Helzberg Diamonds' little red I Am Loved button made a big splash this Valentine's Day when two SHSers braved freezing temperatures, sleet and crowds to spread the love in New York City.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the I Am Loved button, which comes in 11 different languages and is available for free at all Helzberg Diamonds stores across the U.S. To celebrate the anniversary, a 12th new language was introduced in February after the public voted in an online and in-store poll. The winning language was revealed in time for Valentine's Day. The winner: Indonesian.
"Since the Today Show wasn't interested in helping us unveil the button's new language, we did the next best thing - we joined their outside audience,"- said Lathi de Silva, director brand reputation. "We were in the front row and you couldn't help but notice the I Am Loved brand everywhere."
In addition to the national TV exposure outside the Today Show, hundreds of I Am Loved T-shirts were passed out in Times Square, and I Am Loved buttons were passed out on NYC streets and to customers at Dean and Deluca stores in Rockefeller Center and Soho.
"SHS calls this type of marketing "Borderless Branding,"- said de Silva. "It's all about connecting consumers to a relevant message at a relevant time in a relevant way. Spreading the I Am Loved message on Valentine's Day to a national audience, that's borderless branding in action."