Promoting Diamonds on MySpace

There's plenty of rock on MySpace--but rocks? Diamonds and gems are almost the last thing you'd expect to find on the social networking site that's become a major marketing tool in the world of music.

But now, according to the New York Times, French jeweler Cartier has decided MySpace is a gem for their purposes, too. With 3,800 "friends," Cartier's MySpace site advertises its Love jewelry collection, and includes samples of music and film clips. This signals a change of direction for luxury brands when it comes to the company they keep. They times, they are indeed a' changin'.

Cartier, owned by Richemont, is one of the first luxury brands to use a social networking site, but it begs the question: can you sell $5,000-and-up tank watches to kids looking for the next free download?

In the Times piece, Cartier execs explain that while they may not be selling bling on MySpace, they are getting the word out--and that MySpacers can sample sample their music from artists like Lou Reed and Grand National, with themes of love composed exclusively for Cartier. (And commissioning those songs did not come cheap.)

Modern marketers are excited about blending entertainment and marketing and spreading it through chain letter-style links . But luxury brands have so far been snobs about social network sites.. Cartier took the risk, a spokeswoman for the brand said, because it was a "different way to talk to a young audience."

If Cartier is marketing through MySpace--what's next? Maybe it's time to search out Louis Vuitton on Facebook.

by Merle Ginsberg