DeBeers Advertising - Case Study Example

A diamond is forever an analysis of how a single phrase redefined the value and perception of diamonds through simulation and hyper-reality in DeBeers advertising case “The simulacrum is never what hides the truth - it is truth that hides the fact that there is none. The simulacrum is true” (Ecclesiastes, cited in Baudrillard, 1994, p. 1) Introduction Observations reveal that in postmodern era extensive use of mass media and representative symbols have become an integral part of contemporary culture, where boundaries between fantasy and real world have merged, often making reality unrecognisable (Baudrillard, 1993, pp. 71-72). Mass production and photographic representation (advertisements) have modified human experience to the extent that “Irreality no longer belongs to the dream or phantasm…but to the hallucinatory resemblance of the real itself” (ibid, p. 72). In post-modern era, “reality” is identified only when it is mimeographed through cloning or simulation; while truth is interceded and manipulated in a manner where present genre of humans fail to differentiate between imaginary and real world, a condition termed as “hyper-reality” (ibid, pp.70-76). In the context of artificially creating a condition of reality, the best-known example is that of DeBeers where the tagline, “a diamond is forever” is known to have attached a false sense of value to a simple carbonated rock particle. Besides this, the De Beers advertisements also make strong use of the sign and signification concept (including the referent, the signifier and the signified), where their advertisements, instead of giving any information on the products (seen in cases associated with narrative structures and informationalisation) create meanings through various signs and symbols. Here we will find that love’s status as a basic and simple human emotion is weakened, while diamond’s position as a fake emotion is overruled through careful manipulation. Here diamonds supersede the actual human emotion of love, not because it manages to gain perfection and achieve the same characteristics of human love (which is not possible in reality), nor through the exhaustion of human love (again not possible under real circumstances), but through a cleverly manipulated simulation that coats the relationship between these two objects. In this context, the paper will examine the concept of simulation and hyper-reality, comprehend how media managed to manipulate and erase the basic line between fantasy and reality, and create a false sense of value or consumer emotion. It will also analyse the concept of sign and signification, to find out the meaning behind the signs and symbols used in the advertisements. Discussion In post-modernism (especially in the context of capitalistic economies and post-modern developed nations), hyperrealism is a concept that reveals a condition where human consciousness fails to differentiate between falsely created ‘real’ world (simulation) and actual reality (Baudrillard, 1994). In other words, hyper-reality typifies what consciousness distinguishes as "reality" in the cultural context where mass media has the power to alter incidents before presenting them to the readers/viewers. It has resulted from logically derived simulation processes, where signs, logos or phrase-words are being used with increasing frequencies to substitute real products or emotions. Symbols or catchy phrase-words that imitate reality are being made to appear as simplified and easy to recognise. They first cover and then replace the real objects or emotions, and finally end up being more ‘real’ than reality itself (ibid). Modern culture has thus turned into a substitute for reality where “everything is therefore right on the surface, absolutely superficial. There is no longer a need or requirement for depth or perspective; today, the real and the imaginary are confounded in the same operational totality, and aesthetic fascination is simply everywhere” (Baudrillard, 1976, p. 1019). According to Baudrillard as reality became increasingly hazy, ‘signs’ lost the link to their original representation (as exemplified in Warhol’s Campbell’s soup cans). Symbols and signs removed from their original meaning soon turned into copies of reproductions, while fiction and reality merged and became one (ibid). This state of hyper-reality was seen by Baudrillard as an advanced phase in the life-art where it could remove the even the smallest distinction between the false and the real and “Unreality no longer reside[d] in the dream or fantasy, or in the beyond, but in the real’s hallucinatory resemblance to itself” (1976, p. 1018). According to Baudrillard, the modern reality is ultimately defined by simulation, and hyper-reality (ibid, p. 1020). Hyperrealism is a creation of a ‘real’ model that lacks all traces of truth or reality (Baudrillard 1994). Thus, for advertisement, an event may be created and represented through mass media for viewers to see it as a ‘real’ experience, when the incident did not ‘really’ take place. Hyper-reality is significant model that explains the present consumer culture where there is a heavy dependence on interpreted signs, symbols or logos (brands). This has led to a condition where simulation of reality is bringing in fulfilment (merely based on feelings), rather than physical experiences of reality (Boje, 1995, pp. 997-1035). The notions of replacing the ‘real’ emotion of human love started during the modern era when desires that were more materialistic in form (as against real emotions) changed the nature of consumer market (Campbell, 1987). Modern consumerism, according to Campbell, is