ANALYSIS: Can jeweller's midas touch help turn garbage to gold? - Just Gold is refreshing its image in Taiwan, but the juxtaposition of jewellery and trash is a strange one, reports Glenn Smith

<p>Can garbage sell gold? A leading jeweller in Taiwan clearly </p><p>believes there's a pot of gold to be made by linking the two. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>In a marked departure from the soft focus images favoured by the </p><p>category, Just Gold has turned to garbage to provide a startling </p><p>contrast to its elegant product line. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The juxtaposition is a strange one, but it's deemed necessary. The brand </p><p>- which last year tallied sales of NTdollars 1.2 billion (USdollars 37 </p><p>million) in two Taipei stores and 14 department store boutiques - is </p><p>apparently the victim of its own success. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Rita Wang, marketing director for Just Gold, says: "We target women </p><p>between the ages of 20 and 39, but young girls look at us as very </p><p>high-end. High-end means the young segment sees us as old." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The Bates Advertising-created campaign shows an attractive young woman, </p><p>who appears to be getting ready for a date, at her dresser, choosing a </p><p>gold accessory. The scene then shifts to the curb where the woman </p><p>appears to be waiting for her date. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The clincher comes when an elderly woman calls out: "Miss, you're </p><p>dressed so beautifully for taking out the garbage?" With a knowing </p><p>smile, the young woman replies: "That's right", while the voice-over </p><p>concludes: "Beauty needs no reason." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The garbage angle is the latest in a series of unexpected scenarios </p><p>which Just Gold has thrown at Taiwanese women in the past eight </p><p>years. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Michelle Tsai, group account director of Bates Taiwan, says: "We needed </p><p>a new interpretation - a new look for the brand. The core qualities of </p><p>the brand - what we call 'Just Woman' - is unchanged. Our message is </p><p>always a challenge: stand up and be yourself. But society changes fast, </p><p>as do women's attitudes toward jewellery." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Will the latest campaign keep the jeweller in sync with shifting </p><p>perceptions? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Just Gold has proven adept in keeping in step with the market in the </p><p>past. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The weight of tradition in local gold retailing was stacked against the </p><p>new brand when it launched in Taiwan in 1993. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Back then, there were 4,000 mom-and-pop gold shops; most were located </p><p>near temples or outdoor markets. Storefronts displayed heavy gold rings </p><p>and necklaces bearing dragon and phoenix characters for longevity and </p><p>wealth, as well as statutes of Buddhist deities and astrological </p><p>signs. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Inside, on a wall behind the counter was the day's buy/sell price from </p><p>the spot market. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Taiwan was a 24 carat gold market. Gold items were sold by weight, with </p><p>a minimal mark-up for workmanship. Since 24 carat gold is too soft to </p><p>handle settings for diamonds or other gems, fashion remained a remote </p><p>second to its value as a metal. In light of these problems, it was </p><p>surprising no one had tried to brand or market gold jewellery in a </p><p>modern way. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Says Wang: "The Chinese in Taiwan love gold. It is a symbol of luck, </p><p>wealth and social position, just as it is in Hong Kong and China." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>As its namesake parent had done in Hong Kong two years earlier, Just </p><p>Gold believed it could bring a sparkle to gold retailing in Taiwan. </p><p>"What we offered was gold that was wearable," says Wang. "We had the </p><p>same modern styles that Taiwanese women shopped for in Hong Kong: </p><p>designs that an office lady could find to suit the day's outfit." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Half a year later, Just Gold had its first Taipei store. Sales hit </p><p>NTdollars 250 million in 1994, more than doubling in 1995 to dollars 680 </p><p>million. As the retailer added outlets in department stores, sales </p><p>jumped 10 per cent annually, passing the billion dollar milestone last </p><p>year, in a market worth dollars 40 billion. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Key to the company's success is its advertising. Recalling its first </p><p>campaign in the spring of 1994, Wang says: "We needed impact so we went </p><p>with a celebrity. Faye Wong typified the modern woman - someone unafraid </p><p>to be herself." The China-born singer was deemed perfect for </p><p>communicating Just Gold's core brand value of being 'Just Woman', a </p><p>tagline that works better in Chinese. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The 1994 and later 1997 campaigns were created by Bates Hong Kong for </p><p>use in both Hong Kong and Taiwan. Visually, the 1994 TVC was simple. </p><p>Faye Wong appeared before the camera while subtitles asked: 'Do you care </p><p>about work, or about making babies? Do you want to be attractive or </p><p>intelligent? </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Do you care what others think, or do you want to be yourself?' </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"There were no answers," says Tsai of previous campaigns. "We were just </p><p>tossing out questions." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The provocative nature of these campaigns helped draw Taiwanese women to </p><p>the brand in the '90s, according to Tsai. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But in a society where women's roles are changing fast, a few years </p><p>makes a big difference. "People were beginning to see Just Gold as a </p><p>brand for the women of yesterday," Tsai adds. "We needed to attract </p><p>women aged 20 to 25, or even younger, because we sell fashion, not </p><p>premium jewellery." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Enter the garbage campaign. "Actually, you can't see a truck or a bag, </p><p>but everyone knows what is going on from the music," says Tsai. In </p><p>Taipei, sanitation trucks blare pop classics over loudspeakers. At the </p><p>time of its launch, garbage was in fact on everybody's mind. The </p><p>campaign launched two months after the start of Taipei's first - and </p><p>sometimes controversial - effort to recycle household trash. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>According to Wang, the TVC is bringing younger women to the brand. She </p><p>claimed that the campaign also enjoys strong recall. "Sometimes I'm at </p><p>one of our department store boutiques, and I overhear someone talking on </p><p>their mobile, giving directions, saying: 'You know, I'm at that </p><p>jewellery store ... the one about throwing out the garbage." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The world's oldest advertising medium is fast defining outdoor as a high </p><p>impact, low cost alternative to traditional media. the emergence of </p><p>exceptional creative work these past few years has led media magazine to </p><p>establish the asian outdoor advertising awards - rewarding work that </p><p>sets new standards for professionals in the advertising and marketing </p><p>industry through innovative thinking and effective use of the </p><p>medium. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>the asian outdoor advertising awards consists of over 20 categories, and </p><p>work from china, hong kong, japan, india, indochina, indonesia, korea, </p><p>malaysia, the philippines, singapore, taiwan and thailand will be judged </p><p>by a panel of top regional and international talent. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>we're looking for the best work you've produced - creative that takes </p><p>the outdoor medium to a higher level and reflects "thinking outside the </p><p>box". the outdoor canvas offers immense possibilities - and we're </p><p>waiting to see how well you've used it. good luck! </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>ASIAN OUTDOOR ADVERTISING AWARDS 2001 </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>a. use of conventional space individual entries </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>1 best individual poster </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>2 best use of transit advertising </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>3 best use of transport stations or terminals </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>4 best billboards/sign boards </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>5 best use of ultravision campaign entries/a campaign consists of 3 or </p><p>more entries in any one of the following categories </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>6 best use of bus advertising </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>7 best use of rail transit advertising </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>8 best use of taxi advertising </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>9 best use of transport stations </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>10 best billboards </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>b. use of non-conventional space </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>individual entries </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>1 most innovative use of outdoor media </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>2 best use of street furniture campaign entries/a campaign consists of 3 </p><p>or more entries in any one of the following categories </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>3 most innovative use of outdoor media </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>4 best use of street furniture </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>c. craft and usage/single entries only </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>1 best use of illustration </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>2 best use of photography </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>3 best use of typography </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>4 best art direction </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>5 best english copywriting </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>6 best chinese copywriting </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>d. best of the best </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>1 best campaign using conventional outdoor media </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>2 best individual piece using conventional outdoor media </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>3 best campaign using non-conventional outdoor media </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>4 best individual piece using non-conventional outdoor media </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>5 best of the best entries are encouraged for sections a, b and c. </p><p>section d cannot be entered as winners will be chosen by the judges from </p><p>the best in the other sections. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>all entries together with fees and completed entry forms should be </p><p>couriered to ms. euphen wong or ms. heidi poon/asian outdoor advertising </p><p>awards/media and marketing ltd. 6/f, phase II, ming an plaza, 8 sunning </p><p>road, causeway bay, hong kong. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>tel: (852) 2577-2628, fax: (852) 2576-9171, email: </p><p>awards@media.com.hk. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>HOW TO ENTER </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>deadline </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>entry deadline is july 13, 2001. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>PAYMENT </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>each entry should be accompanied by an entry fee of usdollars </p><p>60/hkdollars 460, and each campaign entry, usdollars 80/hkdollars 620. </p><p>cheques and bank drafts should be made payable to media & marketing ltd. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>