De Beers, Your Desperateness Is Showing: What Happens When Western Luxury Meets Indian Sentiment – and Misses the Mark!!

Yesterday was Friendship Day, and very soon it’ll be Raksha Bandhan – that ever-resonant Indian celebration of love between brothers and sisters. Festivals like these are sacred, emotional... and yes, highly monetizable. And as always, brands want to climb onto the gravy train – chasing eyeballs, engagement, and, of course, money moolah. Fogg tried the brother-sister track for the first time. But not to be left behind, the elephant in the diamond room – De Beers – made its move too.

Nostalgia or Strategy?

Yesterday, De Beers unveiled its “Best from Bestie” campaign – in vintage black-and-white sepia tones, aiming to tap into the nostalgia of old-school friendship. But look closer, and you’ll see the play is deeper.

DeBeers tried it all. Gifting a diamond on the birth of a baby, Daughter getting a diamond from her  Father, Lovers for ever strategy and even a daring I, Me myself tack where a woman can gift herself a diamond! 

De Beers has long tried to crack the Indian market, but with limited success. India remains gold-obsessed, and De Beers’ "diamond forever" proposition hasn’t quite struck gold. Their previous “father-daughter gifting” angle fizzled – mostly because, let’s face it, in Indian households, gifting control lies with the mother. Dad is just a debit card. Or now, a UPI app.

So what next? Shift the lens. Enter: friendship day meets Raksha Bandhan gifting – with a 35+ women-centric campaign that walks a very thin line between intimate friendship and coded lesbian overtones.

Target Missed?

Of course, the LGBTQ+ audience might feel seen – and that’s a win. But what about the general consumer? The average Indian family watching ETV Win – a bastion of traditional entertainment – is left confused or worse, alienated. And then there’s the Western couple shown in the campaign. Aspirational? Possibly. Relevant to Indian gifting dynamics? That’s debatable.

The question isn’t whether the campaign is inclusive or bold. The real question is: Who is it for? Why push a message that doesn’t align with the behaviors, beliefs, or spending patterns of the core consumer base?

Final Thought

Some might accuse me of reading too much into an ad. But isn't that what an academician, researcher and a marketing blogger is supposed to do? Ask the uncomfortable questions, open the debate, and push brands to think deeper than surface-level sentiment? Because nostalgia may sell, but misplaced messaging? That’s a harder gem to polish.

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Keywords: De Beers India marketing strategy, Raksha Bandhan gifting trends 2025, Friendship Day brand campaigns India, Diamond vs gold consumer preferences India, De Beers Best from Bestie campaign analysis,  LGBTQ+ representation in Indian advertising, Luxury branding cultural misalignment, How Western brands fail in Indian markets, Diamond gifting traditions in India, Consumer behavior in Indian jewelry market, Indian cultural festivals and marketing campaigns, Emotional marketing gone wrong in India, Gender roles in Indian advertising, Inclusive advertising in conservative societies, UPI and digital payments in family gifting,  Marketing to Indian women 35+ demographic, ETV Win audience and ad targeting mismatch, Advertising campaigns with hidden meanings, Best advertising fails Raksha Bandhan 2025, How global brands adapt (or don’t) to Indian values, Nostalgia-based marketing in Indian festivals, Consumer backlash to misaligned messaging, De Beers ad controversy 2025, Father-daughter gifting trope in Indian ads, Social commentary on Rakhi advertising

Operation Sindoor: The Name, the logo, the Message, A Masterstroke!!!

We’re not going to talk about the airstrikes here — let’s focus purely on the name and the logo of the operation. And I must say, the Indian Armed Forces have done a fantastic job on both fronts. First, take a look at the background colour — black. Black is traditionally the colour of protest, and in this context, it symbolically conveys that India is mourning the Pahalgam attack. Subtle, but powerful.

Now, the name — Operation Sindoor — is just as symbolic. If you visualise the map of India as a lady, then Jammu and Kashmir would be her forehead — and Sindoor is traditionally applied there. That alone makes the name rich in meaning.

