Mia, a sub-brand of Tanishq, was born out of Indian women’s demand for contemporary jewellery. Thirteen years ago, when they began, most Indian jewellers dealt in very traditional designs.
However, by that time, a large percentage of the urban women population had started going to work. They wanted to be fashionable and wear contemporary designs, but they didn’t want to wear artificial jewellery. “That’s where Mia came in, to fill the gap for lightweight and modern precious jewellery,” Sampurna Rakshit, their Marketing Head, tells us.
The New Era
Today, Mia’s consumer base has extended far beyond working women in metro cities. Apart from women, some of their biggest buyers are men as the brand’s price point makes its products great for gifting.
Rakshit tells us about changes in consumer behaviour that drive higher demand, including an increasing acceptance of 14-carat gold in the Indian market. Women also prefer to buy smaller, lightweight pieces that they can wear every day. “Many of our customers come in to exchange the jewellery they got during their weddings, saying that it’s been lying in their lockers for the last 10 or 20 years.”
Diamonds have also become more sought-after and accepted than they were a decade ago. “Earlier, there used to be a lot of astrological associations with diamonds, but people are breaking out of those moulds.”
Connecting Seamlessly
Mia uniquely straddles both online and offline platforms. They have over 200 standalone stores in addition to their presence in over 400 Tanishq stores. So, while most of their sales happen offline, they are digital-first regarding marketing.
“Everyone begins their purchase journey online.” Whether through traditional influencers, a friend who’s recommended something, or a publication, there’s no escaping digital. People also search for their products on Google, compare jewellery across different platforms and brands and finally, make their close offline or online.
“While the purchase journey is not linear, the belief that Indians won’t buy jewellery online is completely debunked. ” Today, people are buying jewellery online more than ever. For Raksha Bandhan this year, Mia even made their quick commerce debut on Instamart.
Reaching For The Stars
Mia’s current marketing proposition, ‘For the star in you’ stemmed from the insight that women, no matter where they’re from or how well-established they are, almost always carry a grain of self-doubt within them. “All women have a star inside them, and we want to nudge them to discover and believe in it.”
The campaign for Diwali with Rakul Preet Singh was launched last year. This year, a follow-up campaign was done with Sheetal Devi, the first and only international para-archery champion without upper limbs. “When we heard her story, we were floored. Sheetal started archery with her foot around the age of 14, and today, at just 17, she represents India at the Paralympics”
Rakshit tells us that Sheetal is a happy, normal teenager who doesn’t wallow in self-pity. The only thing that bothers her is how people stare when she goes outside. “The campaign revolved around the fact that people don’t think twice before staring at her, but still don’t watch her games.” It ended with Sheetal telling the viewer, “Dekhna hai, toh khel dekho.”
“Nobody embodies ‘For the star in you’ better than somebody like her.” Mia has been partnering with women in sports since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where Rani Rampal, Deepika Kumari, Manika Batra and other athletes wore Mia at the inaugural ceremony. They have also sponsored the RCB women’s team in the first and second editions.
The Last Setting
Mia aims to become the fine jewellery brand for every Indian woman. And while it is a very tall ask, the brand has seen rapid expansion, having recently opened its 210th store — it was only three years ago that they were at 30 stores.
FNP Has Been Gearing Up For Gifting Season
Over her career in marketing, Rakshit has learnt that Indian consumers are intelligent and deeply understand value. “It is not that they go for the cheapest product. They go for the one with the highest value.” Evidently, they cannot be taken for a ride, and marketers would do well to respect them.
