The measurement of acquisition of jewellery containing new diamonds by consumers in the major jewellery markets worldwide forms a key part of the monitoring process undertaken by the CSO in order to plan the flow of rough diamonds from the producers into the diamond pipeline. The Diamond Acquisition Study is the centrally co-ordinated annual survey whose key objective is to measure the level of recent acquisition among consumers. This paper discusses all aspects of survey design and execution, focussing on the practical constraints to total comparability of survey methods across markets, the approach we take to oversampling recent acquirers of diamond jewellery and the interviewing problems associated with the accurate measurement of a sensitive, emotion-linked, high priced item. The final section illustrates how the results from the Diamond Acquisition Study are used within the CSO.
The world's major brewers, facing static or declining home markets, are seeking markets for their brands outside their home territories. In most cases these overseas markets can only be exploited at the expense of existing local brands, since few significant markets are growing. The most conspicuous success has been achieved by the Australian brewing companies in their assault on the UK market. Their strategy, involving a mixture of brand licensing arrangements, acquisition of local breweries, and committed advertising support, may well be extended to other European and world markets. Growing consumer interest in imported beers, in the USA and other major markets has created favourable conditions for this to occur. The major US and European brewers, while controlling brands with considerable export potential, have so far failed to match the aggressive stance of the Australians. Each national market poses unique problems of marketing and distribution and beer drinking traditions vary greatly from country to country. Marketing and advertising strategies for international brands therefore need to take account of these local variations. Market research has a major role to play assisting brewers strike the correct balance between global branding and adaptation to local market conditions.