heard three months is the norm now.

The competition

When I got engaged, the first thing people said to me was “Let’s see the ring.” When I respond by saying I don’t have one, their initial response is one of shock and disappointment. My cousin’s response when she saw my sister’s huge engagement ring was to yell her husband’s name.

People are curious and also competitive. Comparing ourselves to our neighbors is natural, especially when it comes to big shiny objects. When it comes to diamond rings, first comes love then comes size.

The Ads Are Geared Towards Men

We often associate diamonds to women, and while diamonds may be a girl’s “best friend”, men are the ones who spend the cash. Looking at the ads, it’s no surprise that the ads are geared and worded to pull at the heartstrings of men and not women.

Not only can diamonds get you the girl of your dreams, but it can also get you out of big trouble. They probably make billions a year just from that.

“Please Don’t Get Me a Ring”

I spent a lot of time looking at rings. More than I’d like to admit. After a few weeks, I sat my now-husband down and said, “Please don’t get me a ring.”

He was a little shocked at first but he did what any man would do in his position. He listened. At first, he thought I was lying. I mean, why wouldn’t he think that when ads like this are forever ingrained in his mind:

If a woman says she doesn’t want a diamond, completely disregard her feelings and get her one anyway. She’s lying and doesn’t know what she wants.

Anyways, I actually had to repeat myself a few times to make sure he got the message.

And we’re much happier for it. While some women never take their rings off, I’m one of those who would never have the ring on. I barely wear my wedding ring as it is.

Even though I decided to forego the ring that many women dream about, that didn’t prevent me from wasting precious time looking for one.

I fell into the trap of the keeping up with the Joneses mentality. We naturally want what our neighbors have and if we can’t have that, we want something bigger and better. It also doesn’t help that we all want to show off a little, and what better way to do that than with a giant diamond on our finger?

More than that, we want something to symbolize our love for each other and that’s what De Beers made the diamond out to be — a symbol of everlasting love.

It’s easy to get caught up in the frenzy, but I’m glad I stopped myself before my husband dropped a few thousand dollars on a ring.

Although I can’t appreciate the beauty of a diamond, I can certainly appreciate the strength of a well-crafted tagline.

This article was originally published on Medium.com