It is also worth mentioning that the operation is dedicated to those unfortunate women who lost their life partners (Sindoor). The colour of Sindoor is the same as the sindoor that Hindu married women wear in their hair to symbolize their marital status. And when a lady loses her husband, she no longer wears the sindoor,    

But there’s more. "Sindoor" also subtly links to "Sindhu", the Sanskrit name for the Indus River. So, in a not-so-subtle way, the name also points towards the Indus Water Treaty, which India had previously put on hold. It’s a quiet reminder, but a strategic one.

All in all, a brilliantly designed logo and an even smarter name — one that really resonates with the public and frames the situation in exactly the right light.

Keywords:  Operation Sindoor, Indian Army, Pahalgam Attack, Indus Water Treaty, Sindoor Symbolism, India Map, Jammu And Kashmir, Protest Color, Black Symbolism, Military Naming, Strategic Messaging, Sindhu River, Indus River, Defense Strategy, Emotional Resonance, Military Logo Design, Symbolic War Names, India Strikes Back, Public Sentiment.

Hashtags:#OperationSindoor#IndianArmy#PahalgamAttackm#IndusWaterTreaty #SindoorSymbolism#IndiaMap#JammuAndKashmir#ProtestColor#BlackSymbolism #MilitaryNaming#StrategicMessaging#SindhuRiver#IndusRiver#DefenseStrategy #EmotionalResonance#NationalMourning#MilitaryLogoDesign#SymbolicWarNames #IndiaStrikesBack #PublicSentiment

The world most beautiful game - Football and Ethiopia - Made for each other - Ethiopian Journey - Blog Post no - 20

Ethiopian Kids Playing Football

But the game that all the Ethiopians love is Football. For the slim built Ethiopians, playing football comes naturally. They play with anything including cloth rags rounded up as a ball. They can play football continuously and with great élan.  It was a truly fascinating seeing the agility, the body feints and dodges. Football and Africans are made for each other.

Waiting to Get inside 

The passion for football cuts across all demographics like age, class, ethnicity and gender. Ethiopia at that time in 2002 had a magic wand that made it popular with the football crazy Bahirdar residents. Ethiostar had a dish antennae that could beam Super Sports channel. 

EPL, English Premier League

Super Sports has the rights to beam live EPL (English Premiership league) matches. English Premiership League is an England based soccer league that features world class football stars who play for legendary football clubs. EPL is the 4^th most watched sports league in the world.  EPL matches are usually played on Saturday, Sunday and sometimes on Thursday.

IPL, Indian Premier League

According to the same post IPL (Indian Premier League) stands sixth in the list of most watched sports leagues in the world. And Indians should be proud of the fact that IPL is only ten years old whereas the other sports leagues have had a head start. If sheer number of people watching the sport on Television is taken as measure, IPL would be head and shoulder above the other leagues.  Millions of viewers watch matches across India and in many other countries. Many leading cricket players from other countries play in IPL and this had generated lot of spectator interest for IPL across the world.

One advantage India has is its population. Only China could have given it a run for its money. But China has wisely opted out of the race. India very soon will have the dubious distinction for being the most populous country in the world.

The per capita income of Ethiopians in 2000 was around three birr/day. That is slightly less than eighteen rupees. But most poor and underprivileged, earned between one and two birr per day. Before we all become teary eyed and sentimental, let us look at hard facts.

Let me work out the math for you. One birr had lot of purchasing power (one birr = 100 santims). For sixty santims one could get an Injira, fifteen santims could buy a Shai and at the end of the day with the 25 santims remaining, one could buy a glass of Talla (a yellow frothy ethnic Ethiopian beer)! Not bad!

So from an Ethiopian view point, a birr is a lot of money. On Saturday and Sunday, the locals come in hordes to Ethiostar. They dress nattily and are in joyous mood. They pay two birr (that is their one day salary) and get into the dining area and settle into the chairs. They patiently wait for an event that they anticipated for an entire week. Then the TV set flicks on and their favourite EPL match comes on - and it is LIVE. They start screaming, hollowing and enjoying themselves. This continues for the entire duration of the match.