a form of hedonism where objects are presented as illusions that are acknowledged as false, though ‘felt’ to be true (like artificial sweeteners that ‘promise’ to sweeten one’s coffee). Here simply a feeling is determining the preference, where the consumers simply choose what they ‘feel’ as true, which is a form of self-deception. Diamonds are not rare by any means, but consumers are made to believe the opposite, by DeBeers and its cartel, through various advertisements, where diamonds supersede ‘real human love’ and become ‘a girl’s best friend’ (so aptly presented through the movie by Marilyn Monroe in the 1953 classic movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_aqOTVKebY). Even though Caroll (1990) contended that modern consumers are not affected by simulation or hyperreality and will buy only what they like, in the world of modern marketing we find that the seller guides what the consumer likes, through simulation. This is evident in DeBeers case, where we find that the word love is attached to all its advertisements. The advertisements glorify the emotion and subtly hint that diamonds ‘reflect’ this true love. Thus, without actually denying the presence of the ‘real’ human emotion ‘love,’ DeBeers simply uses exalted simulation to supersede the real emotion by ‘fake’ carbonated rocks (diamonds), and in a way guides the consumer to buy the stone and profess his or her love. Despite Carroll’s contention, observations reveal that human beings are naturally inclined to make meanings through various interpretations and creations of signs, and hence easy to manipulate into performing specific activities, and as Peirce suggested, humans tend to think only through signs (Peirce, 1932). Signs take the form of images, odours, sounds, words, objects or flavours, which lack any inherent meaning, but turn into ‘signs’ when they are invested with a form of meaning. In this context, Pierce claimed that signs do not exist unless they are interpreted as such (Peirce 1932). Therefore, a sign refers to anything that can be interpreted as signifying something that is, standing for, or representing something, which is other than its own self. Things are unconsciously interpreted as signs, when people relate them to various conventional forms seen in their daily lives, and it is this presumptive use of signs that form the basis of semiotics. Thus, when a red rose is shown in the Debeers advertisements holding a diamond (fig. 2), the observer naturally assumes that a bond exists between love and diamond, as a red rose from times immemorial represents love. According to Saussure, a sign comprised of a signifier or signifiant which is the ‘form’ adopted by the sign and the signified or signifié which is the theory or concept behind the displayed sign. Here the sign is the total outcome when ‘signified’ links with the ‘signifier’ and this association is known as signification (Saussure 1983, p. 67).  If we take the image of the red rose with the diamond in it (invested with meaning by an individual viewing it in a DeBeers ad) as a sign that consists of a signifier (rose holding the diamond) and a signified which when translated means that the diamond being equivalent to rose (established sign for love) symbolises true love. Therefore, it can be assumed that a sign must essentially have a signifier and a signified, both, for it to be comprehensible (Saussure, 1983, p. 101). In Peirces model, a sign includes an object or referent, not observed in Saussures version. The referent has the same meaning as that of the signifier in Saussures model, and refers to what the sign represents. According to Baudrillard, the status of a sign can be changed using third order of simulacra, known as hyper-reality, where representation is interchanged by simulation (Pawlett, 2007, p.76). Here simulation is clearly different from representation, as the relationship between the signified and signifier breaks down (the investment of meaning from the viewer’s end), since meaning is created through the links that exist between signifiers rather than initiating from one’s mental processes (ibid). Furthermore, signs that are pre-modelled signifiers are disengaged from referents, as the models lack referents. Here Pawlett suggests that “even if we assert that ‘referentiality’ is only ever an illusion generated by the apparatus of language the situation is transformed by the proliferation of signifiers lacking even an illusory referentiality” (2007, p. 76). As for example, if we take the example of De beers, the name is distinguished in the context of other signifiers like Graff, Harry Winston, Cartier, Tiffany & co., and Leviev and many others. Referents like ‘blood diamond,’ are cleverly overruled by meaningful play of signifiers, like ‘a diamond is forever’ ‘love’ ‘celebrate’ etc. The signifiers here are models that lack any fixed or direct allusion, while furthermore some of the signifiers, which are ‘virtual’ (created on the internet) make referents within the model become completely meaningless (ibid). In this context, Pawett gives an interesting example of the well-known ‘virtual’ signifier known as ‘Lara Croft.’ When the famous film star (signifier) Angelina Jolie simulated this simulation, being incredibly ‘proportioned,’ had her features enhanced digitally, to make her appear more similar to the virtual signifier (2007, p. 76). Here Pawlett opines that it would have been meaningless to seek the ‘real’ referent of the signifiers Lara Croft or Angelina Jolie, since they are mere brands or modelled signifiers created for making rounds of the media-entertainment routes. Even though representation does not completely stop existing (it is still the controlling factor), but, the concept of simulation now gaining more foothold (ibid, p. 77). Thus, in context of DeBeers ads, true human love is still held supreme, but simulation is used to supplant it with carbonated rocks, where the rose, the word love and the shown diamonds all become mere brands or modelled signifiers, and the referent (when someone alludes to the blood diamond controversy) becomes meaningless. The short phrase word “diamonds are forever” and suitable photographic images successfully created hyperrealism and through simulation made consumers believe diamonds reflect true love, which saved DeBeers from definite bankruptcy. During depression in post WWI era (1930s), while the diamond market was going through a very lean phase, DeBeers stopped almost 90% of its production (Reilly, 2005, p. 5). It was during this time the company decided to create a marketing campaign where they would show viewers simulated pictures and advertisements, which would implant a falsely hyped value (emotional) of the stones in the viewer’s mind. In 1947 Frances Gerety, a copywriter, came up with the famous tagline “a diamond is forever” and the stones were made to represent ‘real love.’ They introduced scenes within movies where diamonds were shown as an integral part of romantic scenes, diamonds were presented to film stars celebrating immortal love, stories that linked ‘true love’ with diamonds appeared in film journals and newspapers (figures 1 and 2), while fashion designers were asked to discuss on the upcoming trend of wearing diamonds (Reilly 2005). Therefore, we find a falsely created fantasy world (simulation of ‘real’ love), which through strong marketing strategy slowly turned into reality, and by the 1960s consumers actually started relating ‘real love’ with diamonds. Fig 1: A 2002-03 DeBeers advertisement clearly links ‘true love’ with diamonds (Kaplan 2012). This established hyperrealism, where one failed to differentiate between the ‘actual’ emotion of love and the implanted (imaginary) image of love (diamonds). Consumers made little effort to know what lay behind the hyper-real image of love signified by a stone, which had a violent history of civil war and gross human rights abuse within diamond mining areas (as was portrayed in the movie “Blood Diamond”). Thus, a simple piece of carbonated rock, often harvested through violent means, was made to represent true and eternal love, using simulation and hyper-reality. Fig 2: A 1955 DeBeers advertisement showing ‘love’ (through a rose) and diamonds as being eternally linked uses the theory of sign and signification (Kaplan 2012). In the context of DeBeers advertisements, it is clear that these advertisements were based on creating hyper-reality and simulation using meaningful signs and signification. The advertisements were not based on other concepts of communication, as for example, texts and textuality, where texts, logos, or maps and similar other modes of communication are used for communicating with viewers. While using texts and textuality, audio, video or images need not be used, and texts are considered as more effective. Textual advertisements are commonly seen in the form of SMSs or emails sent to consumers. On the contrary, De beers advertisements have cleverly played with the concept of signifiers and signified, removed the referent (blood diamonds), and created a feeling of hyper-reality using simulation, where consumers have finally started believing that true love is represented by piece of carbonated rocks known as diamonds. Conclusion The study of DeBeers clearly shows how strategic manipulation of mass media leads to simulating an image of reality. DeBeers advertisements have meaningfully used relevant signifiers and signified, cleverly overlooked the referent (blood diamonds), and created a feeling of hyper-reality using simulation, while representations of false events or emotions created a situation where consumers failed to differentiate between imagination and reality, and ended up believing the fantasy to be a reality. References Baudrillard, J., 1994. Simulacra and Simulation. Translated by Sheila Faria Glaser. University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor. Baudrillard, J., 1993. Symbolic exchange and death. Sage, London. Baudrillard, J., 1976. The Hyper-realism of Simulation. [Online] available at http://ma-07.wikispaces.com/file/view/12-Baudrillard.pdf [Accessed 19th April 2012] Boje, D., 1995. Stories of the storytelling organization: a postmodern analysis of Disney as Tamara-land’. Academy of Management Journal, 38(4), 997–1035. Campbell, C., 1987. The romantic ethic and spirit of modern consumerism. Blackwell, Oxford. Carroll, N., 1990. The philosophy of horror. Routledge, NY. Jameson, F., 1991. Postmodernism, or, the cultural logic of late capitalism. Duke University Press, Durham. Kaplan, B., 2012. Forever Diamonds. Gemnation. [Online] Available at http://www.gemnation.com/forever_diamonds_1.jsp [Accessed 18th April 2012]. Pawlett, W., 2007. Jean Baudrillard. Routledge: Abingdon, Oxon. Peirce, C., 1932. Collected Papers of Charles Sanders Peirce, Charles Hartshorne and Paul Weiss, Arthur W. Burks, (eds.), vol.2. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. Reilly, S., 2004. De Beers SA: A Diamond is Forever, Case Number: MKT04- 01, NY Stern School of Business. [Online] Available at http://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~rwiner/De%20Beers%20case.doc. [Accessed 19th April 2010] Saussure, F., 1983.  Course in General Linguistics Charles Bally and Albert Sechehaye (Eds.), Trans. Roy Harris. La Salle. Open Court, Illinois. Read More